Bengaluru: Koneru Humpy has officially withdrawn from the Women’s Candidates, informing the world chess governing body, Fide, of her decision on Sunday. The world No.8 revealed her safety concerns over playing in Cyprus first to HT a week ago, in light of the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.
Her withdrawal now leaves two Indian women – Vaishali R and Divya Deshmukh – in the fray. With Humpy’s withdrawal, Ukrainian Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk, the next highest-ranked player in the ‘Fide Women’s Events 2024-25’, is eligible to take her place. It is understood that Fide has already sent her an invite but she is yet to confirm her participation. The tournament is scheduled from March 28 to April 16.
“Over this past week, I had a lot of discussions on this subject with people I know,” Humpy told HT. “I was also closely following all the updates around the war. I just didn’t find the idea of playing under such conditions comfortable, despite all the assurances. I felt I had to prioritise my well-being and safety. At the end of the day, nobody can give you a full security or a guarantee when anything untoward occurs under such circumstances. Cyprus is a beautiful island and I’d love to play there when the situation improves. But to hold such a major tournament when so much is happening around it just doesn’t feel like the right thing to do. I don’t think I’d be in the frame of mind to play when there’s so much uncertainty.”
Though not party to the war, the Mediterranean island is made vulnerable due to its geography and presence of British military bases, one of which was already attacked earlier this month. After Humpy flagged concerns over playing in Cyprus, entrepreneur Wadim Rosenstein took to X, proposing to host the tournament in Germany. However, nothing came of it.
“Had this been a regular open tournament, perhaps there would be others too who would have taken a similar call,” Humpy said. “When it comes to the Candidates, there’s a lot more at stake so it’s obviously tough. As for myself, this just felt like the right decision. It was painful but necessary.”
Last week, Fide had a conversation with Humpy, and Sunday was agreed upon as the deadline by which the 39-year-old was expected to inform it of her final decision.
Both the Open and Women’s Candidates – they will decide who battles the reigning classical world champion and women’s world champion – are scheduled to be held simultaneously. There is a smattering of concern in general. “It’s not a good sign when power goes out completely in parts of Cyprus and doesn’t come back for an extended period of time,” world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura, who is slated to play the Candidates, wrote on X on Sunday.
With a major event that took her two years to qualify for and months of preparation now off her calendar in one swift stroke, Humpy has several tournament-free weeks on her hands before she heads to Oslo for Norway Chess.
The Indian Grandmaster picks Zhu Jiner as a possible favourite to win the Women’s Candidates. “Even though I won’t be playing, I’ll be following the Candidates for sure. I’m a chess fan after all.”
