Former world rapid champion koneru

Former World Rapid Champion Koneru: 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 for 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.

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.