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D Gukesh and Divya Deshmukh win gold at the European Chess Cup, boosting confidence ahead of the 2025 Chess World Cup in Goa.
Divya Deshmukh wins gold at European Club Chess (Picture credit: Shahid Ahmed)
World champion D Gukesh and Women’s Chess World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh bagged gold medals at the European Chess Cup to continue their stupendous season. Gukesh bagged gold on the top board, leading his team, SuperChess, to the championship. The victory comes as a major confidence boost, helping him regain momentum after a spell of inconsistent form since becoming World Champion.
In the women’s section, Divya claimed gold on the second board, guiding her team, Cercle d’Échecs de Monte Carlo, to the championship. As the sole female competitor in the upcoming World Cup, her stellar performance gives her a strong boost ahead of the tournament in India.
Divya delivered a brilliant performance, finishing with a rating performance of 2591, 100 points above her actual rating of 2497. This is expected to push her past the 2500 mark in November’s official list, a milestone that would earn her the Grandmaster title.
The 2025 Chess World Cup will be held in Goa from October 31 to November 27. The top three finishers, winner, runner-up and third place, will bag spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
India will be represented by 24 players, with Gukesh as the top seed, followed by Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa as the second and third seeds.
Gukesh capped last year by claiming the World Championship, but this year has been challenging for him. In January, he lost to Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breaker of the Tata Masters.
Gukesh then finished eighth in the inaugural Freestyle Chess Grand Slam and 11th in its Paris leg. In the second leg of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour in Romania, he placed sixth.
October 26, 2025, 16:08 IST
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