Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated Indian chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh for her remarkable performance at the World Team Blitz Championships in London, where she defeated World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the second leg of the Blitz semifinal.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister praised Divya’s determination and the inspiration she provides to aspiring chess players across the country.
“Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan, in the 2nd leg of the Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London. Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours,” PM Modi said in his X post.
In reply to the Prime Minister’s post, Divya said on X: “Thank you, Respected Sir. It is a great honour and encouragement for me to be recognised by the Prime Minister.”
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also congratulated Divya, applauding her stunning win and wishing her the very best for the upcoming games.
“Checkmate! Heartiest congratulations to our chess star Divya Deshmukh on her stunning win over World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of the Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships in London. Wishing you the very best for the future games”, the sports minister said in a post on X.
The World Team Blitz Championships is an international chess tournament organized by FIDE (the International Chess Federation), featuring teams from around the world competing in the blitz format.
In blitz chess, each player typically has only a few minutes to complete all their moves, making the games fast-paced, intense, and highly tactical.