India’s Koneru Humpy to pull out of major chess event in Cyprus after drone attacks

India's ace chess player Koneru Humpy has taken a bold stand regarding her participation in the Women's Candidates Tournament scheduled to begin at Pegeia in Cyprus on March 28, even as the crisis in the Middle East remains intense.

Cyprus is one of the Middle East nations targeted by drones in retaliatory strikes to the US-Israeli attack on Iran. The island nation of Cyprus is about 150 km from Lebanon, from where Iran-backed Hezbollah operate.

"I know that alone, I may not be able to change anything. But regardless of whether I play in the Candidates or not, I felt it was important to express what I genuinely feel," Humpy posted on X. "I’m truly grateful to everyone who has shown their support. For those who cannot understand the sensitivity of this situation, I choose to leave it at that," she added.

Humpy also shared a World Chess article that features her comments made to the Indian media on the situation.

"Right now, I am a bit concerned about safety with the drone attacks and warships deployed (in the Mediterranean Sea) coming into the picture. And very recently, there has been bombing happening between Israel and Lebanon because of Hezbollah. So I am a bit hesitant to travel because of this. If the situation continues like this, I am really doubtful of my participation," she said.

Recently, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky said the Candidates tournament would go ahead in Cyprus.

"At the end of the day, you should be in a position to play the game in a peaceful and good atmosphere. Not surrounded by bomb or missile sirens," Humpy was quoted by World Chess.

"I think that should not be the stage for a world-class tournament. You don’t need to be desperate to hold events in such environments.

"Definitely, there is tension on the island. Of course, the whole event might go on without any further escalation. Nobody knows what will happen, right? But we do know that there is a risk.

"My point was that when there is a 10 or 20 per cent risk in playing in Cyprus, what was the necessity to hold the event in that place? When the war started, they already got a sign about what was going on.

"Intentionally, you should not walk into (a dangerous situation). If you know there might be some chances, you will just try to avoid it," said the 38-year-old.

GM Humpy is one of the eight participants in the Candidates Tournament, also featuring two other Indians, namely GMs Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali R. The winner of the tournament will become the challenger for the Women's World Chess Championship to be held later this year. Humpy is one of India's finest players, who has won the World Rapid Chess titles in 2019 and 2014.