Blind chess players in Romania have been able to play the game online ©Getty Images

Blind chess is currently thriving despite the COVID-19 pandemic as participants have brought the game from an in-person environment to online one, playing from their homes.

In Romania alone, a series of competitions have been played over the past few weeks, with some of the cheeky names for tournaments including the Covid Cup.

The Tandem Trophy, the latest event to be staged, featured the top 16 blind chess players in the country and was won by Bursuc Mihai from the capital Bucharest.

Mihai won all but one match, a defeat to number one seed Dima Mihai, as the seventh seed won 12 matches, tied two and lost one=ce.

Mihai finished third and ninth seed Ionel Morariu came second.

Other top seeds struggled, with second seed Nistor Mihai finishing eighth and third seed Paun Tiberiu finishing 15th.

Most International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) competitions have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There have been more than 2.42 million confirmed cases worldwide and at least 166,000 people have died.

Sport has come to a standstill, with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics among the high-profile events postponed.