FILE PHOTO: Divya stepped into the box twice during the contest, candidly sharing her thoughts while the game was still in progress. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Divya Deshmukh has quickly embraced the famed “confession box” in her maiden appearance at Norway Chess, once again highlighting why the concept has become one of modern chess’ most refreshing innovations—even if it is yet to fully catch on among India’s other leading grandmasters.

Soon after defeating compatriot Koneru Humpy in the second round in Oslo on Tuesday, the 20-year-old revealed with a smile that her visits to the confession box during the game had actually helped her calculate variations better.

Divya stepped into the box twice during the contest, candidly sharing her thoughts while the game was still in progress.

Introduced by Norway Chess in 2015, the confession box allows players to briefly leave the board and speak directly to the camera, offering viewers rare insight into their emotions, calculations and strategies in real time.

While several international stars have embraced the idea over the years, Indian players have generally remained reluctant participants, often choosing to stay away from the box altogether.

Modelled loosely on the private confession spaces in churches, the Norway Chess version is less about admitting sins and more about revealing the psychological battles unfolding behind the serious-looking faces at the board.

The live one-way monologues have added drama, humour and personality to elite chess broadcasts, helping make the game more accessible to casual audiences.

And in Divya, the confession box may just have found its newest natural star.

Told that fans enjoyed her appearances in the confession room because she brought a refreshing spontaneity rarely seen among Indian players, who generally avoid the box despite repeated requests from organisers, the reigning Women’s World Cup winner said the experience genuinely helped her during the game.

“I think it helps me because when I go there, I can talk about what is actually going on... it also helps me calculate better,” Divya said.

Asked whether the confession box was perhaps more of a Gen Z concept—explaining why it had yet to fully catch on among some of the older Indian players—Divya laughed and said she was surprised to learn that the idea had actually been introduced over a decade ago.

“I was actually very surprised that this concept was established in 2015, so that is very progressive from the organisers,” she said.

Divya insisted that the exercise was not merely entertaining for viewers but also useful for the players themselves.

“It helps with the game because I’m talking about the moves, I’m calculating, and my head also gets some clarity when I speak in the confession box,” she explained.

Yet, barring Divya, very few Indian players over the years have embraced the concept, where competitors often make candid admissions about their plans against opponents or openly assess their own positions in front of a live audience.

The likes of American GM Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen have been among the biggest proponents of the idea, frequently visiting the box during games and turning their appearances into a major part of the broadcast experience.

Reigning world champion D. Gukesh had admitted during last year’s tournament that although he had played in events featuring confession boxes before, he often became so immersed in the game that he forgot to visit it.

Another Indian grandmaster, Arjun Erigaisi, had said last year that he had used a confession box during a tournament in Paris, while R. Vaishali and Humpy had indicated they might eventually give it a try.

For players like Nakamura and Carlsen, however, the confession box is not just about sharing calculations with fans worldwide, but also about revealing personality and emotion rarely visible at the board.

In fact, after drawing his classical game against Vincent Keymer before winning the Armageddon tie-break on Tuesday, Carlsen rushed to the confession box and delivered one of his trademark brutally honest assessments.

“Yeah, like a cow that is ashamed of its body... this game is just utter embarrassment,” Carlsen said while analysing the chaotic contest.

Chess fans later debated online whether Carlsen had said “utter embarrassment” or jokingly used the phrase “udder embarrassment”, a pun quickly picked up by chess24 on X.

Either way, the world No. 1 eventually recovered to beat Keymer in Armageddon—perhaps reinforcing Divya’s theory that the confession box really does help players think more clearly.

Published on May 27, 2026