Bad advice
Sir — Difficult conversations, such as negotiating one’s salary with an employer or requesting a raise, often drive us to seek advice from close friends and well-wishers. But in a technology-driven and emotionally-starved world, this role has been taken over by large language models like ChatGPT for many people. However, several reports have revealed that LLMs consistently advise women and minorities to ask for lower salaries while negotiating their pay. This should not be surprising as societal biases are known to influence Artificial Intelligence. People have understandably been left feeling betrayed by this information. After all, with friends like ChatGPT, who are secretly siding with the CEOs of big companies, who needs enemies?
Surjya Chatterjee,
Calcutta
Young talent
Sir — At just 19, Nagpur’s Divya Deshmukh has won the Fide Women’s World Cup 2025 (“Grandmasters doff hat to the newest member”, July 29). At the tournament that was held in Batumi, she stunned the world by defeating the icon, Koneru Humpy, in rapid tiebreaks to claim the first-ever Women’s Fide World Cup for India. She becoming the fourth Indian woman and 88th Indian to earn the grandmaster title. Her composure drew comparisons to the former cricket captain, M.S. Dhoni, as she remained unflappable and strategically brilliant under pressure. Deshmukh’s journey is a triumph of grit, intellect and grace. She is a true torchbearer of Indian chess’s new golden generation.
Gopalaswamy J.,
Chennai
Sir — Divya Deshmukh becoming India’s first Fide Women’s World Cup winner is a powerful testament to India’s rising generation of chess prodigies. Deshmukh’s triumph not only breaks gender and age barriers but also reaffirms the fact that Indian women are poised to lead globally in intellectual sports. Her journey, rooted in dedication and strategic brilliance, is an inspiration for young aspirants across the nation. It is time we invest heavily in nurturing young talent, ensuring such global milestones become regular chapters in India’s sporting
story.
Vijaykumar H.K.,
Raichur, Karnataka
Sir — In an all-Indian final at the Fide Women’s World Cup, the young Divya Deshmukh made history by defeating the grandmaster, Koneru Humpy. Deshmukh’s victory is more than a personal triumph; it reflects India’s deep talent pool and growing stature in women’s chess. The all-Indian final underscores how sustained focus on nurturing female talent is beginning to pay dividends, with chess clubs, academies and federations working tirelessly to promote the game among young women. Deshmukh’s victory will inspire others.
Ranganathan Sivakumar,
Chennai
Sir — Divya Deshmukh is the second teenage Indian girl, after Koneru Humpy, to earn a grandmaster title. This is a proud moment for India. Her achievement is an inspiration for youngsters of her generation.
Sravana Ramachandran,
Chennai
Sir — Indian chess is thriving because of a squad of young, enthusiastic and ardent chess players across the country. Adding another feather to the cap of Indian chess history, Divya Deshmukh beat India’s Koneru Humpy to become the Fide Women’s World Cup 2025 champion at the young age of 19. Deshmukh hails from Nagpur and initially wanted to become a badminton player but could not because of height constraints. Subsequently, she decided to shift her focus to chess. One hopes that Indian chess will continue to flourish with players like her.
Kirti Wadhawan,
Kanpur
Sir — The nineteen-year-old chess prodigy from Nagpur has become the fourth Indian woman to become a grandmaster. Divya Deshmukh, who was initially considered a rank outsider, proved her merit by defeating some of the world’s greatest in the last few weeks. Born into a Marathi family of doctors, Deshmukh had already helped Team India win the gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad last year. No amount of praise is sufficient for Deshmukh and her opponent, Koneru Humpy, for keeping the Indian flag flying high in the world of chess.
M.N. Gupta,
Hooghly
Sir — It is laudable that at the young age of 19, Divya Deshmukh scripted history in a nerve-wrecking tie-break at the Fide Women’s World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia. In the all-Indian final, Deshmukh took full advantage of a late blunder by Koneru Humpy in the 54th move of the second rapid game. Her grit, consistency and confidence helped her outplay a seasoned campaigner like Humpy at a crucial moment. Deshmukh is the latest addition to the group of brilliant young Indian talents making
waves at the top echelons of world chess.
Jayanta Datta,
Hooghly
Sir —The achievements of Divya Deshmukh will inspire other young boys and girls to take up chess as a professional sport and put India on the world map, just as Viswanathan Anand’s great wins in world chess had done in the past.
Atul Krishna Srivastava,
Navi Mumbai
Wild beauty
Sir — It was fascinating to learn that golden jackals in Kerala have found a home in human settlements and not in forests (“Day of the golden jackal in Kerala”, July 29). The state is now home to 20,000-30,000 of the species. I spent my entire childhood in Salt Lake. At that time, the residents of Salt Lake were habituated to sightings of golden jackals. There were empty plots with wild bushes in the township then and spotting a sheyal was common. Every night, golden jackals used to howl in chorus. Over time, vacant plots and golden jackals have both almost vanished.
Sourish Misra,
Calcutta
