Divya Deshmukh, born on December 9, 2005, is an Indian chess Grandmaster who has recently captured the world's attention by winning the 2025 Women's Chess World Cup. This victory not only earned her the prestigious title of World Cup champion but also secured her place as India's fourth female Grandmaster.

Deshmukh's journey to the top has been marked by consistent performance and remarkable achievements. She has won multiple gold medals at the Olympiad, Asian Championship, World Junior Championship, and World Youth Championship. In 2022, she won the Women's Indian Chess Championship and also secured an individual bronze medal at the Chess Olympiad. She was also a part of the gold medal-winning FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020 team. In 2023, she won the Asian Women's Chess Championship in Almaty and finished first in the women's rapid section of the Tata Steel India Chess Tournament, despite being the bottom seed.

In the 2025 Women's Chess World Cup, Deshmukh, seeded 15th, achieved a historic victory by winning the title on tiebreaks against 4th seed Humpy Koneru in the final. En route to the title, she defeated several higher-seeded opponents, including 2nd seed Zhu Jiner, 10th seed Harika Dronavalli, and 3rd seed Tan Zhongyi. Her win against Koneru, a veteran and India's first woman Grandmaster, was particularly significant, highlighting Deshmukh's skill and composure under pressure. The final match was a "battle of generations," with Deshmukh, 19, half the age of Koneru. After the first two classical games ended in draws, Deshmukh won the second tiebreak game, capitalizing on a blunder from Koneru.

Deshmukh's victory is especially noteworthy because she achieved the Grandmaster title through winning the World Cup, an alternative path to the title compared to the traditional method of achieving three GM norms and rating milestones.

Adding to her list of accomplishments, in June 2025, Deshmukh delivered a standout performance at the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championships in London. Representing Hexamind Chess Club, she defeated women's world No. 1 Hou Yifan in a blitz game, contributing significantly to her team's bronze medal finish.

As of December 2024, she was the 2nd ranked woman chess player in India. Her recent World Cup win and Grandmaster title will undoubtedly elevate her ranking and further solidify her position as a leading figure in Indian and international chess.