In a highly anticipated eighth-round pairing at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, World Champion D. Gukesh will take on Women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh in a rare classical encounter between two of India’s brightest chess stars.
Both aged 19, Gukesh and Divya are set to face off on Friday, with Gukesh playing white. The match comes at a crucial juncture for Gukesh, who has suffered three consecutive defeats, while Divya enters the round with 3.5 points, having stunned higher-rated opponents including Egypt’s Bassem Amin and Serbia’s Velimir Ivic.
This marks only their second classical meeting, the first dating back to 2018 when Gukesh defeated Divya at the IIFL Wealth Mumbai International. Divya, already qualified for the FIDE Candidates Tournament, is playing in the open section via a wildcard to gain experience against elite competition.
The match will begin at 3:45 PM IST and will be streamed live on FIDE’s official YouTube channel.
