While the entire world of sports was shutting down, eight of the deepest thinkers on the planet were heading to a chess tournament on the edge of Siberia.

Organizers had assured the players it was safe—the coronavirus pandemic had yet to reach the Sverdlovsk region of Russia. So they socially distanced themselves, one by one, in the city of Yekaterinburg for the three-week Candidates Tournament, all for the right to face Magnus Carlsen in the world championship match later this year.

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