EA Sports has today announced that its second annual Madden Challenge tournament will kick off in Chicago this weekend. A grand prize of $50,000 dollars will be awarded to the eventual champion after players in no less than 32 cities have competed for places in the Las Vegas final.

　　Anyone interested in competing in this year's Madden Challenge should register their interest at the official tournament Web site. Only around 500 players will be allowed to play in each city, and the places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration will open two weeks prior to each city's competition and close the Tuesday before the competition. The dates and locations for the 2003 Madden Challenge regional tournaments are as follows:

　　Saturday, August 23 - Chicago, IL - Navy Pier

　　Sunday, August 24 - Indianapolis, IN - Pan American Plaza

　　Saturday, August 30 - Minneapolis, MN - Mall of America

　　Sunday, August 31 - Green Bay, WI - The Resch Center

　　Saturday, September 6 - Detroit, MI - Great Lakes Crossing

　　Sunday, September 7 - Cleveland, OH - The Powerhouse at Nautica Falls

　　Saturday, September 13 - Cincinnati, OH - Paul Brown Stadium

　　Sunday, September 14 - Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Field

　　Saturday, September 20 - Buffalo, NY - Walden Galleria Mall

　　Sunday, September 21 - Boston, MA - Faneiul Hall

　　Saturday, October 4 - New York, NY - South Street Seaport

　　Sunday, October 5 - Philadelphia, PA - Gallery at Market East

　　Saturday, October 1 - Washington DC - Union Station

　　Sunday, October 12 - Charlotte, NC - Concord Mills

　　Saturday, October 18 - Miami, FL - Bayside Marketplace

　　Sunday, October 19 - Tampa, FL - Raymond James Stadium

　　Saturday, October 25 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville, FL

　　Sunday, October 26 - Atlanta, GA - Underground Atlanta

　　Saturday, November 1 - Nashville, TN - Opry Mills

　　Sunday, November 2 - St. Louis, MO - St. Louis Union Station

　　Saturday, November 8 - New Orleans, LA - Riverwalk Marketplace

　　Sunday, November 9 - Houston, TX - The Galleria

　　Friday-Saturday, November 14-15 - San Antonio, TX - The River Walk

　　Sunday, November 16 - Dallas, TX - Texas Stadium

　　Friday-Saturday, November 21-22 - Kansas City, MO - The Pavilion at Arrowhead

　　Sunday, November 23 - Denver, CO - Denver Pavilions

　　Saturday, November 29 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Center

　　Sunday, November 30 - Las Vegas, NV - Fashion Show

　　Saturday, December 6 - San Diego, CA - Mission Valley Mall

　　Sunday, December 7 - Los Angeles, CA - 3rd Street Promenade

　　Friday-Saturday, December 12-13 - Seattle, WA - Seahawks Stadium

　　Sunday, December 14 - San Francisco, CA - Pacific Bell Park

　　Entrants will be charged a $10 entry fee, $1 of which EA Sports will donate to NFL Youth Education Town. All the matches will be played using the recently released PS2 version of Madden NFL 2004, and entrants will be allowed to play as any current-season team they choose. Further rules and tournament information can be found on the official tournament Web site.