Latest news with #HexamindChessClub
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Modi, Gadkari & CM Laud Nagpur Chess Queen Divya For Historic Win Over World Women's No.1
1 2 Nagpur: Two days after the TOI exclusively highlighted Divya Deshmukh's heroics in the World Blitz and Rapid Team Championships, where Nagpur's golden girl stunned the world's best women chess player, China's Hou Yifan, in London, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the 19-year-old's historic victory. While minister of state for sports Raksha Khadse, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari took inputs from the TOI report to congratulate Divya first on Wednesday, Modi and others lauded India's chess sensation's efforts on Thursday. On Monday, Nagpur's world junior no.1 and International Master (IM) Divya registered a hard-fought 74-move win over world women's No.1 Yifan in the second leg of the semifinal round in the blitz team chess championship. Overall, Divya brought home a total of three medals representing Hexamind Chess Club in both the blitz and rapid events. In an exclusive story on Tuesday, the TOI reported the face-off between the best women chess player and her junior counterpart — China's Yifan vs India's Divya. The face-off between Yifan and Divya in the shortest format of chess had similarities to the classical game played between Magnus Carlsen and D Gukesh, where the recent 'Oh My God' moment happened when the world No.1 suffered his first defeat to the youngest world champion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like เริ่มแล้ว! ตลาด USDJPY อยู่ในช่วงขาขึ้นกว่าเดิม IC Markets สมัคร Undo When Divya recorded her first win over Yifan, the Nagpur girl got a bit emotional but controlled her emotions and went to prepare for the bronze medal match. Congratulating Divya on X, Modi said, "Divya's success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours." Modi's congratulatory message on Thursday made the media line up for a bite from Divya at her Shankar Nagar residence. Replying to Modi's message, Divya said, "PM Modi sir has written very nice things which are very encouraging and motivating, so it makes me feel very good and gives me a lot of inspiration to win medals for India in the future." Fadnavis wrote, "What an extraordinary moment as Divya defeats world No.1 Hou Yifan in London. Her fearless moves, sharp focus, and unshakable determination have not only secured a historic victory but also made every Indian — and every Maharashtrian — proud. This isn't just a win on the board, it's a statement to the world that young talent from India is ready to conquer global arenas. Wishing Divya many more glorious victories ahead. Indian chess has found a new queen, and she hails from Nagpur!" Following Modi's congratulatory message, the country's who's who have started lauding Divya.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Advice, practice games with Levon, Anish, Murzin came handy for Divya
1 2 Nagpur: Divya Deshmukh's 74-move win over World Women's No. 1 Hou Yifan has once again brought the Nagpur girl into the limelight. During the seven-day World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship in London, the 19-year-old International Master (IM), representing Hexamind Chess Club, secured as many as three medals — two bronze and a silver. Speaking exclusively to TOI, Divya shared her experience of playing alongside the world's best players, including Levon Aronian, Murzin Volodar, Anish Giri, and Vidit Gujrathi. Divya said, "The best moments were definitely the blitz knockouts and also the entire team spirit. Everyone was really friendly, and everyone got along really well, so it took away the pressure to perform. Levon, Anish, and Murzin helped me with advice, practice games etc, which was super nice of them. And, of course, the banter." Despite suffering a defeat against Yifan in the first leg of the round-robin semifinal, Divya remained positive and came back stronger to prevail over her experienced opponent. In the second leg of the semifinal, Divya utilised her opening advantage with the white pieces well and made her moves faster to take control of the clock for her first-ever victory over Yifan. Explaining her strategy for getting the better of Yifan, Divya said, "I knew I had to go all out. I would have been automatically scared if the thought of playing against the World Champion had crept into my mind. So, it did not matter whom I was playing against; I focused on the game, and I only knew that I had to win the game." On her future plans, Divya said that she is preparing for the forthcoming World Cup. She added, "I am focused, and my preparations are going well. I will give my best and will try to bring medals in future tournaments."
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
World Team Blitz Championships: PM Modi Praises Divya Deshmukh After India Star Beats World No. 1 Hou Yifan
Last Updated: PM Modi praised Divya Deshmukh for her win over World No. 1 Hou Yifan at the World Team Blitz Championships in London. Divya led her team to bronze. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday praised India's chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh for her remarkable first-ever victory over World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the second leg of the blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships in London. Representing Hexamind Chess Club, the 18-year-old Indian talent faced off against the Chinese powerhouse, who was playing for the WR Chess Team. In an electrifying 74-move encounter, Divya outsmarted Yifan, who made a crucial error by losing her bishop in a theoretically drawn rook vs. bishop endgame. 'Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London. Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours," PM Modi wrote on X. Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London. Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 19, 2025 In the blitz format, Divya secured six wins, one draw, and only one loss out of eight games, achieving an impressive performance rating of 2606. She subsequently excelled in the third-place playoff, leading her team to a 3.5–2.5 victory over Uzbekistan in both rounds to clinch the team bronze medal. Checkmate ♟️ !Heartiest congratulations to our chess star Divya Deshmukh on her stunning win over World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of the Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships in London. Wishing you the very best for the future games. — Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) June 18, 2025 In the rapid format, Divya achieved five wins, six draws, and just one loss, securing team silver and an individual bronze on Board 6, with a performance rating of 2420. The third edition of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships took place in London from June 10 to 16. The total prize fund was 500,000 euros; 310,000 euros for the rapid tournament and 190,000 euros for the blitz. First Published: June 19, 2025, 15:40 IST
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Divya Deshmukh stuns chess world No. 1 Hou Yifan at World Team Blitz Championship
NAGPUR: World Junior No. 1, Divya Deshmukh, stunned world No. 1 Hou Yifan of China on Monday to fiish the World Team Rapid, Blitz Championship on a high with three medals. Yifan faced Nagpur girl Divya in the second leg of the semifinal round in the World Blitz Team Chess Championship, which concluded in London. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This clash in the shortest format of chess had similarities to the classical game played recently between World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and world champion D Gukesh. While Yifan was representing WR Chess Team, Divya was playing for Hexamind Chess Club. Yifan had defeated Divya in the first leg of the round-robin semifinal, but the Indian came back stronger in the following leg. Divya utilised her opening advantage with the white pieces well and made her moves faster to take control of the clock.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Nagpur's Divya Stuns China's World Women No.1 Hou Yifan
Nagpur: World Junior No.1, Divya Deshmukh, stunned the World Women's No.1 Hou Yifan of China, on Monday, and finished the World Team Rapid, Blitz Championship on a high with three medals. In the second leg of the semifinal round in the World Blitz Team Chess Championship, which concluded in London, the best women chess player Yifan faced off with her junior counterpart Divya, of Nagpur. The face-off between Yifan and Divya in the shortest format of chess had similarities to the classical game played recently between World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and the youngest world champion D Gukesh. While Yifan was representing WR Chess Team, Divya was playing for Hexamind Chess Club in the shorter version of the World Team Championships, played in both the rapid and blitz formats. Though Yifan had defeated Divya in the first leg of the round-robin semifinal, Nagpur's chess queen came back stronger in the following leg. Divya utilised her opening advantage with the white pieces well and made her moves faster to take control of the clock. In the dying stage of the rook vs bishop endgame 74-move thriller, Yifan made a blunder with her king and was left with no option but to resign. Realising her mistake, Yifan offered the handshake, and Divya became a bit emotional — reacting as if in disbelief, happily surprised to register her first victory over the world's best women chess player. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Though there was no drama as such, considering the recent 'Oh My God' moment of Magnus Carlsen, when the world no. 1 was surprised by world chess champion D Gukesh, the game between Yifan and Divya saw an emotional reaction from the Nagpur girl. Without much drama, Yifan laughed at her mistake and left the arena. Divya closed her eyes for a moment, made small chat with the arbiters, looked at the other results of her teammates, and went to prepare for the next round. Of the eight games that the 2343 Elo Divya played in the blitz event, she registered victories in six rounds, drew a board, and lost just one game while performing at a rating as high as 2606. Divya's heroics in the fastest format helped her register second rank. Later, in the third-place playoff, Divya won both the rounds as Hexamind Chess Club defeated the squad of Uzbekistan in both matches with 3.5:2.5 to clinch the bronze medal. Earlier, in the rapid format of the world championship, Divya played a pivotal role and helped Team Hexamind to clinch the silver medal. Of the 12 games she played in the rapid format, the 2386 Elo Divya won five games, drew six rounds, and lost just one game to score eight points with a performance rating of 2420. She also won the individual bronze medal for her play on board 6. With the three medals that she won, Divya posted, "Finally, what seemed like an eternity is over, world rapid and blitz team championships! Team finished second in rapid and third in blitz. Had an amazing experience with the team."
