Koneru Humpy has officially withdrawn from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026 in Paphos, Cyprus. Ukrainian Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk will take her place. The decision, confirmed on March 23, makes Humpy the only player in either section of the Candidates to pull out over safety concerns related to the ongoing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“After deep reflection, I have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament,” Humpy said in her statement. “No event, no matter how important, can come before personal safety and well-being.”
The tournament begins March 29 and runs through April 16. The winner earns the right to challenge reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Why Humpy withdrew
Humpy’s concerns center on the security situation in Cyprus following US and Israeli military strikes on Iran. A suspected Iranian drone struck a UK military base on the island’s southern coast in early March, causing minor damage but no casualties. While Cyprus itself is not a party to the conflict, the incident demonstrated that the island is not entirely removed from the fallout.
“Over this past week, I had a lot of discussions on this subject with people I know. I was also closely following all the updates around the war,” Humpy told the Hindustan Times. “I just didn’t find the idea of playing under such conditions comfortable, despite all the assurances.”
“At the end of the day, life is bigger than sport.”
FIDE had offered alternative travel arrangements with all expenses covered, routing players through different airports to avoid areas of heightened tension. FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky addressed the situation directly:
“Our plans have not changed. We are in the final stages of preparing the Candidates’ Tournament. Of course, we are monitoring the situation. Cyprus is not too far from, let’s say, the war zone or conflict zone, but at the same time, it is not directly involved in any way and is not in a state of war.” — Emil Sutovsky, FIDE CEO
Those assurances were not enough for Humpy.
Hikaru Nakamura, competing in the Open section, also publicly noted power outages in Cyprus and expressed understanding of Humpy’s position, though he did not withdraw himself.
Who is Anna Muzychuk
Anna Muzychuk is a 36-year-old Ukrainian Grandmaster with a March 2026 classical FIDE rating of 2522. She enters the Women’s Candidates 2026 as the next highest finisher in the Women’s Grand Prix 2024-25 cycle after the eight originally qualified players.
Muzychuk’s career resume is substantial:
- Peak classical rating: 2606 (July 2012), making her the fourth woman in chess history to cross 2600
- Women’s World Rapid Champion: 2016
- Women’s World Blitz Champion: 2014, 2016
- Women’s World Championship runner-up: 2017 (Tehran)
She is one of only three players in history, alongside Susan Polgar and Magnus Carlsen, to win the World Rapid and World Blitz Championships in the same year, which she achieved in 2016.
Her sister Mariya Muzychuk is the 2015 Women’s World Chess Champion, making the Muzychuk family one of the most decorated in women’s chess history.
“I am not ready to play by someone’s rules, not to wear abaya, not to be accompanied getting outside, and altogether not to feel myself a secondary creature,” Muzychuk said in 2017 when she boycotted the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Saudi Arabia over women’s rights, forfeiting both her titles. That decision earned her worldwide respect and over 165,000 reactions on social media.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
What this means for India
India drops from three representatives to two in the Women’s Candidates. Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh remain in the field. Having three Indian players was unprecedented in the event’s history, and the loss of Humpy’s experience is significant.
Koneru Humpy became the youngest female Grandmaster in history in 2002 at 15 years and 1 month. Her peak rating of 2623 made her the second woman ever to cross 2600, behind only Judit Polgar. She has competed at the highest level of women’s chess for over two decades.
Azerbaijani Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli drew a parallel to a previous Candidates controversy: “Remember when Radjabov dropped out of the 2020 Candidates because of COVID? Everyone said he was overreacting.” Teimour Radjabov’s withdrawal from the 2020 Candidates over COVID-19 safety concerns was later vindicated when the tournament was suspended mid-event due to the pandemic.
Updated Women’s Candidates 2026 field
| Player | Country | FIDE Rating (March 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Zhu Jiner | China | 2578 |
| Aleksandra Goryachkina | FIDE | 2547 |
| Tan Zhongyi | China | 2530 |
| Vaishali Rameshbabu | India | 2522 |
| Anna Muzychuk | Ukraine | 2522 |
| Bibisara Assaubayeva | Kazakhstan | 2500 |
| Kateryna Lagno | FIDE | 2495 |
| Divya Deshmukh | India | 2490 |
The tournament runs 14 rounds of double round-robin classical chess at Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort in Pegeia, Cyprus. Games begin at 15:00 CET (18:30 IST) each playing day.
Follow the Women’s Candidates live
Track live standings, round results, and game replays at shatranj.live/candidates. Follow all Indian players at FIDE events on Shatranj Live.
For full tournament details including the Open section field, schedule, and tiebreak rules, see the Candidates Tournament 2026 complete guide.
