New Delhi, Aug 2 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felicitated Divya Deshmukh, the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, with a cash reward of Rs 3 crore at 'Nagari Sanman Sohala' ceremony in Nagpur on Saturday.
Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Shivajirao Kokate was also present on the occasion. During the event, Divya expressed her gratitude to CM Fadnavis and the people of Nagpur for the recognition.
Last week, 19-year-old Divya etched her name into chess history by defeating Grandmaster Humpy Koneru 1.5–0.5 in the tiebreaks to become the youngest player to win the Women’s World title in Batumi and automatically earn the Grandmaster (GM) title, the highest title in chess.
With her triumph, Divya also qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, alongside the second and third-place finishers GM Humpy Koneru and former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi.
On Friday, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also felicitated the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 medallists, Divya and Koneru, in New Delhi.
Mandaviya personally felicitated Divya, who became the 88th Grandmaster of the country and the 4th Indian woman to become a GM, on becoming the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, while Koneru Humpy joined the ceremony virtually.
"I think this tournament has been the biggest task of resilience, and also it was such a long event, so it definitely tested my physical and emotional stamina and also how to handle my nerves in the crucial moments. It (resiliency) is definitely one of the things that has helped me come this far; that and always always fighting to the end because I think that even in this tournament that has helped me a lot,” Divya told IANS on Friday.
The FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, held from July 5–28 in Batumi, saw a historic all-Indian final between 19-year-old Divya and seasoned GM Koneru. This marked the first time that two Indian women reached the final.
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