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News18
2 days 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
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Who is Divya Deshmukh? Indian star congratulated by PM Modi after win over world no. 1 Hou Yifan
Divya Deshmukh and PM Modi (Agency Photos) N EW DELHI: Divya Deshmukh, one of India's brightest young chess talents, is making waves on the global stage, and now, she's caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 18-year-old rising star OF Indian chess stunned the chess world by defeating Chinese legend and World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the World Blitz Team Chess Championship held in London. Yifan, representing the WR Chess Team, had defeated Divya in the first leg of their round-robin semifinal clash. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! But Divya, showing remarkable resilience and tactical sharpness, bounced back strongly in the second leg. Playing with the white pieces, she capitalised on her opening advantage and managed her clock superbly, a critical skill in blitz chess, to dominate the game. The achievement earned widespread praise, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who posted on X (formerly Twitter): "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. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Concentrated Siberian Ginseng Extract 2oz Superior Ginseng Undo Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours. " Who is Divya Deshmukh? Born on 9 December 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, to doctor parents Jitendra and Namratha, Divya Deshmukh discovered chess at five. Initially drawn into the sport when her sister enrolled in badminton, she fell in love with the game downstairs and quickly advanced. She won the Under-7 National Championship at age seven in 2012, followed by world youth titles in the U‑10 (Durban, 2014) and U‑12 (Brazil, 2017) categories. Divya became a Woman FIDE Master early on, and by October 2021 had earned her Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title, becoming Vidarbha's first and India's 22nd under that rating. She then secured her International Master (IM) title in 2023 Known as World Junior No. 1, Divya shone by winning the World Junior Girls' U‑20 Championship in 2024, finishing with a dominant 10/11 score. 'Cricketers Aren't Cattle... ': Harish Thawani on the IPL and Business of Indian Cricket She also contributed to India's team gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad (2024) in Budapest and earned individual honours, achieving a performance rating over 2600 in the blitz segment of the World Team Rapid & Blitz Championship. To date, she holds multiple medals: three golds at the Olympiad, multiple Asian and World Youth titles. Trained under GM R.B. Ramesh at Chess Gurukul in Chennai, Divya is praised for her sharp tactical vision, unshakeable composure, and creative flair. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Time of India
3 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."
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First Post
12-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2025: All you need to know about the event
The 2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships will be held in London from 10-16 June. With 54 teams and 116 Grandmasters competing, the event will feature top players like Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja. read more Hikaru Nakamura is among the top ranked players taking part in the event. Image: X / @FIDE_chess The 2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships are all set to take place in London from 10-16 June. The event will bring together top chess players from around the world to compete in two exciting formats - Rapid and Blitz. Fans can expect some exciting matches as the world's top players are also participating in the event. Venue and format The tournament is being held at Novotel London West in Hammersmith, West London. The championships are divided into two events - Rapid (11–13 June), which will be a 12-round Swiss tournament and Blitz (14–15 June), a round-robin pool followed by a knockout stage. Players will have 15 minutes per game with a 10-second increment per move in the Rapid section, and 3 minutes per game with a 2-second increment per move in the Blitz section. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What is the prize pool? A total prize fund of €500,000 (Rs 4 crore) is up for grabs with €310,000 (Rs 3 crore) for the Rapid event and €190,000 (Rs 1.8 crore) for the Blitz event. Team composition The World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships is a team event. Here's how the team composition should look. Teams must have 6 to 9 players Each team must include 1 female player and 1 amateur player Each match is played on six boards Teams can include players from different federations and clubs Who is playing? A total of 54 teams are participating, with 116 Grandmasters among them. The big favourites are WR Chess Team, winners of both the 2023 Rapid and 2024 Blitz titles. WR Chess is led by GM Jan Gustafsson and features top stars like Hikaru Nakamura , Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Wesley So, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Former women's world champions Hou Yifan and Alexandra Kosteniuk are also part of the team. The team's amateur board will be taken by Wadim Rosenstein, who is also the owner of the team. As far as India is concerned, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand is taking part as part of the Freedom team. GM Arjun Erigaisi, GM Nihal Sarin, GM Vidit Gujrathi, GM Pentala Harikrishna, GM Pranav Venkatesh, GM Leon Luke Mendonca, GM Srinath Narayanan, IM Divya Deshmukh, Atharvaa P Tayade, Sarbartho Mani and Aryaman Ganguly are other Indians in the tournament. How to watch? The matches will be streamed live with commentary by GMs Daniel King and Jovanka Houska on FIDE's YouTube channel. Fans who want to watch in person can buy tickets at
