Koneru Humpy Considering Withdrawal From Women's Candidates 2026 Amid Rising Middle East Tensions

Indian chess grandmaster Koneru Humpy is likely to skip the upcoming FIDE Women's Candidates 2026 event. With the event taking place in Cyprus, there have been some safety-related issues because of the geopolitical tensions after the US and Israel attacked Iran.

The Middle East region has been in turmoil ever since the United States and Israel launched a coordinated strike against Iran, triggering a major escalation. The global oil supply has been significantly affected as tensions continue to rise in the region.

The FIDE Women's Candidates 2026 event is set to take place in Cyprus, but the rising conflicts in the Middle East may have made it difficult for the organisers.

Rising Middle East Unrest Prompts Koneru Humpy to Consider Withdrawing From 2026 Women's Candidates

Koneru Humpy has expressed concern about travelling to the Middle East, calling it dangerous to journey in the West Asian region due to rising geopolitical tensions.

She further highlighted that the tournament is less than two weeks away and that it does not make sense to travel in such conditions.

"It just does not make any sense. It is dangerous to travel anywhere near West Asia at this point when there is so much tension and uncertainty. The war started around a fortnight ago, it is still ongoing, and the tournament is less than two weeks away," Koneru Humpy said in an interview with HT.

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On March 1, Cyprus was struck by a drone strike at a British air base, raising concern over the players' well-being during the tournament. With the island country facing such attacks, hosting a prestigious chess event has become a major point of concern.

FIDE CEO Says Cyprus Safe To Host Candidates Tournament

Despite the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the FIDE CEO has confirmed that the tournament will take place as planned.

The FIDE CEO further expressed that they have been monitoring the situation in the Middle East and that Cyprus is not in a state of war and has no emergency situation.

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“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. 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,” Emil Sutovsky said to Chessbase India.

The FIDE Candidates tournament is scheduled to take place from March 28 to April 16, 2026.