Support cast: Abhimanyu played down his role as Divya’s aide.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ
Abhimanyu Puranik has been flying under the radar quite a bit since becoming a Grandmaster back in 2017.
The 25-year-old was Divya Deshmukh’s ‘second’ during the latter’s triumphant World Cup campaign, but sought to play down his role and said Divya came up with an incredible performance.
A ‘second’ is a trainer or analyst who helps a player prepare for a match by studying opponents, analysing games and openings.
Abhimanyu said he was pleasantly surprised when the 19-year-old Divya reached out to him.
Impromptu
“It was pretty impromptu [Divya reaching out to me],” Abhimanyu, who is currently playing in the Challengers section of the Chennai Grandmasters 2025 tournament, told The Hindu.
“It was a very nice experience working with her. I was happy to help her. She is someone who is showing a lot of maturity at a very young age.
“The World Cup performance was simply incredible. I hope she carries the momentum forward and plays well in future events, too.
“Divya is super pragmatic and has been preparing well for some time now, and it is slowly giving her the results. She is very adaptable as a player, which certainly helps,” he said.
On his own career, Abhimanyu, runner-up in the World Junior Championship in 2018, said: “I might be slightly older, but I am feeling as motivated as ever.
“I am trying out a lot of new things. It is as exciting, and I just want to continue the process.”
Main goal
Abhimanyu, going through a middling year so far, admitted that things could be better.
“My main goal is to be in the top 50 in the world, and I will keep working towards that end,” he signed off.
Published – August 09, 2025 09:43 pm IST
