2022-23 WGP, New Delhi, Marred by Withdrawals

For the record:-

• 2023-03-23: Anna and Mariya Muzychuk will not play in the third leg of the Grand Prix (chessbase.com; Johannes Fischer) • 'On March 24, the third of four tournaments in the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Series 2022/2023 will begin in New Delhi, India. Twelve players will compete, but the two Ukrainian grandmasters Anna and Mariya Muzychuk have decided not to take part, presumably because Kateryna Lagno, Polina Shuvalova and Aleksandra Goryachkina, who are members of the Russian Chess Federation but play under the FIDE flag, will be among the participants in New Delhi.' • NB: 'presumably'
  
  
• 2023-03-25: New Delhi GP: Abdumalik withdraws, first round postponed due to organizational issues (chessbase.com; Carlos Alberto Colodro) • 'The third stage of the Women’s Grand Prix series, set to take place in New Delhi, did not start as scheduled on Saturday, March 25. It was reported that some of the players were not received by official transport at the airport and that, at the hotel, they were informed that the rooms were not ready and the breakfast was not included in the price. Due to these conditions, Zhansaya Abdumalik withdrew from the event. FIDE and the eleven remaining players decided that the event would take place anyway, albeit starting on Sunday.' • NB: 'breakfast was not included in the price'
  
  
• 2023-03-27: What is happening in New Delhi at the Women’s Grand Prix? (chessbase.com; Sagar Shah) • 'The FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022-23 is into its third leg, and it is a huge moment for Indian chess. The start to the event has been rocky. One of the participants, Zhansaya Abdumalik, has withdrawn from the tournament after reaching New Delhi and spending a day at the venue. The players wrote an official letter to the FIDE President, and FIDE responded back with an official statement. Meanwhile, Zhansaya’s compatriot Bibisara Assaubayeva, who is present at the venue, wrote a post on social media voicing her opinions. We try to put it all together in this article.' • NB: 'a huge moment for Indian chess'

For the previous Grand Prix event, see 2022-23 WGP, Munich (February 2023).