New Delhi, Apr 5 (IANS): In a bid to cash in on the growing popularity of the sport among youngsters in the country, online chess-game app 'WowChess' has been launched in India and the application is available for download on www.wowchess.com.

With lakhs of chess players unable to compete in offline tournaments due the pandemic-enforced lockdowns, WowChess aims to 'bring this offline behaviour to online space'.

Besides enabling the conduct of tournaments online, the app will empower players across India for now --- and eventually the world --- to play tournaments in different formats such as arena blitz, bullet, puzzles, storylines, among others. The app offers around 25 tournaments each day.

WowChess CEO, Kartikeya Rao, said, "With the Covid-induced pandemic resulting in the stoppage of chess tournaments across India, we want to commit ourselves to the growth of Indian chess and Indian chess players by enabling them to move the competitions online via WowChess. We are committed to invest in the Indian chess ecosystem by building world-class infrastructure around the app."

Rao claimed this is the only chess app in the world, which allows players to enter into competitions with an entry fee and win prizes.