Mobiuz Launches Online Chess Tournament With a 200 Million Soum Prize Pool

The world's strongest grandmasters are playing the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. Everyone else now has a reason to sit down at a board of their own.

Uzbekistan is running a national campaign behind its chess team, and Mobiuz has joined it on its own terms — by asking subscribers to play rather than just cheer.

The MobiChess tournament runs inside the Mobiuz app on idChess, the technology partner of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation.

Four qualifying stages are scheduled for September 25, October 9, October 23, and November 13, with a final on November 27. Each runs two hours, from 7 to 9 p.m. Tashkent time.

Entry takes 10 games. Any 10 matches against other users on the platform count toward it, and they have to be played before a stage opens — part qualification, part chance to get used to the interface before the clock starts.

The stages themselves are played in Arena format: five minutes per game, maximum, then straight into the search for the next opponent. A win is worth 2 points, a draw 1, a loss nothing. Whoever scores highest in two hours takes the stage. Ties are broken by the strength of the opponents faced.

The money climbs as the tournament goes on. The first stage carries 16 million soums, the second 24 million, the third 30 million, and the fourth 50 million. The final pays 40 million soums to the winner, 25 million for second place, and 15 million for third.

Every stage also gives away internet packages of 30 GB, 10 GB, and 5 GB.

Registration for the first stage closes at 11:59 p.m. on September 24. Taking part means downloading or updating the Mobiuz app, signing in, opening the MobiChess section, playing the 10 qualifying games, and entering the Arena at 7 p.m. on tournament day.