Sport24.az
Two-time world rapid chess champion Humpy Koneru of India has announced that she may withdraw from the Women's Candidates Tournament. The competition will be held in Cyprus from March 28 to April 16. Sport24.az reports that she made a statement to the Hindustan Times newspaper about this:
"The Candidates Tournament means a lot to me and could even be the last one in my career. I will soon be 39 years old and there is no guarantee that I will participate in this competition again. But I think it is fair to look at the situation as a whole. I follow the news closely and communicate with my family and friends. I don't think I can risk myself just to participate in a tournament."
The Candidates Tournament will also be attended by Russians Aleksandra Goryachkina and Ekaterina Lagno, Chinese athletes Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi, Indian athletes Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali Rameshbabu, as well as Bibisara Asaubaeva from Kazakhstan.
It should be noted that on February 28, Israel and the United States launched a military operation against Iran. Air and missile strikes are being carried out on military facilities and cities in the country.
