It Was Deshmukh's Mental Toughness, Feels Susan Polgar

Deshmukh Humbled the Much More Experienced Humpy in Tiebreaker

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The legendary Susan Polgar has attributed Divya Deshmukh's stunning World Cup title triumph to her unyielding will to succeed and mental toughness after the youngster created another significant moment for Indian chess.

In an all-Indian final, the 19-year-old Divya humbled the much more experienced and higher-rated Koneru Humpy in a tiebreaker in Batumi, Georgia on Monday.

Divya thus qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament and became the 88th Grandmaster of India after having entered the competition as a dark horse.