The World Cup candidate tournament in Yekaterinburg, Russia has been stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic. The safe and timely journey home of players and representatives can not be guaranteed, announced the World Chess Federation (FIDE) on Thursday.
The other rounds should be continued at a later point in time with the current score. The background to this is the decision of the Russian government not to allow flights abroad due to the spread of the corona virus.
Duo in the lead
At the halfway point of the candidate tournament, Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Russian Jan Nepomnjaschtschi were in the lead. The second half of the tournament should have started on Thursday with the eighth round. The prize fund is EUR 500,000. The winner fought for the right to challenge the Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen. The World Cup is scheduled to take place at the World Expo in Dubai at the end of the year.
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