GM Levon Aronian will forfeit the first game of the second round at the FIDE World Cup. The Armenian Grandmaster has had some symptoms of fever earlier this week. Even though Aronian feels well now, in order to not risk the safety of other players it has been decided that he will withdraw from the first game, and he will undergo additional health tests before deciding if he is fit to play in the second game.
Rated 5 in the world, Aronian was seeded directly into the second round of the tournament, which kicked off in Sochi (Russia) on July 12th.