Meet The Contenders For The FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026 Crown And Everything That Goes With It!

Koneru Humpy, the stalwart of Indian chess, secured her berth at the event with her runner-up finish at the FIDE Women's World Cup. (x)

Divya Deshmukh, the 20-year-old Indian sensation, pipped compatriot and senior Koneru to the title at the FIDE Women's World Cup event in Batumi, and will look to replicate her showings in Cyprus. (x)

R Vaishali, who also hails from the Tamil Nadu Capital City of Chennai, is another strong contender for the title. (x)

Zhu Jiner, the winner of the FIDE Grand Prix 2024-25 campaign, will make her tournament debut in Cyprus. (X)

Aleksandra Goryachkina, who finished as runner-up in the 2024–25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix series to qualify for the Candidates event managed to win the event in 2019 before clinching the Women's World Championship in 2025. (x)

Tan Zhongyi, who finished behind Divya and Koneru at the Women's World Cup, secured her place with the podium finish at the WC. (x)

Kazakhstan star, Bibisara Assaubayeva, sealed her berth at the event as the highest-placed contender in the FIDE Women’s Events 2024–25 series  (x)

Another one of the most seasoned players at the event, Kateryna Lagno, qualified to the event in Cyprus thanks to her runner-up finish at the 2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss (X)