Chess: Divya Deshmukh breaks into top 10 of women's rankings for first time

India's Divya Deshmukh broke into the top-10 of women's classical chess rankings for the first time on Friday.

Deshmukh, who finished third in the 2026 Prague Chess Masters with a final round win, now has a LIVE rating of 2509.3. It is a career high rating for the Grandmaster.

Deshmukh's win helped her shoot up by two spots to be placed tenth in the LIVE ratings.

In Prague, Deshmukh scored five points in nine rounds with two wins, six draws, and a loss.

The 20-year-old from Nagpur had earned the Grandmaster title, becoming only the fourth Indian woman to do so, by winning the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup last year.

Deshmukh will next be in action later this month at the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates, where she'll be joined by fellow Indians Koneru Humpy and Vaishali Rameshbabu.

If any of the Indians end up winning the title in the eight-women field, they'll be presented with the opportunity to challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the Women's World Championship title.