The legendary Grand Master Susan Polgar described the triumph of Divy Destymokh’s remarkable world cups of women as a victory driven “mental tough” and to win by unshakable will after a 19 -year -old historical chapter in Indian chess.
In an exciting cell -independent final held in Batumi in Georgia, Divya stunned the most experienced Humpy conera in Tiebreaks on Monday. He entered the tournament as a Dark Horse and a teenager from Maharashtra not only secured the prestigious World Championship, but also qualified for the 2026 candidates and became the Indian 88.
“First, congratulations for this historical performance. Well,” Polgar said in an interview with PTI videos. “Although she might not have been popular in front of the tournament or the strongest on paper, she had what the others lacked – the will to win and mental toughness.”
The 56-year-old Hungarian-American, who was the World Women’s World Champion from 1996 to 1999, appreciated Divy’s resistance during the competition. “There were games where she had trouble, and some where she couldn’t convert.
Divy’s performance places her among the elite in Indian chess and after Humpy, Harice Dronavallim and R. Vaisalim and 44. The female GM in the world became only the fourth Indian woman.
Polgar, who has become a player in the world with the highest rating in the world for just 15 years, believes that Indian chess is in the middle of the golden era, powered by the wave of fearless young talent and strengthened by the leadership of icons such as Viswanathan Anand.
“That’s the golden age of chess in India,” she said. “Even more strange is that all these talents are domestic. They respect and support each other. With permanent support of the government – national to local – and sponsors, India will remain on top for the coming years.”
Polgar quoted an example of the feeling of adolescents by D. Gukesh, who became a grandmaster at the age of 12, and noted that success in chess often occurred to an intangible property.
“When Gukesh became GM, there was no highest ranking among Indian prospects,” she recalled. “But I immediately chose him to go the farthest. Some thought I was crazy. But as someone who worked with more than 50 grandmothers, including players rated over 2700, I recognized his special features.”
“The same with Wonder. She doesn’t have to be a player with the highest rating of India, but has the same intangible – fearlessness and immense will to win. This often compensates for any technical shortcomings that can deal with greater training and experience.”
Polgar insisted both Gukesh and Wonder to stay ground and work hard, and warned that future challenges would be steeper now that they reach the summit.
“Don’t stop. It’s like a moving train – to ride dynamics and don’t slow down” Wonder is no longer an incoming. She’s now a champion of the world. Target is on her back. Others will shoot for her. They must train -train harder. “
Polgar also had warm words for Humpy Konera, who had been in the forefront of Indian female chess for decades.
“Humpy is a phenomenal player. I have great respect for her. She has been close to the top for many years. Age and motherhood are making things more challenging, but in this tournament she navigated many hard matches.
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Published:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
29. July 2025
