Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and R Praggnanandhaa with R’s sister Vaishali (photo by Andrei Anosov and Michal Walusza/FIDE) NEW DELHI: While Koner Humpy’s potential withdrawal from the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus due to the Iran war has raised concerns, India’s new generation trio of Divya Deshmukh, R Vaishali and R Praggnanandhaa are all set to compete in the prestigious tournament later this month.Fears of a wider withdrawal have been allayed as TimesofIndia.com can confirm that all three are continuing their preparations despite geopolitical tensions in the region.
Koneru Humpy Exclusive: Why the chess legend hasn’t played since losing the World Championship
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!20-year-old Divya qualified for the women’s field by winning the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Championship in Batumi, defeating Konera Humpy in a thrilling tiebreak to become the first Indian woman to win the title. The win also earned her the title of GM as she became the fourth Grandmaster from India. Will Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa also skip?Despite whispers of a withdrawal, a source close to Deshmukh told TimesofIndia.com, “As of now, we have decided that Divya will go and act. As these things unfold, we will monitor the situation and then take a decision. But for now, she will act.”It is also clear that the Deshmukh camp is busy planning her travel and stay. Similarly, R Vaishali and R Praggnanandhaa are continuing their plans to attend the candidates.“They said publicly that they are not playing? Just because Koneru Humpy is potentially not playing, it doesn’t mean that Pragg and Vaishali are not playing. It means that only Koneru Humpy is not playing,” RB Ramesh, a long-time mentor to both Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa, told this site.“My position is not to judge anyone’s decision. Everyone is free to make a decision and that should be respected. If Humpy’s position is not to play, that’s fine.”Koneru Humpy is not sure about participationOn Monday, India’s GM (GM) Humpy revealed that she could potentially miss the Candidates Tournament, which starts on March 28. 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 time 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.”A drone attack on a British airbase in Cyprus on March 1 also raised security concerns. With European warships and Turkish fighter jets guarding the island, questions have been raised as to whether Cyprus is the right place to host such a major chess event.“Our plans have not changed. We are in the final stages of preparation for the Candidates Tournament. Of course we are 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,” Emil Šutovský, FIDE Director General, told ChessBase India.“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 be quite calm.”Path to candidates 2026 for Praggnanandhaa-Vishali While Praggnanandhaa qualified for the open women’s candidate section after winning the FIDE Circuit 2025, his elder sister Vaishali secured her place by winning the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss last year.After a disastrous run at the Chennai Grand Masters Challengers, where she suffered seven straight losses and managed just two draws, Vaishali almost crashed out of the Grand Swiss.“It might sound funny, but after Chennai I decided not to play Grand Swiss,” the 24-year-old told ChessBase later in an interview. “I felt so bad. Losing seven games in a row was tough.”Encouraged by coach RB Ramesh, mentor Karthikeyan Murali and her brother Praggnanandhaa, she eventually competed in Samarkand where she defended her women’s Grand Swiss title to qualify.Reigning world champion D Gukesh recently admitted that he would like to have an all-India showdown at the World Cup later this year. “Personally, I would like to fight Pragg. It would be an Indian clash and it would be great for the Indian fans,” Gukesh told ChessBase India recently.With the contenders being the only gateway to the World Cup, missing out on the event is a risk these young stars seem unwilling to take.
