Koneru Humpy slammed by Cyprus chess chief for her 'bad move' of exiting Candidates: 'This is simply wrong'

Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy has caused quite a stir within the chess community on Sunday by withdrawing from the FIDE Women's Candidates tournament just a week before it gets underway in Cyprus. The Indian women's No 1 cited security concern for her last-minute pull-out, with the tournament running parallelly alongside the 'Open' Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, the island nation in the Mediterranean Sea that is in close proximity to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

"After deep reflection, I have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. 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," Humpy wrote in a post on X, confirming her Candidates exit.

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Humpy accused of spreading 'spreading unfounded concerns'

The Cyprus Chess Federation, however, isn't a big fan of Humpy's decision, and its president Criton Tornaritis has publicly slammed the veteran Indian GM for "spreading unfounded concerns".

"As President of the Cyprus Chess Federation, I am sincerely disappointed by Koneru Humpy's decision to withdraw, citing that Cyprus is 'not safe'," Tornaritis wrote in a post on X on Tuesday, translated from Greek.

"The 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament is one of the largest and most important chess events in the world.

"This is simply wrong," he continued.

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The Cyprus chess chief also felt Humpy's decision showed a "lack of respect" not just for the organisers of what is among the most important and prestigious tournaments in chess history, but also to the players involved.

"Spreading unfounded concerns harms the sport and shows a lack of respect for the organizers and the players involved.

"At the highest level of chess, decisions are based on calculation and facts, not fear or misinformation.

"It was a bad move," he added.

It's not just Humpy, however, who has expressed concern over hosting the tournament in Cyprus, where a British military base had come under attack earlier this month, with world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura having raised alarm over “power going out completely” in parts of the island nation for an extended period of time.

Humpy's fears were then validated after a poker event – the WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus originally scheduled to take place from 25 April to 11 May – was called off on Monday.

Humpy was set to make a third consecutive appearance at the Candidates after finishing runner-up at the Women's World Cup last year. She has since been replaced by Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk, with Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali the remaining Indians in the fray.