Meet Divya Deshmukh, 2024 World Junior Chess Champion

Divya Deshmukh triumphed in the World Junior Chess Championship 2024, held in Gandhinagar, on June 13. She secured her victory by defeating Bulgaria's Beloslava Krasteva in the final round, emerging as the undisputed champion. The International Master (IM) had previously bested fellow Indian Sachi Jain in the penultimate round, bringing her total to nine points. At 18 years old, Divya held a half-point lead over Armenia's Mariam Mkrtchyan.

Divya Deshmukh Clinches World Junior Chess Championship 2024 Title

Among the 101 players from 27 countries competing in the championship, Divya and Krasteva were among the top 20 junior girls according to FIDE ratings. Divya maintained her lead going into the final five rounds of both the open and girls' sections. She started the tournament as a strong favourite with 5.5 points.

🇮🇳 IM Divya Deshmukh wins her game and becomes the 2024 FIDE World U20 Girls Chess Champion! 👑 pic.twitter.com/WFYO03cEae

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) June 13, 2024

Remarkably, she remained unbeaten throughout the competition, ultimately claiming her first World Junior Girls' Chess Championship title. Moreover, Deshmukh has performed brilliantly at the FIDE World Junior Championships so far at GIFT City, Gujarat. She leads the girls' category ahead of the penultimate round and currently appears to be the favourite to win the tournament.

In an interaction with Sportskeeda, Divya Deshmukh shared insights into her journey in chess. The 18-year-old from Maharashtra is not only an international master and Asian women's chess champion but also ranks among the top 20 players.

Interestingly, Divya's entry into the world of chess happened quite by accident. Reflecting on how her journey began, she said, "I got into chess very accidentally. My elder sister used to play badminton, and I was around 4 or 5 years old. My parents wanted me to join some sports, but I was too small to hold a racquet or hit a shot. There was a chess class right downstairs at the same time, so that’s how I got into chess."

Her performance at the World Junior Girls’ Chess Championship has been stellar, and she continues to be a player to watch in the world of chess.