File image of Divya Deshmukh inside Stortinget,the Norwegian parliament in Oslo, during the 2026 Norway Chess tournament. (Express Photo by Amit Kamath)Divya Deshmukh had a barnstorming 2025, a year in which she won the Women’s World Cup, became a grandmaster in one shot, and constantly stepped outside the comfort zone of women-only events, competing in open events like the FIDE World Cup and the Grand Swiss. The cherry on top came in the form of the Arjuna Award, an honour that means a lot to the 20-year-old.“Arjuna has always been one of the honours that I wished to be recognised with as a child, so it feels quite special. And the fact that it comes after the World Cup is quite nice. It makes up a nice memory. It is very prestigious,” Divya tells The Indian Express, before adding: “I am aiming for Khel Ratna now. That is something I would like to have someday.”Unlike 2025, Divya couldn’t compete in open tournaments this year, something she means to correct in 2027.Elite women’s players rarely venture out of women-only events to compete in open ones. But in 2025, Divya competed in four such events, taking down grandmasters rated far higher than her and even holding world champion Gukesh to a draw at the Grand Swiss.Asked what she enjoys about competing against men, she says: “I would say there is much less pressure personally for me to play in open tournaments. Of course, these are also extremely strong competitions. So it’s the best of both worlds.“I have been missing the open events this year a lot, actually, and I should have played more. Definitely! But I think for now I don’t have time to play many more events, because the year is almost about to end for me. It wasn’t something that I did just last year. I’ve been doing it all my life, for about 15 years. It’s something that I really missed this year. This year, I’ll probably not play in open events. But next year, definitely,” Divya says. File image of Divya Deshmukh with her mother inside Stortinget, the Norwegian parliament in Oslo, during the 2026 Norway Chess tournament. (Express Photo by Amit Kamath)Her next tournament is the upcoming Global Chess League in Bengaluru, where she finds herself on the Alpine APL Pipers team alongside compatriots Vidit Gujrathi and Koneru Humpy, as well as players like Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri. But beyond chess, there will be other things on Divya’s mind: studying for her university exams.Story continues below this adImmediately after the GCL, she heads to Samarkand for the Chess Olympiad, where both Indian teams are defending champions. Divya enjoys the pull of team events in an otherwise lonely sport. File image of Divya Deshmukh taking on Anna Muzychuk during the 2026 Norway Chess tournament. (Express Photo by Amit Kamath)“The Olympiad is something that has been very important for all of us because we are representing India on a global stage and all of us want to win medals. So it is not as chill to compete in the Olympiad as compared to, let’s say, the World Rapid and Blitz Teams Championships. But definitely team events are fun, because you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for a team. In the Olympiad, you’re playing for India, which adds extra motivation. For me, it’s just a nice thing to play in a team,” Divya says.She won’t be the only chess player receiving an Arjuna this year, fellow Maharashtrian Vidit Gujrathi has also been named.“It is very nice that two Maharashtrians are winning it at the same time. Of course, he has been playing chess for so long and has achieved so much. So for him, it’s long due.”Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. He primarily writes on chess and Olympic sports, and co-hosts the Game Time podcast, a weekly offering from Express Sports. He also writes a weekly chess column, On The Moves. ... Read More