Divya Deshmukh won the World Junior Chess Championship 2024 title in Gandhinagar on Thursday. She beat Beloslava Krasteva of Bulgaria in the final round to emerge as the clear champion.
The top seed had defeated fellow Indian Sachi Jain in 26 moves to take her tally to nine points. The 18-year-old had a half-point lead over Mariam Mkrtchyan of Armenia.
Divya retained the sole lead going into the last five rounds of the open and girls’ sections. She had begun as a firm favorite with 5.5 points.