Indian chess star Konero Hampi is considering pulling out of the upcoming FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, which will be held in Cyprus. His concern is primarily about security because of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East between the US, Israel and Iran.The venue of the tournament was decided in November last year, but the situation has changed following the US and Israeli military strikes on Iran since February 28. The conflict has raised tensions across the region and affected oil supply routes.
A drone attack on a British airbase in Cyprus on March 1 also raised security concerns. With European warships and Turkish fighter jets now guarding the island, questions have been raised about whether Cyprus is the right place to host such an important chess tournament.Hampi, along with Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali, one of the three Indian players expected to participate in the women’s candidate competition, has expressed her concern over the candidates’ participation. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he said, “It doesn’t make sense. It’s dangerous to travel anywhere near West Asia right now 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.”He also questioned the decision of the organisers, adding, “From an organizational point of view, it’s not exactly the right call. It’s one of the most important tournaments and you only have 16 top players (open and women combined), why not consider alternatives and different dates?”Despite the concerns, chess’ international governing body FIDE says preparations are underway. FIDE CEO Emil Sutowski explained that the organizers are closely monitoring the situation but are confident that the country is still safe. “Our plans have not changed. We are in the final stages of preparations for the Candidates Tournament. Of course we are monitoring the situation. Cyprus is not far from, let’s 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 ChessB India.“There is no emergency or anything like that, of course there was some alarming news about 10 days ago, but since then things seem to be pretty calm,” he added.
