Blockchain gaming titan partners with chess grandmasters to build a chess-inspired game

Animoca Brands and its subsidiary, Lympo, announced today, August 15, that they are developing a chess-inspired blockchain game ‘Anichess’ together with Play Magnus Group (PMG), a worldwide leader in the chess industry founded by Magnus Carlsen, a Norwegian chess grandmaster who is the reigning five-time world chess champion.

Specifically, Anichess is a blockchain-based chess game with a play-and-earn environment that, when launched in 2023, will integrate the worlds of chess and GameFi to produce a vivid gaming experience, according to a shared press release by Animoca Brands with Finbold on August 15.

Anichess will also be developed and launched under Lympo’s auspices given their experience in GameFi and sports non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Also, Lympo’s partnership with the Play Magnus Group gives them access to a pool of more than 30 chess grandmasters, including Magnus Carlsen, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Liem Le and others, who can provide advice, monitor developments and put Anichess through his paces as an immersive gaming experience for both chess pros and amateurs.

Bring chess players to the blockchain space

It is also worth noting that the new partnership will attract players who play chess to blockchain games, and vice versa, while Play Magnus Group will send out invitations to the world’s best chess players, asking them to support and advise on the deployment of chess engines in Aniches.

At the same time, Anichess will use Lympo’s $SPORT token as its main cryptocurrency token, which will act as a portal to the larger Lympo ecosystem, enhancing the gaming experience as well as the game’s value proposition.

Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, Yat Siu, stated:

“Chess has emerged as one of the fastest growing e-sports. By partnering with Play Magnus Group to create Anichess, we will create unparalleled experiences for chess players, casual players and fans.”

Meanwhile, Tadas Maurukas, CEO and co-founder of Lympo added:

“The concept of Anichess will enhance the traditional chess experience with a new phenomenal strategic layer that will produce situations never seen before. Well-established game designers, super chess grandmasters, esports stars and casual players work together to deliver an action-packed blockchain chess experience.”

All in all, the overall goal of the blockchain-based chess game with a play-and-earn ecosystem is to combine the chess and GameFi gaming communities to provide more enjoyable gaming experiences.