"Cannot finish": GMHikaru tests positive for COVID-19 after attending offline chess tournament

Grandmaster chess player Hikaru "GMHikaru" Nakamura has informed fans via Twitter that he has tested positive for COVID-19; worrying many.

The streamer had been attending and playing at the FIDE World Rapid in Warsaw, Poland. He had already played in a match prior to testing positive, leading to all participants and attendees of the match having to quarantine and get tested for the possibility that they have contracted the virus as well.

"I cannot finish the tournament and now am worried for all my opponents."

---

GMHikaru slams FIDE for lack of support extended towards participants

On December 30, 2021, Hikaru "GMHikaru" Nakamura tweeted out that he had tested positive for COVID.

GMHikaru tested negative right before the tournament and supposedly felt unwell. After participating and testing once again in order to get cleared for flights, he found out that he had indeed contracted the virus.

Prior to the tweet, GMHikaru had slammed FIDE for their lack of extended support towards participants in regards to getting tested for COVID-19.

According to the Twitch streamer, "hundreds of participants" at the event were made to take public testing, rather than FIDE hosting a private testing facility.

The official FIDE Twitter account issued a public notice stating that more positive cases had turned up from people participating in the event. They withdrew the affected players from the tournament and informed their opponents as well.

Following a tweet stating that they would provide "logistic support" to the players that were affected, a Twitter user pointed out that they had not provided private COVID-19 tests for the participants.

In addition, another tweet from participant Maximilian J. H. Berchtenbreiter stated that FIDE had failed to inform him about the outbreak and said that he learned about it from GMHikaru's tweet.

FIDE is currently catching heavy flak for their actions and responses to the way the tournament has been managed. Many have stated that they haven't taken enough precautions and expressed a lack of surprise at the outbreak.

Following GMHikaru's declaration of his COVID-positive test results, the tournament was adjourned for 30 minutes and resumed after.

According to the pictures uploaded, the tournament area has tables placed significantly apart. In pictures where players are visible, however, none of them are seen wearing masks.