New Delhi, March 23: Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk has replaced Koneru Humpy in the upcoming Candidates Tournament in Cyprus after the Indian Grandmaster withdrew citing safety concerns due to the host country’s proximity to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
The tournament, which will determine the challengers for the world championship crowns currently held by D Gukesh (Open) and Ju Wenjun (women), is scheduled to begin in Paphos on Saturday.
Humpy, a two-time Women’s World Rapid Champion, pulled out of the event despite assurances from organisers, citing concerns over personal safety.
Earlier this month, a British air base in Cyprus was targeted in a drone attack, heightening security fears in the region.
In a statement, FIDE confirmed that Muzychuk had been invited as Humpy’s replacement.
“In accordance with the tournament regulations, her (Humpy’s) 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,” FIDE said.
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.
Earlier, explaining her decision, Humpy said personal safety remained her top priority.
“After deep reflection, I have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament,” Humpy said in a statement on ‘X’.
Humpy risks a 10,000 Euro fine for her decision but FIDE is yet to decide on it.
Humpy stands firm on her decision
Humpy stood firm on her decision to pull out of the Candidates tournament in Cyprus, saying one cannot be “surrounded by warships” and still play peacefully, while asserting she is “not scared” of penalties and is not playing for monetary benefits.
“You can’t play surrounded by warships, which is guarding the island (Cyprus). If a foreigner like me and being a woman, if I have to travel and that too for such an important tournament, how can I play peacefully?” Humpy said.
With her late withdrawal, Humpy is the only one among the 16 contestants – eight in the Open and eight in the women’s section – to pull out, and while there could be a hefty financial penalty, she said she is not scared.
“See, that’s the point. That is why they (international chess federation FIDE) keep these things (penalties) so that players will not speak out the facts. No, I’m not scared about it. I’m not playing just for money or monetary benefits. I just enjoy the sport,” Humpy said, adding that she had put in three months of strenuous preparation for the event, even being unable to spend quality time with her daughter.
She said the event could have been postponed by a month or moved to another location without making a significant difference.
Nakamura also expresses concerns
The 38-year-old Indian is not alone in voicing safety concerns despite FIDE’s assurances that there is nothing even “remotely dangerous” to warrant a change of venue.
American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, who is understood to have been in the island nation for the past two months in the run up to the tournament, also flagged issues, pointing to recent power outages in parts of Cyprus.
“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,” the world No. 2 wrote on Sunday.
What started with American and Israeli bombing of Iran escalated into a full blown regional war with Iran hitting the Gulf countries, who are seen as American allies. As a result, the air space over the region has been largely shut.
Humpy’s withdrawal comes as a setback for India, as she was among the leading contenders in the tournament.
The brother-sister duo of R Praggnanandhaa (open section) and R Vaishali (women’s tournament) and World Cup-winner Divya Deshmukh are the other Indians who have qualified for the prestigious event. (PTI)
