The Karnataka Youth Empowerment and Sports Department, Government of Karnataka, announced that it will be hosting an online Chess Tournament to raise funds for Covid-19 relief, in association with United Karnataka Chess Association (Affiliated to AICF, recognised by the Karnataka Government) and Bengaluru-based Mobile Premier League (MPL), a mobile gaming platforms.

“We are humbled and honoured to be partnering with the Karnataka Government for such a noble cause. This is a time when the entire nation needs to come together and fight Covid-19. We are expecting participation in huge numbers and looking forward to the tournament,” said Mobile Premier League co-founder and CEO Sai Srinivas Kiran.

The tournament will be held on 2 May and 3 May 2020, on the MPL app and all proceeds from the tournament (after accounting for prize money) will be donated to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for Karnataka for COVID-19.

Youth Empowerment and Sports minister, C.T Ravi said, “In these challenging times, it is essential that we remain strong and united. Today our common enemy is the Coronavirus. It has taken away the lives of few and disrupted the livelihood of many. Through chess, we can all come together on the weekend of May 2nd and 3rd, contribute for a good cause and raise money which will be donated to the CM Relief Fund. I request the chess players of the nation to come forward and donate liberally to the cause in your own way and also challenge themselves to think, strategise and move and thereby checkmate COVID-19. Let’s fight Corona together. Department of Sports is supporting this unique cause to enable people to become mentally strong and also contribute to the CM Relief Fund as sports bring people together both in the physical world and online world.”

This online Chess tournament is open to everyone across India for an entry fee of Rs 50. The total prize pool for the tournament is Rs 10 lakh and the first prize consists of Rs 1 lakh. MPL currently has a userbase of over 40 million across the country and a huge number is expected to participate in the tournament. Registration for the tournament is open on the MPL app.

United Karnataka Chess Association secretary R Hanumantha said, “We are greatly appreciative of the work done by the Government and by MPL and for their cooperation on this matter. We will mobilise the chess community in Karnataka and other states to ensure this becomes a way to demonstrate solidarity and resilience.”