Divya Deshmukh awarded wildcard for FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa

The journey of Indian young chess sensation Divya Deshmukh has taken another turn. After an impressive run at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in Samarkand, the 19-year-old has been awarded a wild card entry for the upcoming FIDE World Cup 2025, set to be played in Goa later this year.The opportunity opened up after a last-minute withdrawal, with legends Ju Wenjun and Hou Yifan already having declined invitations. Now, Divya’s participation will ensure the presence of a women player in the tournament.

Just in July, Divya was celebrating the biggest victory of her career by winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 in BatumThat win didn’t just give her a trophy. It gave her the title of India’s 88th Grandmaster and made her only the fourth Indian woman ever to earn the GM title, joining the ranks of Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and R Vaishali.

Also Read: A look at four female chess grandmasters from India

At the recently concluded FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in Samarkand, she chose to play in the Open category, facing seasoned male grandmasters with decades of experience.The Nagpur born chess star impressed fans finishing with 5/11 points, on par with Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina, and even ahead of giants like Levon Aronian and Alexander Grischuk.

That performance caught the world’s attention including the FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky who said,“Judging by her Grand Swiss performance, Divya will be a force to reckon with, even if she faces 2600+ opponents in Round 1.”