NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lavished praise on Indian chess players, including world champion Vishwanathan Anand , for coming up with an "innovative" way to raise funds for the country's fight against Covid-19 pandemic Five leading players Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna and B Adhiban, Koneru Humpy and Dharika, alongside Anand had participated in an online chess exhibition and helped raise Rs 4.5 lakh for the PM-CARES Fund."Innovative effort and kind gesture by our chess players, including @vishy64theking, @viditchess, Pentala Harikrishna, B. Adhiban and @HarikaDronavali," Modi tweeted."Am sure the participants would have had an enriching experience," he added.In India, the Covid-19 pandemic has so far claimed over 350 lives while infecting close to 12,000 across the country.On Tuesday, Modi extended the lockdown till May 3 in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.