Despite Women's World Cup final defeat, Koneru Humpy leads FIDE Circuit leaderboard; Divya Deshmukh makes massive jump
Eight spots are available in the 2026 Women's Candidates tournament.
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Two positions were already secured through the Women's Grand Prix by winner Zhu Jiner and runner-up Alexandra Goryachkina.
Three more spots were recently determined at the Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia.
Indian prodigy Divya Deshmukh, aged nineteen, achieved multiple successes in Batumi. She secured the title with a 1.5-0.5 tiebreak victory over reigning World Rapid champion Koneru Humpy, earning both a Grandmaster norm and a place in the 2026 Candidates.
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Koneru Humpy and Tan Zhongyi, a former Women's World Champion, qualified by finishing second and third, respectively.
With five spots now filled, players have two remaining qualification opportunities. These include the Grand Swiss tournament in September, offering two spots, and the FIDE Women's Events 2024-25 series winner position.
The Grand Swiss stands as the strongest open tournament in chess, with strict qualification standards.
The FIDE Women's Events series operates differently, using a cumulative points system.
The series awards Ranking Points based on performance across eight major women's events. These include both 2024 and 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Championships, the 2025 World Championship Match, Grand Prix Series 2024-25, World Cup 2025, and Grand Swiss 2025.
FIDE Women's Circuit Leaderboard
Players' final scores are calculated from their top five performances across these events.
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The Batumi World Cup has altered the 2024-25 FIDE Women's Events series standings. Humpy leads with 224 Ranking Points, maintaining a 70-point lead over second-placed Tan Zhongyi.
The current top five ranked players have already secured Candidates tournament spots. World Champion Ju Wenjun, previously ranked first, now holds sixth place after missing the Women's World Cup. As current World Champion, she automatically bypasses the Candidates.
Anna Muzychuk leads the series qualification race with 80 Ranking Points. Despite winning the final Women's Grand Prix leg, she missed qualifying through that pathway.
Three players follow closely behind Muzychuk. Lei Tingjie, the previous Candidates winner, holds eighth place with 62 points. Harika Dronavalli and Kateryna Lagno follow with 58.5 and 54.5 points, respectively.
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