MURMANSK, Russia — When a group of French chess players traveled to the Russian Arctic city of Murmansk for a tournament this month, they didn't expect to end up in quarantine and face delays in getting home. Hailing from the Ile-de-France region, the 14-strong group, which includes eight minors, arrived in Murmansk, 1,480 kilometers (920 miles) north of Moscow, on March 12 to play opponents from Russia, Ireland and the Netherlands. But the tournament was derailed when an Irish player was diagnosed with the coronavirus, forcing other participants into quarantine. Jurriaan Kien, an official accompanying the French players, told Reuters from quarantine in a Murmansk hospital on Saturday that the group are due to return to France on Monday despite Russia having grounded all international flights.

Source: International New York Times March 28, 2020 18:33 UTC