Corona impact: Player replicas to shake hands at Candidates chess

The replicas can be seen shaking hands, while the players will avoid handshakes owing to health concerns in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Replicas of players at the Candidates Chess tournament in Russia.

The organisers of the Candidates chess tournament, which opened at Yekaterinburg (Russia) on Tuesday, have come up with a novel move. They have produced replicas of all the eight players in the form of Ken dolls.

The five-inch replicas are made by World Chess, a media company and world chess governing body FIDE's official partner. The replicas, wearing suits and ties as per the requirements of FIDE, can be photographed shaking hands, while the players will avoid that because of the health advisory in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

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“Now, with the coronavirus and stress, they will probably avoid appearing in public,” said Ilya Mereznon, CEO, World Chess. “Having organised numerous tournaments and aware of this, World Chess will supplement the event’s coverage with photos of 5-inch replicas of the players, so the media and organisers can have more assets for the event’s coverage.”