Indian chess star Koneru Humpy is considering withdrawing from the upcoming FIDE Women Candidates tournament to be held in Cyprus. She is mainly concerned with security due to the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran in the Middle East.The location of the tournament was decided in November last year, but the situation changed after the United States and Israel’s military attacks on Iran from 28 February. The conflict has raised tensions across the region and even affected oil supply routes.
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A drone attack on a British airbase in Cyprus on March 1 also raised security concerns. With the island now guarded by European warships and Turkish fighter jets, questions have been raised as to whether Cyprus is the right place to host such a major chess event.Humpy, one of the three Indian players expected to compete in the Women’s Candidates competition, along with Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali, expressed their concerns about the participation of female candidates. Speaking to the Hindustan Times, she said: “It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s dangerous to travel anywhere in West Asia at this point when there’s so much tension and uncertainty. The war started about a fortnight ago, it’s still going on and the tournament is less than two weeks away.”She also questioned the decision of the organisers, adding: “It’s just not the right call from an organizational point of view. It’s one of the most important tournaments and you only have the top 16 players (combining the Open and Women), why not look at alternatives and different dates?”Despite the concerns, international chess governing body FIDE says preparations are continuing. FIDE Director General Emil Šutovský explained that the organizers are closely monitoring the situation, but believe that the country is still safe. “Our plans have not changed. We are in the final stages of preparation for the Candidates Tournament. We are of course monitoring the situation. Cyprus is not too far from, say, a war zone or a conflict zone, but at the same time it is not involved in any way and is not in a state of war,” he told ChessBase India.He added: “There is no emergency or anything like that. Of course, there was some disturbing news about 10 days ago, but since then the situation seems to have been quite calm.”
