Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], July 28 : Family members of young sensation and the latest grandmaster, Divya Deshmukh, have expressed their delight after she became the first Indian woman to clinch the Chess World Cup in Georgia.
Divya, a 19-year-old prodigy, stood triumphant at the FIDE Women's World Cup following her sensational victory against the veteran Koneru Humpy in the final via tiebreaks on Monday evening.
Wishes have poured in all over the nation to congratulate Divya for her record-shattering success. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu were among leaders who commended the young star.
Divya's grandmother, Dr Kamal Deshmukh, expressed her joy at the achievement.
"We are very happy. She worked very hard. I am very happy as PM Modi congratulated her."
Her aunt, Smita Deshmukh, is eagerly waiting for Divya's return.
"We are very happy. She worked very hard. It is double happiness as India won both the gold and silver medals. We are eagerly waiting for her arrival at Nagpur and will celebrate with her. It is a very big day for the nation," she said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis extended wishes to Divya in a video call. "Many many congratulations. You made us proud," he said.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, also congratulated Divya in a video call. "This is a moment of joy and pride not only for Nagpur and Maharashtra, but also for the entire country," he said.
During the tense contest, a string of inaccuracies in the second rapid game contributed to Koneru's downfall. She found herself a pawn down in the rook endgame, which played out in Divya's favour. The veteran allowed the situation to sink in and resigned on the 75th move and fell short in a gripping final with a score of 2.5-1.5.
Divya failed to capitalise on the two windows that Koneru left open for her with her inaccurate moves. However, on the third time, Koneru inflicted more damage on herself by capturing the f pawn on move 69, which changed the tide in Divya's favour towards the final moments of the contest. This time around, Divya made no mistake, played the right moves and forced Koneru to resign after six moves.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she began to grasp the scale of her victory. She tried to compose herself, but soon became overwhelmed with emotions again after embracing her mother in a heartfelt moment.
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