Animoca Brands’ Anichess partners with Magnus Carlsen, launches first phase of decentralized chess game

Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based Web3 investor, announced today the first-phase launch of Anichess, its subsidiary developing a decentralized chess game in partnership with Chess.com.

Anichess, which also partnered with five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Charlsen, said in a statement today that the game features player-versus-environment gameplay in the first phase. The company plans to introduce the player-versus-player setting in the second phase later in the first quarter of this year.

The company noted that Anichess allows players to solve daily chess puzzles. By completing daily challenges, users can win Orbs of Power game assets for in-game utility and unlock new puzzles for more rewards, according to the statement.

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

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

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