Venture capital company Animoca Brands has unveiled a blockchain-based chess game in collaboration with Chess.com and five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen.
The game, called “Anichess,” will roll out in two phases: the initial phase will focus on player-versus-environment (PvE) gameplay, with the second phase introducing player-versus-player (PvP) in late Q1 2024.
Anichess aims to modernize chess by incorporating decentralization technology and tokenization, tapping into the opportunities offered by Web3 technologies and communities while maintaining the essence of the traditional game.
The platform offers the “Mini Game,” a single-player chess puzzle experience that blends classic chess moves with Anichess elements.
Users can log in using conventional methods (Google, etc.) or link their crypto wallets, with current support for MetaMask and WalletConnect.
The game unfolds through a story-based adventure, featuring “Orbs of Power” representing elements like Water, Fire, Storm, Earth, and Time, presented as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Players can acquire these NFTs by playing the Mini Game or purchasing them through OpenSea.
Upon entering the Mini Game, players receive a digital collectible gift, such as the “Pawn of Water,” which they can store in their wallet. Additionally, the game includes a character guide designed to assist players in mastering the fundamentals of chess.
With its launch, Anichess joins the growing trend of integrating chess into the Web3 landscape.
In 2021, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) became the first global sports organization to introduce its NFT marketplace. ChessBase introduced its first collection of Chess World Champions NFTs in December 2021, and in April 2022, Chess.com unveiled Treasure Chess, an NFT marketplace for creating, trading, buying, and selling NFTs based on Chess.com games.
