Deshmukh, an International Master, finished the tournament with an impressive score of 10 points out of a possible 11, securing a half-point lead over the second-placed Mariam Mkrtchyan of Armenia at the Gift City.
Mkrtchyan, in a decisive game, ended Rakshita Ravi’s hopes for a medal. Ayan Allahverdiyeva of Azerbaijan claimed the third spot after defeating Norman Kseniya of Russia, finishing with 8.5 points.
In the open section, Nogerbek Kazybek of Kazakhstan clinched the title on better tiebreak points after defeating the overnight sole leader Mamikon Gharbyan of Armenia.
Emin Ohanyan of Armenia, despite a strong performance against Daniel Quizon, had to settle for second place due to tiebreak points, with both players scoring 8.5 points. Luka Budisavljevic of Serbia secured the third position with 8 points, edging out Tobias Koelle of Germany on tiebreak.
Grandmaster Pranav Anand was the best-performing Indian in the open section, finishing 10th with 7.5 points after a victory against Arsen Davtyan of Armenia. Aditya Samant and Anuj Shrivatri, two other Indian participants, finished 11th and 12th, respectively.
However, the day undoubtedly belonged to the 18-year-old Divya Deshmukh from Nagpur. Deshmukh’s Queen Pawn opening led to a slightly advantageous middle game against Beloslava. The Indian’s consistent pressure helped her increase her advantage, significantly weakening her opponent’s pawn structure. The exchanges favored Divya, as she gained a pawn in the resulting Queen and Rook endgame, making Beloslava’s king vulnerable.
Just as Divya was about to reach a winning king and pawns endgame, the Bulgarian conceded defeat. In a post-game interview, Divya highlighted her victory over Ayan Allahverdiyeva as a pivotal moment in her tournament success.
“I was not up to the mark in that game. If I had lost that game, I wouldn’t have been the champion,” she said.
Top results final round: Open (Indians unless stated): Nogerbek Kazybek (Kaz, 8.5) beat Mamikon Gharibyan (Arm, 8); Emin Ohanyan (Arm, 8.5) beat Daniel Quizon (Phi, 7.5); Luke Budisavljevic (Srb, 8) drew with Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso (Col, 7); Anuj Shrivatri (7.5) drew with Rudik Makarian (Feed, 7.5); Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux (Can, 7.5) drew with Aditya Samant (7.5); Tobias Koelle (Ger, 8) beat Ozenir Ekin Baris (Tur, 7); Domalchuk-Jonasson Alexander (Isl, 6.5) lost to Alexey Grebnev (Feed, 7.5); Pranav Anand (7.5) beat Arsen Davtyan (Arm, 6.5); L Srihari (6.5) lost to Avila Pavas Santiago (Col, 7.5); LR Srihari (7) defeated Pham Tran Gia Phuc (Friday, 7).
Girls: Divya Deshmukh (10) beat Krasteva Beloslava (Bul, 7); Mariam Mkrtchyan (Arm, 9.5) beat Rakshitta Ravi (7.5); Norman Kseniya (Fid, 7) lost to Ayan Allahverdiyeva (Aze, 8.5); Sachi Jain (7) lost to Shubhi Gupta (8); Mrudul Dehankar (7.5) beat Martyna Wikar (Pol, 7); Kaldarova Ayaulym (Kaz, 7) drew with Balabayeva Xeniya (Kaz, 7); G Tejaswini (7) drew with Sofia Hryzlova (Sui, 7); Bristy Mukherjee (7) drew with Anna Zhurova (Fid, 7); V Rindhiya (7.5) beat Oshini Gunawardhana Devindya (6.5); Sulyok Eszter (Hun, 6) lost to Narmin Abdinova (Aze, 7.5).
