Paliament lauds Divya Deshmukh, Koneru Humpy triumphs in Chess World Cup

New Delhi [India], July 29 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday led the Lower house of Parliament in congratulating grandmasters Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy for their achievements in the FIDE Women's World Cup.

"I would like to inform you that India's Divya Deshmukh has won the FIDE Women's World Cup Final in Batumi, Georgia. She is the first Indian woman to win this competition. Along with this, she has also become India's fourth women's chess grandmaster. Deshmukh has won the FIDE Women's World Cup Final by defeating her Indian partner, Koneru Humpy. We are happy that both of them are still playing in the final. This is a great news for India, " Om Birla said in his opening remarks.

"The entire world has seen that we congratulate both the Indian players who reached the final of this special women's competition. In addition to these two Indian women players, there is an atmosphere of joy and excitement throughout the country. Their victory will give great inspiration to all Indians, especially our youth. This assembly congratulates Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy for this great achievement. We wish them all the best for their future," he added.

Ahead of the Operation Sindoor debate today, the Rajya Sabha Speaker Harivansh opened the session, hailing Divya Deshmukh's triumph in the Chess World Cup.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the remarkable efforts of both players and believes Divya's victory will serve as an inspiration for the youngsters.

"A historic final featuring two outstanding Indian chess players! Proud of the young Divya Deshmukh on becoming FIDE Women's World Chess Champion 2025. Congratulations to her for this remarkable feat, which will inspire several youngsters. Koneru Humpy has also displayed immense prowess throughout the championship. Best wishes to both players for their future endeavours. @DivyaDeshmukh05 @humpy_koneru," PM Modi wrote on X.

President Droupadi Murmu also lavished praise on Divya and wrote on X, "My heartiest congratulations to Divya Deshmukh who has become the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women's World Cup, that too, at a very young age of nineteen."

Divya, a 19-year-old rising sensation in the world of chess, became the first Indian woman to clinch the Chess World Cup after overwhelming Koneru on Monday evening in the final via tiebreaks. She became just the fourth Indian woman grandmaster and overall the 88th in the nation to clinch that title.

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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