Humpy, Divya and Vaishali to lead India’s challenge at 2026 Cairns Cup in Saint Louis

Former World Rapid champion Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali Rameshbabu will spearhead India's challenge at the 2026 Cairns Cup in Saint Louis. The elite women's tournament features 10 top players competing for a $250,000 prize fund from August 8 to 21

Saint Louis (USA): Former World Rapid Champion Koneru Humpy, former Women’s Junior World Champion Divya Deshmukh, and 2026 FIDE Women’s World Championship challenger Vaishali Rameshbabu will be among a strong field at the 2026 Cairns Cup chess championship, to be held in Saint Louis in August.

One of the world’s strongest women’s super-tournaments returns to Saint Louis this summer as the 2026 Cairns Cup welcomes 10 of the world’s top women chess players to compete for a $250,000 prize fund—one of the largest in women’s chess.

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The tournament will take place from August 8 to 21 at the recently expanded Saint Louis Chess Club (STLCC), where it will run alongside the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, creating one of the world’s premier showcases of elite chess.

Like the Sinquefield Cup, the Cairns Cup features a 10-player, nine-round classical round-robin format, widely regarded as one of the most demanding tests in professional chess. The sixth edition of the tournament continues Saint Louis’ tradition of hosting the world’s elite players while advancing opportunities for women in the game, the organisers said in a release on Thursday.

Named in honour of STLCC co-founder Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield, the Cairns Cup reflects the STLCC’s commitment to promoting women’s chess and inspiring the next generation of champions. Furthering that mission, Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield established the Cairns Chess Queens Award in 2024, a first-of-its-kind initiative offering a $100,000 award to any eligible U.S. woman who earns the Grandmaster (GM) title during the programme’s five-year period ending July 4, 2029.

“It is an honour to once again welcome some of the world’s top women players to Saint Louis,” said Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield, co-founder of the STLCC. “Through events like the Cairns Cup, we aim to create greater opportunities for women in chess and inspire the next generation to compete, achieve and lead in this timeless game.”

The 2026 Cairns Cup will feature a star-studded field that includes three former Women’s World Champions, reigning Cairns Cup champion International Master (IM) Carissa Yip, 2026 FIDE Women’s World Championship challenger GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, former Women’s World Chess Champion and 2026 World Chess Hall of Fame inductee Alexandra Kosteniuk, and three-time Women’s World Blitz Champion GM Bibisara Assaubayeva, who also holds the Guinness World Record as the youngest Women’s World Blitz Champion.

The complete field comprises:

IM Carissa Yip (USA), GM Humpy Koneru (IND), GM Tan Zhongyi (CHN), GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR), GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ), GM Divya Deshmukh (IND), GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI), IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE), GM Vaishali Rameshbabu (IND), and IM Alice Lee (USA).