Divya Deshmukh awarded wildcard for FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa

Divya Deshmukh won the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025.

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 Batumi where she outplayed the Indian legend Koneru Humpy in the final.

That 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.”

He confirmed her participation on his Twitter handle stating, “Divya Deshmukh gets the wild-card for the FIDE World Cup in Goa.

After Ju Wenjun and Hou Yifan declined an invite, there was no female representation in the event. However, due to the last-minute dropout of the qualified player, FIDE President got to assign one more wild card – and it goes to the reigning Women’s World Cup Champion.”

Soon after, FIDE itself seconded the announcement on its official handle. “GM Divya Deshmukh, the reigning FIDE Women’s World Cup winner, has been awarded a wild card for the FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa by the FIDE President,” they wrote on Twitter.

“This follows a last-minute cancellation of one of the participants, with Ju Wenjun and Hou Yifan having earlier declined the invitation. The young Indian star recently competed at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, and now she will fight for glory on her home soil in Goa, India.”

Now, Divya will return to home soil as part of a 20-strong Indian contingent led by reigning World Champion D Gukesh. The event will be played in Goa from October 30 to November 27.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram