World number two Fabiano Caruana on Thursday won by default in the round two of the Men's event in the FIDE Chess World Cup, which is being held in Russia's Sochi, after his opponent Susanto Megaranto's COVID-19 test result came positive during the game.
Russian woman FIDE master and streamer Maria Emelianova took to Twitter and said she spoke to the organizers and they confirmed that the game has been is forfeited in Fabiano's favor and he was immediately taken to his hotel room.
"Megaranto will remain under a medical supervision and it's not known yet whether the second game will be played yet. Fabiano is going to take another test tomorrow. He is showing no symptoms but is expected to be staying isolated in his hotel room," she said.
International Chess Federation said Susanto Megaranto will now undergo additional medical screenings and will be tested again tomorrow.
"The FIDE World Cup organizers confirm that one of the players has tested positive for Covid-19. The result of this test was known while he was playing his second-round game," International Chess Federation tweeted.
"In line with the tournament's public health and safety protocol, the player has been asked to immediately leave the playing area, and his game declared a loss. The player in question was wearing a face mask during the game, and he has been placed in quarantine. His opponent, who was also requested to leave the playing hall immediately, will now undergo additional medical screenings and will be tested again tomorrow as scheduled," it added.
Earlier in the day, Levon Aronian had forfeited the first game of the second round game as had some symptoms of fever earlier this week.
"Even though Aronian feels well now, in order to not risk the safety of other players it has been decided that he will withdraw from the first game, and he will undergo additional health tests before deciding if he is fit to play in the second game," International Chess Federation tweeted.
