Animoca Brands’ Anichess launches first phase of decentralized chess game

Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based Web3 investor, today announced the Phase 1 launch of Anichess, a subsidiary developing decentralized chess games in collaboration with Chess.com.

Anichess, who has also partnered with five-time world chess champion Magnus Charlsen, said in a statement today that the game will feature player versus environment gameplay in the first phase. The company plans to introduce player-versus-player settings in Phase 2, later in the first quarter of this year.

The company noted that Anichess allows players to solve daily chess puzzles. According to a statement, by completing daily challenges, users can earn Orbs of Power game assets for in-game utilities and unlock new puzzles to earn more rewards.

“Anichess revolutionizes the classic royal game by fusing traditional strategy and gameplay with innovative elements of magic casting, fantasy storylines, and Web3 features,” Yat Siu, co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, said in a statement.

The release comes after Anichess. It raised $1.5 million in a seed round in June 2023 from investors including GameFi Ventures, The Operating Group, Koda Capital, Bing Ventures, 708 Capital, and Asymmetry Capital.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet delivering news, research and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor in The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the cryptocurrency space. Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget is an anchor LP of Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to provide objective, impactful and timely information about the cryptocurrency industry. Below are our current financial disclosures.

© 2023 The Block. All rights reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not provided or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial or other advice.