Divya Deshmukh

Devya Deshmukh, one of two Indian entrants in the 2026 Cairns Cup, is making her debut in this year’s event.  She is one of the strongest young female talents in the world having played in her first Women’s Candidates tournament earlier this year at the age of 20.

The reigning Women’s World Cup Champion, Deshmukh has accomplished a great in chess in a short time. In 2020 Deshmukh was part of the gold medal-winning Indian team at the FIDE Online Olympiad and two years later won an individual bronze medal playing for India 2 in the Chennai Women’s Chess Olympiad. This was followed by a sensational team and individual gold in the 2024 Women’s Chess Olympiad. The same year she won the 2024 World Girls Under 20 Chess Championship, becoming the fourth Indian player to do so.

Divya Deshmukh is currently rated the eleventh woman in the world.