Chennai trips, training with Srinath & more: Divya's story

GEORGIA is so rich, so steeped in chess culture that it's mandatory for kids to learn the basics of the board game.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN @ Chennai

GEORGIA is so rich, so steeped in chess culture that it's mandatory for kids to learn the basics of the board game. Once they are done with the basics, it becomes a school elective where they may learn about the game's greats, history and so on.

So, it wouldn't be out of place if a lot of Georgian kids come to know about Divya Deshmukh's exploits in Batumi on the Black Sea. At the ongoing women's World Cup there, the Nagpur teen has enjoyed a thrilling ride. Now, she stands on the cusp of global glory, two games away from becoming the second Indian, man or woman, to win the event (Viswanathan Anand had won it in 2000 and 2002).