Former India chess player and Woman International Master Bhagyashree Thipsay is confident teenager Deshmukh will not just win this Women’s World Cup, but also emerge as a future superstar in the sport
India’s Woman Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh is ecstatic after her semi-final victory over China’s Tan Zhongyi in the Women’s Chess World Cup on Wednesday. Pic/ICF X Account
Former Indian chess player and Woman International Master, Bhagyashree Thipsay has tipped Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Divya Deshmukh to become a future world champion after the 19-year-old became the first Indian to qualify for the final of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, on Wednesday.
“She [Deshmukh] will be a world champion, 100 per cent. Considering her age, she will have many chances to do so,” Thipsay, told mid-day on Thursday.
Bhagyashree Thipsay
Interestingly, Thipsay, 63, was supposed to travel with this Indian women’s team, but suffered a bout of dengue and was hence forced to stayed back. “It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t go, but I’m very happy for the girls. To be honest, Divya’s performance is no surprise.
“She won the World Junior Championships in Ahmedabad [June 2024] very convincingly, literally outplaying all her opponents. She was also the star player in the women’s team that won the gold medal at the Chess Olympiad too [September 2024]. Last month, she also beat China’s World No. 1 Hou Yifan in London [World Team Rapid & Blitz Championship],” added Thipsay, an Arjuna award winner.
Detailing Deshmukh’s game, Thipsay shared some insight into how she has come to dominate in Georgia.
“Divya’s strategy is very simple: She’ll target winning one classical game and drawing the other. Her game is very dynamic. She can switch between multiple openings, based on her opponent and their strategy. Her ability to think and plan on the go is excellent too,” explained Thipsay.
Deshmukh, who beat China’s former world champion Tan Zhongyi 1.5-0.5 in the semi-finals, could either face compatriot Koneru Humpy or China’s Lei Tingjie in the final which begins on Saturday. Thipsay insisted that Deshmukh is capable of going the distance irrespective of whom she faces.
“Deshmukh will have a slight edge over Humpy because of her dynamic game-play and I feel she’s definitely the favourite to beat Tingjie, who has not been that impressive, in my opinion. The only thing she [Deshmukh] needs to be careful of is time pressure. When you’re short of time, you tend to make the wrong moves, it’s something even the best players can fall victim to,” opined the 1991 Asian Women’s Championship winner.
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