Who will replace India’s Koneru Humpy in FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026?
Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk has officially replaced Indian chess Grandmaster Koneru Humpy for the upcoming FIDE Women’s Candidates tournament, the global body governing the sport confirmed on Monday.
Humpy announced her decision to withdraw from the tournament through a social media post on Sunday, citing security reasons due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia and its potential implications in Candidates host nation Cyprus.
As per FIDE regulations, Humpy’s spot went to Muzychuk, the next yet unqualified player of the ‘FIDE Women’s Events 2024-25’.
Muzychuk is a former Women’s World Rapid champion (2016) and a two-time Women’s World Blitz champion (2014, 2016).
She is also a former World Championship finalist and among the few women to have crossed the 2600 rating mark.
READ | Will Koneru Humpy be fined by FIDE for withdrawing from Women’s Candidates 2026?
“Humpy Koneru (India) has officially withdrawn from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026, scheduled to take place in Cyprus from March 28 to April 16,” said FIDE in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“In accordance with the tournament regulations, her place was offered to the next highest finisher in the Women’s Events Series 2024–25 who has not yet secured qualification. As a result, 🇺🇦 Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) will join the tournament as her replacement.”
Humpy had secured a spot at the prestigious event, the winner of which will challenge China’s Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Championship, after reaching the final of last year’s FIDE Women’s World Cup where she lost to compatriot Divya Deshmukh.
However, last week, she had hinted that she was considering not travelling to Cyprus due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. On Sunday, she confirmed the decision and said, “After deep reflection, I have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. No event, no matter how important, can come before personal safety and well-being. Despite the assurances provided, I do not feel fully secure under the current circumstances. This is a painful but necessary decision, and I stand by it.
After Humpy’s withdrawal, Divya and R. Vaishali are the two remaining Indians in the eight-player women’s tournament. In the men’s competition — whose winner will take on reigning world champion D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa will be the only Indian. Both events will be held simultaneously.
Published on Mar 23, 2026