3 weeks ago

Chess star Deekshitha, 14, jumps 29,200 spots in one month

Chess star Deekshitha, 14, jumps 29,200 spots in one month
Young chess star Deekshitha, 14, jumps nearly 29,200 spots in one month · indianexpress.com

Deekshitha is a 14-year-old girl from Hyderabad, India, who loves playing chess.

For a long time, her chess rating stayed stuck below 2000, and she could not earn the title she wanted.

Then she went to Europe for a month and played in four chess tournaments.

She won many games against very strong players who were rated higher than her.

In just 30 days, she gained almost 500 rating points and jumped about 29,200 places in the world rankings.

Now she is the best girl chess player in the world under the age of 20.

She is also the fourth best woman chess player in India.

Her mother had to pawn her special wedding necklace to pay for the trip, and her coach helped too.

Deekshitha traveled by herself because her parents could not go with her.

Her coach says she is very strong mentally and never gives up, even when she is losing.

Key facts

Age
14
Rating gained
484.8 Elo points in one month
Rating change
1985 to live rating 2469.8
World ranking jump
Nearly 29,200 places, from roughly 30,000th toward the top 800
Tournaments
La Plagne Maitre 2026, Les Menuires Masters, Cidade de Pontevedra Masters, Leca Chess Open
Title milestone
Earned an IM (International Master) norm
World junior standing
Top-ranked girl under 20, ahead of Anastasiia Hnatyshyn (2465)
India standing
Fourth highest-rated Indian woman, behind Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh, and R Vaishali

Sources

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