GM Alexander Grischuk won the "Play For Russia" tournament on Thursday after beating GM Evgeny Tomashevsky in the final. Held May 12-14, the online blitz tournament raised an impressive amount of over $333,000 for hospitals and health workers fighting the coronavirus epidemic in Russia.
The tournament was an initiative of some of the strongest Russian players, with GM Vladimir Kramnik being the driving force. It was supported by the Russian Chess Federation, Russia's Ministry of Sports, the Timchenko Foundation, the Ramax group of companies and Gazprombank (Switzerland).
Following several COVID-19 related charity chess events, Play For Russia has been the most successful so far. Helped by a live broadcast on the Russian federal channel MatchTV, over $333,000 was raised.
The prize fund will be shared among regional hospitals and health workers fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. Before the tournament, the participants determined the recipients and amounts received from the donations, depending on the needs of a particular institution. The entire prize fund will be distributed equally among the regions, regardless of the final standings.
