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Off-side: Endgame with a heartline

Divya Deshmukh couldn’t quite believe it. That this was happening with the whole world watching. A World Cup on the line, her opponent, the much-experienced Koneru Humpy, was moments away from defeat. And Divya, 19 and trembling, was suddenly on the cusp of history. She had her hands on her face. Not in triumph, not…

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FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup review: Indian chess hits new high with Divya Deshmukh’s title win

Indian chess has never had it this good, showcasing its growing prowess with consistency and signalling that the best may still lie ahead. After five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand’s glorious years, Indian chess is now witnessing success stories like never before. In the past year alone, the country swept gold at the Chess Olympiad, 18-year-old…

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Divya is like MS Dhoni, she can perform incredibly well under pressure: Ex-coach Srinath

Abundantly talented but more significantly, incredibly cool in crunch situations, that’s how India’s 88th Grandmaster and World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh was described by her formative coach Srinath Narayanan, who feels the 19-year-old chess wizard’s composure is comparable only to cricket great MS Dhoni. Divya became a part of the growing list of young achievers…

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