Divya Deshmukh: The Only Indian Woman In FIDE Grand Swiss

Divya Deshmukh has done it again. After achieving some huge milestones just a couple of weeks ago, she has now become the only Indian woman to appear in the Open section of the prestigious FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, which is scheduled to begin on 4 September. This huge milestone comes after her historic victory at the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, where she not only became the first Indian woman to ever win the title, but also earned her Grandmaster title without the necessary qualifications.

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After winning the World Cup, she already had the luxury to choose to skip the Grand Swiss 2025 as she had already qualified for the Women’s Candidates. Instead, she showed why she was the rising star in women’s chess and chose to challenge herself against some of the strongest chess minds in the world.

Divya Deshmukh’s Coach On Her Participation

Her coach, Shyam Sundar, told The Times of India, “At this age, especially, she will of course be very ambitious and focus on reaching 2700, which is a dream for any player. She is close to 2500 now, so it makes complete sense to compete in a stronger event. She will be playing more GMs, and she can test her preparation and how determined she is to give a strong comeback,” confirming Divya Deshmukh’s participation in the Open section of the Grand Swiss 2025.

This tournament will feature some of the strongest Indian players, including grandmasters like D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa, making Divya’s presence in the open section an impressive statement of confidence and capability.