FIDE Women’s World Cup title holder Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh has said that she was not under any kind of pressure in the World Cup final against compatriot Koneru Humpy as she had “nothing to lose”.
Nineteen-year-old Divya, who arrived home on Wednesday from Georgia to a reception befitting a world champion at the airport, overcame 38-year-old Humpy, a two-time World Rapid champion, in the time-controlled tiebreak after the two classical rounds ended in draws. This was Divya’s most notable success in her career. Her moment of glory came after Humpy blundered in the second tiebreaker under time pressure.
“I never thought I was in any danger. I guess that the last blunder which Humpy made, handed me the win. Since I had no results in my hand, I was just trying to focus on my performance and wasn't thinking about anything else,” said Divya, when asked if she faced any pressure in the final.
Divya, who had entered the tournament as an underdog, not only won the tournament and earned the title of Grandmaster, but also secured a spot in next year's Candidates meet. She is hoping that women’s chess will take off in a big way in India following after her success. “I am hoping that women will take up the sport in a big way after this success, especially youngsters, and start dreaming that nothing is impossible. I don't have a message for the young generation but for their parents, which is that they should wholeheartedly support their children because they need them more during their failures, not so much in success," she said.
After arriving at the airport on Wednesday night, Divya credited her success to her parents. “My parents have played the biggest role in my career. Without them I would not have reached here. Credit to my family, my parents, my sister, and my first coach, Rahul Joshi sir. He always wanted me to become a Grandmaster, and this is for him,” said Divya. Joshi had died in 2020 when he was just 40 years old.
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