Anichess Tournament Narrows 1,000-Player Field to Face Magnus Carlsen

The Anichess community has narrowed a field of over 1,000 players in a @GreenPawns tournament, with one competitor advancing to the top 16 to face world chess champion @MagnusCarlsen. The match is scheduled for next week, according to a June 9 announcement from anichessgame.

Anichess is a Web3 chess game on Abstract, incubated by Animoca Brands and built in partnership with Chess.com. It combines classical chess with spell-based mechanics and is the flagship title of the Checkmate Ecosystem, powered by the upcoming CHECK token. The project has attracted mainstream chess figures like Carlsen and grandmaster Anish Giri.

The tournament, open to all players, saw intense competition as participants vied for a seat to challenge Carlsen. The final top 16 competitor will face the world champion in a high-stakes match, underscoring Anichess's growing crossover between blockchain gaming and traditional chess.