India, Dec. 28 -- 2025 turned out to be the year, as India continued its rise to become a leading global superpower in chess. Last December, D Gukesh defeated Ding Liren to become the youngest-ever FIDE World Champion, bringing the title back to India after a long absence. It was the perfect moment as even five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand was present at the venue in Singapore as FIDE Deputy President.

It wasn't just Gukesh's historic success which laid the platform for 2025; it was also Koneru Humpy, the reigning two-time Women's World Rapid Chess Champion.

Gukesh's victory saw his name memorised by every Indian, and then 2025 saw Divya Deshmukh enter the limelight. Only 19 years old in July, Deshmukh beat Koneru Humpy in an a...