Anichess, a groundbreaking chess-based strategy game developed by Animoca Brands in partnership with Chess.com and five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, has launched the public alpha version of its game. The launch marks a major milestone for the game, which combines traditional chess with a unique spell-based system and decentralized web3 elements, providing an innovative twist on one of the world’s oldest and most popular games.
As part of its expansion strategy, Anichess has also announced a partnership with Yield Guild Games (YGG), one of the leading decentralized gaming communities. This partnership will focus on the distribution of Anichess throughout Southeast Asia, a key region where Anichess has already seen significant interest. Southeast Asia ranks among the top three regions in terms of registered players for Anichess, and this partnership signals an ambitious push to increase engagement and expand its player base even further.
Anichess Partners with YGG Pilipinas
With a significant portion of their playerbase in Southeast Asia, Anichess has partnered wtih YGG Pilipinas to promote the game in that region.
YGG, known for its success in promoting blockchain-based games, will assist in bringing Anichess to a diverse audience that includes chess players, gaming enthusiasts, and students at schools and universities. To kick off the partnership, Anichess and YGG will host a tournament starting in October, with the finals to be held during the YGG Play Summit in Manila, Philippines, in November. This event will help to raise the game’s profile and foster community engagement.
In addition to the tournament, Anichess and YGG will work together with local guilds, institutions, and content creators to further strengthen community-building efforts in the region. This multi-faceted approach is expected to attract new players while deepening the connection with existing users.
Brian Chan, head of Anichess, expressed excitement about the new phase of the game’s development, stating,
“We’re excited to launch the next phase of Anichess and invite players to the new player-versus-player experience. Our partnership with YGG expands our reach to a diverse audience across Southeast Asia, a region that is strategically important due to its vibrant gaming and chess communities.”
Gabby Dizon, co-founder of Yield Guild Games, echoed this sentiment, saying,
“The Philippines has always had a very active competitive gaming community. Of course, that includes chess. We’re excited to see the YGG community dive into this new take on one of the world’s oldest competitive games.”
What’s New in the Anichess Public Alpha?
The public alpha version coincides with season 3 of the game, introducing several new features. Players can now participate in player-versus-player (PvP) matches, which were highly anticipated following the earlier release of player-versus-environment (PvE) spell chess puzzles earlier in the year. The alpha version also includes four distinct game modes: ranked match, quick match, friend match, and bot match. This variety allows players to compete against AI opponents, climb ranks in competitive matches, or enjoy casual games with friends. As players progress through the game, they will also have the opportunity to unlock new spells, adding depth and strategy to their chess gameplay.
Since its soft launch in January 2024, Anichess has seen remarkable engagement, with over one million registered wallets and a player base of 30,000 monthly active users. These players have collectively solved over 50 million chess puzzles and logged more than 14 million minutes of total gameplay. The game’s unique blend of chess and spell mechanics has proven to be a hit among players, and the public alpha is expected to further grow its user base.
What is Anichess?
Anichess is a free to play, chess puzzle game. Players can try their hand at several new puzzles each day. Anichess shakes the puzzle mode up a bit by letting players use spells, special actions that can change how pieces move or even transform pieces, adding an additional layer of complexity to the standard chess problems.
One of the key goals of Anichess is to create a decentralized, community-centric gaming experience that appeals to both chess enthusiasts and gamers seeking new experiences in web3. By incorporating spell mechanics into a classic chess framework, Anichess offers a fresh take on the game, blending strategy with innovative gameplay mechanics.
