Divya Deshmukh has been grabbing all the headlines for her exploits at the prestigious Norway Chess 2026. Delivering the upset of the tournament, the young Grandmaster stunned reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun, holding her to a draw in the classical format before taking her down in a high-pressure Armageddon tiebreak.
In an exclusive post-match interaction with Sports Now, Divya Deshmukh opened up about toppling the world champion, her strategy for the rest of the tournament, and why being statistically underestimated is exactly where she wants to be.
Embracing The Sudden-Death Chaos
The tournament format, which features classical games with no increment and mandatory Armageddon tiebreaks in the event of a draw, has been a surprising source of enjoyment for Divya Deshmukh, even when staring down the reigning world champion.
“The format is something that I didn’t expect I would love, but because when it gets too time scrambled and it becomes sudden death, I think it’s very very fun, especially because you don’t have 30 seconds to rely on. So for me it has been very good,” she explained.
Reflecting on her recent performances, she noted the stark contrast between her last two outings.
“Yesterday I was much worse in the classical game, so that was just a relief to draw, but today I think it was equal throughout and not too much of a hassle in the classical game,” she added.
Despite her monumental win over Ju Wenjun, she acknowledged the undeniable pressure of the Armageddon format.
“It is nerve-wracking to some extent, mainly because I was wide today, so I needed to get the right kind of position to push. And at the opening it didn’t go so well for me, but then I think after a point it got well, also on the time,” she admitted.
“Oh, a lot of fun. I love the Armageddon. I am actually also having fun with Classical, because we don’t have any increment. And it’s the first time for me, so I would say it’s really fun,” she further added.
The Confessional Booth Advantage
DIVYA DESHMUKH BEATS WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPION JU WENJUN 💥After a draw in the classical game, Divya won the Armageddon with the black pieces and now has 1.5 points after Round 1! #NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/IRUZdbO4Ne
— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) May 25, 2026
First introduced at Norway Chess in 2015, the confessional booth is a soundproof room where players taking part in the tournament can step away from the board during an active game to share their raw thoughts, emotional state, or the complex variations they are calculating directly with the broadcast audience, all without their opponent hearing.
While tournament organizers have historically had to coax older players into visiting the booth, Divya Deshmukh has embraced it naturally.
When asked if her frequent, unfiltered visits were a generational “Gen Z” shift or a calculated mindset, she revealed it actually helps her to get her mind away from a nerve-wracking game.
“I think it helps me, because when I go there, I can talk what is actually going on in my mind, and it helps me to calculate better… Because I am talking about the moves, so then I am also calculating in my head, and it leads to clarification,” she said.
Defying The Algorithms
Going into the tournament, statistical models gave Deshmukh a mere 7% chance of winning. When reminded of these low odds and her “dark horse” status, Divya Deshmukh brushed them off.
“I mean, it’s fine. I don’t really mind, because even when I won the World Cup, I was not the favorite to win, so it surely doesn’t matter what they think,” she stated firmly.
Rest, Recovery, And Dry Mangoes
Away from the board, Divya Deshmukh is keeping her preparation for the rest of the tournament remarkably simple. As she manages the fatigue of a demanding schedule, her focus is entirely on recovery.
“I’m looking forward to rest right now. So I would love to just go and sleep and eat. And eat some dry mangoes,” she smiled.
While she appreciates the opportunity to travel to Norway, her priorities for her rest days are strict.
“Well, for me, traveling is not really new, so obviously I love traveling and visiting new countries, and I will definitely see what is around, but I don’t have that,” she noted.
“I think rest is very important, so I’m sleeping a lot, and I’m trying to focus on eating well,” she concluded.
