The 2026 Women’s Candidates chess tournament will go ahead in Cyprus as planned, FIDE has confirmed, despite the withdrawal of Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy over safety concerns and a German billionaire’s offer to move the event to Germany.
“Nothing has changed,” FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky told Reuters on Monday, following Humpy’s announcement. The tournament is scheduled to run from 28 March to 16 April in Cyprus.
Last week, German tech billionaire Wadim Rosenstein had offered to relocate the event to Germany, saying he would cover all organisational and logistical costs to ensure player safety and competitive integrity. FIDE declined the offer.
Humpy announced her withdrawal on Sunday, saying personal safety had to take precedence. “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,” she wrote on X.
FIDE said her place had been offered to the next highest finisher in the Women’s Events Series 2024–25 who had not yet secured qualification. Ukrainian grandmaster Anna Muzychuk will take her spot. “As a result, Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) will join the tournament as her replacement,” FIDE said in a statement on X.
Muzychuk joins a field that includes Tan Zhongyi, Kateryna Lagno, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Zhu Jiner, Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Bibisara Assaubayeva.
Humpy’s decision reflects wider concerns about Cyprus as a destination since the outbreak of the US-led war against Iran. Cyprus’s Tourism Deputy Minister Costas Koumis has acknowledged a “slowdown in bookings” since the US-Israel attack on Iran, even as he insisted the island “was, is, and will always be a safe destination.” The conflict has dented what had been a record-breaking run for Cypriot tourism, with visitor numbers hitting 4.53 million in 2025, up 12.2% year on year.
Hotel cancellations for March and April have reached 25–30% in some coastal areas. The government is reportedly planning to hire consultancy firm Kreab to lead a campaign to reverse damage to the country’s reputation.
Humpy’s withdrawal reflects broader disruption caused by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which have affected countries throughout the Gulf, disrupted travel at some of the world’s busiest transit hubs and forced several sporting events to be cancelled.
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