Divya Deshmukh, a standout chess player from Nagpur, leads at the midway point of the World Junior Girls Chess Championship currently in progress at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Friday. In the sixth game of the 11-round championship organized by the World Chess Federation (FIDE), Nagpur’s International Master (IM) skillfully defended with her black pieces to defeat Thursday’s co-leader and 13th-seeded WIM Allahverdiyeva Ayan of Azerbaijan.
On the top board, Divya opted for the Sicilian Defense against Allahverdiyeva’s King pawn opening. In the endgame, featuring bishops, knights, and queens, the 18-year-old Divya gained a piece advantage, decisively securing victory over her lower-ranked opponent.
On the 42nd turn, Divya captured Allahverdiyeva’s knight and within three moves forced Azerbaijan’s Women International Master (WIM) to resign. This 45-move sixth-round win propelled Divya into the sole lead with 5.5 points, followed by three others with five points.
A total of 101 players from 27 countries are participating in the 12-day tournament. In the fourth round, Divya drew in 30 moves with Switzerland’s eighth seed WIM Hryzlova Sofiia in an equal endgame. To take the lead, Divya defeated three compatriots—Anupam Sreekumar, Sherali Pattnaik, Tejaswini G—and Azerbaijan’s Abdinova Narmin.
In the seventh round, following a day’s rest, the 2456 Elo-rated Divya will again defend with the black pieces. On Sunday, she will face the challenge of second-seeded WIM Mkrtchyan Mariam from Armenia, who holds a 2300 Elo rating.