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Indian Chess recorded yet another great moment on Monday, as Divya Deshmukh won the Women’s World Cup in the Georgian city of Batumi. In the final, the 19-year-old defeated fellow-Indian Koneru Humpy in the tiebreakers. While Humpy contesting the final wasn’t much of a surprise—she is the World No. 5 and has been one of the best female players for the last couple of decades—not many would have anticipated Divya’s stunning show. But, given her obvious talent and the way she has been playing for the past two years, it didn’t come as a big surprise. By winning the World Cup, one of the biggest events organized by the world chess governing body FIDE, Divya also achieved another significant milestone. She became India’s 88th Grandmaster and is only the fourth Indian woman after Humpy, D. Harika and R. Vaishali to get that coveted title. Last year, Divya won the World junior championship in Ahmedabad with a dominant display. She also played a key role in India’s historic gold in the Chess Olympiad at Budapest. India was the top seed there, though. At the World Cup, the Indian women exceeded expectations, with four of them making it to the quarterfinals. (198 words)
[Extracted from the newspaper, The Hindu July 29, 2025]
Question: 1
Where is the origin of chess believed to be?
Where is the origin of chess believed to be?
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When asked about the “origin” of a traditional game, look for the oldest historically documented version.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
- China
- Russia
- India
- Egypt
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The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
Chess is widely believed to have originated in ancient India, where it was known as {Chaturanga}.
From India it spread to Persia and later to Europe, evolving into modern chess.
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Approach Solution -2
Russia and Egypt are tied to later chess history or unrelated board traditions rather than its birthplace, and China's Xiangqi is a separate, related but distinct game. Historical consensus instead traces the game back to the Gupta-era game Chaturanga, played in India, which then travelled through Persia into Europe. Eliminating the other three leaves India as correct.
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Approach Solution -3
This question is about where chess is believed to have originated. Let's weigh each option.
- China: China has its own related strategy game, Xiangqi, but historians treat it as a separate game that developed alongside chess rather than as chess's point of origin.
- Russia: Russia has a long and strong chess-playing tradition in modern history, but that reputation comes centuries after the game's origin, not from inventing it.
- India: the historical consensus traces chess back to Chaturanga, a strategy game played in Gupta-era India using four divisions, infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots, that later evolved into the pawns, knights, bishops and rooks of the modern game.
- Egypt: Egypt is known for older board games such as Senet, but these are not considered ancestors of chess in the way Chaturanga is.
Only India connects to chess through a direct historical line, from Chaturanga through Persia and into Europe.
The correct answer is India.
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Question: 2
Who was the first Indian to earn the title of chess Grandmaster?
Who was the first Indian to earn the title of chess Grandmaster?
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India’s rise in chess began with Anand, whose GM title paved the way for future generations.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
- D.Gukesh
- Praveen Thipsay
- Dibyendu Barua
- Vishwanathan Anand
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The Correct Option is D
Approach Solution - 1
Viswanathan Anand became India’s first Grandmaster in 1988.
Other players like Thipsay and Barua earned the GM title later.
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Approach Solution -2
D. Gukesh became a Grandmaster decades after India's first GM, and both Thipsay and Barua earned their titles after Anand had already done so. Ordering these players by the year each was awarded the GM title places Viswanathan Anand first, in 1988, ahead of every other name listed. Hence (D) is correct.
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Approach Solution -3
This question asks who became India's first chess Grandmaster. Let's check each name.
- D. Gukesh: Gukesh is one of India's leading current players and became a Grandmaster in the 2010s, decades after the country's first GM title was awarded, so he cannot be the first.
- Praveen Thipsay: Thipsay earned his Grandmaster title in 1997, well after India already had its first GM, ruling him out as well.
- Dibyendu Barua: Barua became a Grandmaster in 1991, again after the first Indian GM title had already been awarded.
- Vishwanathan Anand: Anand earned the Grandmaster title in 1988, ahead of Thipsay, Barua and every other Indian player, making him India's first Grandmaster.
Placing all four players on a timeline shows Anand's 1988 title coming before the others, so he holds the "first" distinction.
The correct answer is Viswanathan Anand.
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Question: 3
Who was the first official World Chess Champion?
Who was the first official World Chess Champion?
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The title “first official world champion” always refers to Steinitz, regardless of later champions’ fame.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
- Bobby Fischer
- Garry Kasparov
- Vishwanathan Anand
- Wilhelm Steinitz
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The Correct Option is D
Approach Solution - 1
Wilhelm Steinitz became the first official World Chess Champion in 1886, defeating Johannes Zukertort.
Fischer, Kasparov, and Anand were later champions.
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Approach Solution -2
Fischer (1972), Kasparov (1985) and Anand (2000s) all won the World Championship long after the title had already existed for decades, so none of them can be the "first" champion. Tracing the championship back to its creation in 1886 identifies Wilhelm Steinitz, who defeated Johannes Zukertort in that inaugural match, as the correct answer.
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Approach Solution -3
This question asks who was the very first official World Chess Champion. Let's look at each name.
- Bobby Fischer: Fischer became champion in 1972 after beating Boris Spassky, nearly a century after the title was first contested, so he cannot be the first.
- Garry Kasparov: Kasparov won the title in 1985, also long after the championship had already existed for many decades.
- Vishwanathan Anand: Anand became champion in the 2000s, making him one of the more recent title holders rather than the original one.
- Wilhelm Steinitz: Steinitz defeated Johannes Zukertort in the inaugural World Championship match of 1886, making him the first player to hold the official title.
Since the championship itself began in 1886 with Steinitz's win, none of the later champions listed can claim to be first.
The correct answer is Wilhelm Steinitz.
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Question: 4
Which of the following computers successfully defeated Garry Kasparov, the reigning world chess champion, in a tournament match?
Which of the following computers successfully defeated Garry Kasparov, the reigning world chess champion, in a tournament match?
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“Deep Thought” was an earlier prototype; “Deep Blue” achieved the famous victory.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
- Deep AI
- Deep Thought
- Deep Blue
- Deep Water
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The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
IBM’s supercomputer {Deep Blue} defeated Garry Kasparov in their 1997 rematch, marking a historic moment in AI and chess.
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Approach Solution -2
"Deep AI" and "Deep Water" are not real chess computers, and "Deep Thought" was an earlier, weaker IBM predecessor that actually lost to Kasparov in 1989 rather than beating him. The program that defeated the reigning champion, in their 1997 rematch, was its successor, Deep Blue. This makes (C) the correct choice.
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Approach Solution -3
This question asks which computer defeated Garry Kasparov as reigning world champion. Let's check each option.
- Deep AI: there is no historical chess-playing computer by this name; it does not correspond to any real IBM program from this era.
- Deep Thought: this was an earlier IBM chess computer that actually played and lost to Kasparov in 1989, so it is the wrong machine for the question, even though the name is closely related.
- Deep Blue: IBM's upgraded successor to Deep Thought, Deep Blue beat Kasparov in their 1997 rematch, becoming the first computer to defeat a reigning world champion under standard match conditions.
- Deep Water: like "Deep AI," this name does not correspond to any real chess computer and appears to be a made-up distractor.
Of the four names, only Deep Blue matches the machine that actually achieved this milestone.
The correct answer is Deep Blue.
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Question: 5
Which of the following cities is the venue for hosting the 11th edition of the Chess World Cup 2025?
Which of the following cities is the venue for hosting the 11th edition of the Chess World Cup 2025?
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When tournament venues are not mentioned in the passage, rely on official FIDE event assignments.
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
- Paris, France
- Baku, Azerbaijan
- Goa, India
- Chennai, India
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The Correct Option is B
Approach Solution - 1
According to FIDE announcements, the 2025 Chess World Cup (11th edition) is scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
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Goa and Chennai have hosted other Indian chess events but not this edition of the World Cup, and Paris has no connection to FIDE's 2025 hosting schedule. FIDE's own listing for the 11th edition of the Chess World Cup names Baku, Azerbaijan as host, making (B) the marked answer.
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Approach Solution -3
This question asks which city hosted the 11th Chess World Cup in 2025. Let's check each option.
- Paris, France: France has hosted major chess events before, but FIDE's schedule does not list Paris for the 2025 World Cup.
- Baku, Azerbaijan: Baku has hosted several major FIDE events in recent years, and FIDE's official listing names it as the host city for the 11th edition of the Chess World Cup in 2025.
- Goa, India: Goa has hosted Indian chess events, including parts of the Chess Olympiad, but not this particular World Cup edition.
- Chennai, India: Chennai is well known as a chess hub and has hosted major tournaments, but again, not this specific 2025 World Cup.
Among the four cities, only Baku matches FIDE's official host listing for this edition.
The correct answer is Baku, Azerbaijan.
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Top CLAT Questions
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The 19th century ushered in a new era of literary giants. Jane Austen’s novels, such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, provide incisive social commentary through the lens of wit and romance. Austen’s heroines, like Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, remain beloved literary figures known for their intelligence and resilience. The Romantic era brought forth poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who celebrated * 8 UG the beauty of nature and the emotional intensity of the individual. Wordsworth’s ‘‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’’ and Coleridge’s ‘‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’’ are testament to the power of the written words to evoke profound emotions and imagery. Moving towards 20th century, English literature continued to evolve. Virginia Woolf’s ground-breaking novel Mrs. Dalloway explored the inner thoughts and lives of its characters with a modernist narrative style. Dystopian visions, as seen in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four provided stark warnings about the dangers of totalitarianism and the erosion of individual freedom.
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