'Hope this is just the start': India's Divya Deshmukh after Women's World Cup triumph

Divya Deshmukh has been a fighter ever since she started making moves on the 64 chequered boxes. Like the youngest world champion, D. Gukesh, playing long games is Divya’s forte. This strength makes both Gukesh and Divya different from others in their peer group. The two champions started playing chess almost at the same time, but in different cities. Both work tremendously hard on their preparations. Divya credits her extra effort for helping her clinch the World Cup on Monday. Speaking exclusively with TOI, Divya said, “Preparations played a major role for me in winning this World Cup. Before coming here, I wasn’t expecting that I could reach this far. Since I was in the bottom half and pitted against many strong opponents, I had to make my preparations stronger. I used to be on call for long hours with my trainers.” On defeating World No. 5 Humpy in the all-India final, Divya said, “I have so much respect for Humpy Akka. She is playing the best of the best at this age! It is something to learn from her, it is commendable. It definitely felt good to play against her in the final and I am happy to have beaten such a classy player like Humpy Akka. I think luck was on my side today.” After clinching the title, Divya said, “It’s hard for me to speak right now. I am hoping this is just the start.”