Chess

The world of chess is not immune from ripple effects of the deadly coronavirus wracking China and spreading across the globe.

Two Chinese grandmasters due to compete in the eight-player candidates tournament in March were forced to modify their travel and training. The tournament begins March 15 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and the winner will challenge Magnus Carlsen for the world title later this year, possibly in Dubai.

Wang Hao had planned to train with his team in Beijing, but those plans were canceled after China severely restricted travel into and out of the countr y. Instead, he said he will stay in Tokyo this month before traveling to Russia.

Ding Liren, a favorite to eventually challenge Carlsen, had planned to train with his team but now must communicate with them via the Internet. He told chess.com the inconvenience was “not a big deal.” Ding lives in Wenzhou, which has had several hundred coronavirus cases. He said he must tell his building manager if he wants to go outside and then have his temperature taken.

Fur ther complicating matters, Russia said flights from China must go to Moscow, 880 miles west of Yekaterinburg. In an email, the International Chess Federation asked Wang and Ding whether they were healthy and might plan to arrive in Russia early.

Separately, grandmaster Wei Yi withdrew from the Prague International Chess Festival, due to begin Feb. 11, after his flight from China was canceled. He was replaced by Iranian chess phenom Alirezi Firouzja, 16.

Below is a win by Evgeny Sveshnikov against Nona Gaprindashvili from a 2017 rapid chess tournament in Jurmala, Latvia. Beginner’s Corner: Hint: Better than ... Qxd6ch Solution: 1 . ... Qg1ch! 2. Kxf3 Qd1ch will bet the queen.