Koneru Humpy might withdraw from the upcoming Women’s Candidates 2026 tournament, which starts at the end of this month in Cyprus. Speaking to The Indian Express recently, Humpy revealed that it depends on the ongoing Gulf conflict situation between the USA, Israel, and Iran.
The ongoing conflict has also disrupted international travel and led to the cancellation and postponement of many sports events.
Hefty fine and likely replacement
If she decides to withdraw from the tournament, as per regulations, she might be fined around ₹10 lakh. FIDE Regulations 3.5 states, “players who fail to provide a satisfactory reason for withdrawal after they have signed the player’s contract may be imposed a fine of up to ten thousand (10,000) euros.”
Also, if Humpy does pull out, ninth-ranked Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine could replace her. Meanwhile, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh have already confirmed their participation.
Meanwhile, Emil Sutovsky informed ChessBase India recently that the tournament would be held in Cyprus and ‘plans haven’t changed.’
“Plans haven’t changed. We are working in the final stages of preparing for the Candidates, which are supposed to start in two weeks’ time,” he said.
“Obviously, we’ve been monitoring the situation and Cyprus is not too far from the war zone or conflict zone. But at the same time, it is not directly involved in any way and it is not in a state of war. There is no emergency situation,” he said.
The winner of Women’s Candidates 2026 will take on reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. Other than Humpy, Deshmukh and Vaishali, the other participants in the tournament are Zhu Jiner and Aleksandra Goryachkina (top two finishers in the Women’s Grand Prix 2024-25), Tan Zhongyi (third-place at the World Cup 2025), Kateryna Lagna (runner-up at Women’s Grand Swiss 2025), and Bibisara Assaubayeva (highest place in FIDE Women’s Events 2024-25).
