A chess grandmaster has withdrawn from the 2026 women’s candidates’ chess tournament in Cyprus citing safety concerns from the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy in a statement issued on X on Monday, stressed that “no event, no matter how important, can come before personal safety and well-being,” citing regional instability and disruptions to travel as key factors in the decision.
Humpy will now be replaced by Ukrainian
