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.

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.

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.

Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now