New Delhi, August 16 (HS): Women’s World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh has confirmed her participation in the upcoming FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 chess tournament, competing in the highly competitive Open section. The prestigious event is set to begin on September 3.
The 19-year-old made the announcement via her Instagram story, stating, “So, the news I shared yesterday is that I’m playing in this year’s Open Grand Swiss.”
Divya recently took part in the Women’s Speed Chess Championship—her first tournament since her historic FIDE World Cup triumph—where she fought valiantly but fell in the quarterfinals to the world number one, Hou Yifan.
India’s Open section lineup features several top prodigies and grandmasters, including reigning World Champion D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, and Nihal Sarin. In the women’s category, India will be represented by 2025 World Cup runner-up Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali.
Notably, Russia’s Alexandra Goryachkina will also compete in the Open section. Both Divya and Goryachkina had requested wildcards, which have been granted. Although the tournament serves as a qualifier for the FIDE Women Candidates, neither player is concerned about qualification—having already secured their places.
In related commentary, International Master and renowned chess commentator Tania Sachdev recently emphasized the importance of female players competing in more Open tournaments to sharpen their skills. However, she stressed that women-specific titles should continue to exist.
Tania remarked, “I believe young girls should play as many Open events as possible. They need to train and compete against male players, not focus solely on women’s tournaments. Yet, women’s titles should remain because they inspire many players and motivate the new generation to take up the sport.”
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
