FIDE said in a statement it had received a number of requests from organisers interested in holding the events, but that some of them asked the global governing body to extend the deadline for formal bids in order to find additional sponsors and receive Government support.

Considering the best conditions for the participants as its priority, FIDE has decided to extend the deadline until February 26.

The final decision on the hosts will be taken at the meeting of the FIDE Presidential Board on March 5 and 6.

The FIDE Grand Prix is a biennial series of chess tournaments.

Each series consist of four or six chess tournaments, which form part of the qualification cycle for the World Chess Championship or Women's World Chess Championship.

The 2019 Women's World Chess Championship will be contested by China's Ju Wenjun, winner of the 2018 knock-out event, and her challenger, the winner of a newly-established Candidates Tournament that begins on May 29.  

Ju beat home favourite Kateryna Lagno in the final of the 2018 knock-out event, which was staged in Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia.