NAGPUR: “I am sure it will happen sooner than later.” Divya Deshmukh, fresh after becoming world junior girls chess champion, had oozed confidence about playing the Candidates. That was June 2024.Last July, Divya qualified for the 2026 Candidates by becoming India’s first women’s World Cup winner while earning the Grandmaster title. Thirteen months later, you could say the future has arrived.In the eight-player, double round-robin World Championship Candidates chess, starting Sunday in Cyprus, Divya, making her debut at 20, will be the youngest of the lot.Of her seven opponents in Cyprus, six are rated higher, and with nothing to lose, Divya (Elo 2497) will play aggressively while utilising her weapon of better opening preparations. The Nagpur girl could prove a fierce contender as she loves to make attacking moves on the board while handling the complicated situations with a cool mindset.Divya opens her campaign against the 36-year-old Anna Muzychuk, who became eligible after India No. 1 Koneru Humpy withdrew citing safety concerns in West Asia. Of the three times they squared up, Divya lost once and has drawn twice against the 2522 Elo Ukrainian.In the second round, Divya will face 24-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu, against whom she enjoys a better classical record.
Aleksandra Goryachkina will be up next for Divya and she has a modest record against the highest-rated Russian woman in history.It is in the fourth and fifth rounds that the India No. 2 will look to score the most points. Though she has a losing record against both her higher-rated Chinese GMs — Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi — Divya’s success against them in the world cup will make her confident to squeeze the all-important points.Kazakhstan’s talented GM Bibisara Assaubayeva will be the toughest test for Divya. After playing the sixth round with three-time reigning world blitz champion, Divya will face 22-year-old Bibisara again in the last and 14th essay.Before the return leg begins, Divya will face the twice European Women’s Champion, 36-year-old Kateryna Lagno of Russia. The 2508 Elo Kateryna could spoil Divya’s party like she did in Kolkata this year by winning back-to-back games in the faster format.On March 18 last year in Cyprus, Divya suffered a 66-move defeat against Muzychuk and the Ukrainian went on to become the Women’s Grand Prix champion. If Divya avenges her defeat against Muzychuk in the opening round of the Candidates she can carry the confidence in the remaining 13 rounds.On handling pressure, the once-shy-now-talkative Divya had once told TOI, “I have been carrying pressure for many years. So honestly, after a point, it doesn’t matter. Obviously, pressure will be there; it comes to your mind, but I don’t look at it and don’t think about it.”
