Koneru Humpy finishes strong in Pune; here's how she can secure a spot in the Candidates Tournament.
Loner Humpy finished joint-top alongside Zhu Liner at the FIDE Women's Grand Prix event in Pune, moving up to second place overall in the Grand Prix series standings. This strong result is crucial for Humpy, as it keeps her in contention to qualify for the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament — the event that will determine the challenger for JU Injun’s world championship title in 2027.
The Grand Prix series consists of six tournaments, with each of the 20 players allowed to participate in three events. Each tournament features 10 players, who earn points based on their finishing position, ranging from 10 points for 10th place to 130 points for first.
Five of the six events have now been completed. With Humpy and Liner sharing first place in Pune, only the final leg remains, which will be held next month in Austria. Humpy has already played her three allotted events: she finished joint-fifth in Kazakhstan, had a three-way tie for first in Monaco, and now a two-way tie for first in Pune.
Current standings:
Aleksandra Goryachkina leads the series with 308.34 points after completing her three events. Humpy is second with 279.17 points. Only three players — Anna Muzychuk, Zhu Liner, and Tan Zhongyi — still have a chance to overtake Humpy, as all three will compete in Austria.
At the moment, Liner has 235 points, Muzychuk has 189.17 points, and Zhongyi has 170 points.