The Brief
LATEST ASSESSMENT
RECON · 1d ago▲ Building· 5 shipped events in 30d· medium confidence· as of Jul 26
Anichess is running Season 9 with daily free tournaments and paid Gambit nights (100 $CHECK buy-in, doubled prize pools). $CHECK token listed on Bithumb 2 days ago. Free tournament pathway to 100k $CHECK playoff seat available—top 64 from Honor Points qualify without paying buy-ins. Next major event: doubled prize pool Gambit night with 8k $CHECK on the board (specific date unclear but recent).
$CHECK token Bithumb listingSeason 9 free-to-play tournament ladderGambit night prize pool increases
EvidenceRead from 20 posts1 tracked handleWindow Jul 13, 2026 – Jul 24, 2026
About
Anichess is a Web3 chess game from Animoca Brands and Chess.com, endorsed by five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, that layers spell-casting mechanics onto classic chess.
Gameplay
Anichess keeps standard chess rules but adds a magic-formula system — spells that introduce unpredictability and help level skill gaps. Competitive series like Road to Magnus and the Magnus Cup let players earn a seat to face Magnus Carlsen directly.
Economy & Assets
In-game progress is tracked with M8 (Mate) points. The broader Checkmate Ecosystem is powered by the CHECK strategy token, which is rolling into Anichess in stages. Anichess is Base-native — its token, gas and contracts live on Base — while ownership of in-game items is recorded on-chain.
Team & Backing
Anichess is developed by Animoca Brands in partnership with Chess.com, with an endorsement from Magnus Carlsen. It surfaces in the Abstract ecosystem through Abstract Global Wallet support and an Abstract Portal listing rather than being Abstract-native.
Recent developments
- 2026-06-05 — Anichess Opens Road to Magnus Event to All Players — Anichess, the Web3 chess game on Abstract, has opened its 'Road to Magnus' event to all players, with ties to Magnus Carlsen and the upcoming CHECK token. (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-06-08 — Anichess Announces June 16 Event Where Players Face Magnus Carlsen — Anichess will let four players compete against Magnus Carlsen on June 16. Top two on Standard leaderboard get direct seats; others must win an open arena. (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-06-09 — Anichess Opens Qualifier for Chance to Face Magnus Carlsen — Anichess is hosting an open qualification tournament on June 13 where top players can earn a spot to face world champion Magnus Carlsen on June 16. (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-06-09 — Anichess Tournament Narrows 1,000-Player Field to Face Magnus Carlsen — Over 1,000 players competed in a GreenPawns tournament for a chance to face Magnus Carlsen; one advanced to the top 16, with the match set for next week. (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-06-11 — Anichess Confirms June 16 Event With Magnus Carlsen — Anichess set a June 16 date for a special event featuring world champion Magnus Carlsen, following a qualification tournament. (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-06-14 — Anichess Launches Road to Magnus Knockout Tournament — Anichess' "Road to Magnus" knockout is live: 16 players fight through a single bracket for four seats against Magnus Carlsen, streaming on the Anichess YouTube channel and OpenSea. (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-06-18 — Anichess Hosts Magnus Carlsen Simul at FIDE World Team Championships in Hong Kong — Anichess organized a live chess simul with world number one Magnus Carlsen at the FIDE World Team Championships in Hong Kong, featuring AI and challengers … (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-06-19 — Community Champion Defeats Magnus Carlsen to Win Anichess Magnus Cup — A community player won the Anichess Magnus Cup, beating Grandmasters Magnus Carlsen and Bortnyk to claim the title and 300,000 CHECK tokens. (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-07-09 — Anichess Launches Pre-Season 9 of The Circuit With Free Daily Tournaments — Anichess begins Pre-Season 9 of The Circuit on July 9 with free daily tournaments and CHECK prize pools, running through Sunday. (@AnichessGame)
- 2026-07-13 — Anichess Season 9 Launches With Daily Tournaments and Flexible Play — Anichess kicks off Season 9 with daily tournaments, allowing players to skip days without penalty. Free events and gambit nights rotate weekly. (@AnichessGame)
Coverage
Where it sits
Last verified Jun 11, 2026
Media · 1
Network
Network · 1 connection
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The Timeline
The record
Every dated thing we know · Jan 2024 → Jul 2026July 202632 entries
Jul 24, 2026Recap mention
Mentioned in the 2026-07-24 ecosystem recap.
Jul 24, 2026Activity
Teased a new interactive feature and distributed 378,130 $CHECK tokens to the community.
bullish · feature tease / token distribution / community event
@anichessgame
Jul 23, 2026Activity
Announced CHECK/KRW listing on Bithumb, boosting token visibility.
bullish · listing / exchange / CHECK token
@anichessgame
Jul 23, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess is running Season 9 with daily free tournaments and a 100,000 $CHECK playoff. A new collaboration with The Sandbox offers a free voxel set until Sunday midnight UTC. The Gambit fee was cut from 15% to 8%, boosting prize pools, and a free tournament tonight pays top five.
@anichessgame
Jul 22, 2026Recap mention
Mentioned in the 2026-07-22 ecosystem recap.
Jul 22, 2026Activity
Announced a free chess tournament with top five prizes across two time windows.
neutral · tournament / chess
@anichessgame
Jul 22, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess (213K followers) is in Week 2 of Season 9 with free daily tournaments (Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun) and paid Gambit nights (Tue/Thu) offering double Honor Points. They dropped Gambit fees from 15% to 8% and added to prize pool. A limited-time The Sandbox voxel set is claimable until Sunday midnight UTC. Magnus Carlsen referenced in a playful tweet. @TheSandboxGame collaboration active.
@anichessgame
Jul 21, 2026Activity
Announced week 2 of Season 9 with free days and paid nights, and teased Alpha man's return.
bullish · season / announcement / chess
@anichessgame
Jul 20, 2026Activity
Promoted a voxel set in The Sandbox, urging users to log in once to claim pieces, board, and background.
bullish · promotion / The Sandbox / voxel
@anichessgame
Jul 20, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess (213K followers) is in the midst of Season 9 with daily free tournaments, a doubled 8,000 $CHECK prize pool on Gambit nights, and a fee reduction from 15% to 8% that was added to the pool. The playoff path rewards Honor Points, with a chance to earn a 100,000 $CHECK seat without any buy-in. The account recently engaged with @MagnusCarlsen and promoted OpenSea Mobile early access, but the core news is the active season with massive prize incentives.
@anichessgame
Jul 19, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess (213K followers) is deep into Season 9 'The Circuit' with daily tournaments, doubled prize pools (8,000 $CHECK on Feb 27), and a reduced Gambit fee (15% to 8%) boosting the prize pool. A free-to-enter path to the 100,000 $CHECK playoff exists via Honor Points. @MagnusCarlsen was name-dropped in a recent post. The season opened Feb 24 and runs daily with two time slots.
@anichessgame
Jul 18, 2026Recap mention
Mentioned in the 2026-07-18 ecosystem recap.
Jul 18, 2026Activity
Anichess reduced Gambit fees to 8% and added the difference to the prize pool.
bullish · fees / prize pool / update
@anichessgame
Jul 17, 2026Recap mention
Mentioned in the 2026-07-17 ecosystem recap.
Jul 17, 2026Activity
Highlighted a player reaching the 100,000 $CHECK playoff without a buy-in via free tournaments.
bullish · free tournament / playoff / $CHECK
@anichessgame
Jul 17, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess (213K followers) is in the middle of Season 9 launch week with daily tournaments, doubled prize pools, and a major Gambit night tonight (19h ago) offering 8,000 $CHECK. They've partnered with @opensea for mobile early access and are actively engaging with @MagnusCarlsen. The season opened for real 3 days ago, with paid events on Tuesday/Thursday and free tournaments the rest of the week.
@anichessgame
Jul 16, 2026Activity
Announced a doubled prize pool of 8,000 $CHECK for Gambit night with top 20 paid.
bullish · prize pool / Gambit / $CHECK
@anichessgame
Jul 15, 2026Activity
Announced daily tournaments featuring spell-based mechanics to defeat opponents.
bullish · tournaments / spells
@anichessgame
Jul 15, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess (213.3K followers) launched Season 9: The Circuit yesterday with daily tournaments and double Honor Points on Gambit nights (paid events, 100 $CHECK/match). The season started free events Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday, with paid Gambit nights Tuesday/Thursday. Early access weekend just ended with pools up to 4,000 $CHECK. The Honor Board now determines playoff qualification, making every result count from here. The OpenSea Mobile early access went live for holders, and $CHECK reward...
@anichessgame
Jul 14, 2026Activity
Announced Gambit night wins double toward playoffs and paid events on Tuesday and Thursday award double Honor Points.
bullish · Gambit / playoffs / Honor Points
@anichessgame
Jul 13, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess (214K followers) is in Pre-Season 9: The Circuit right now, with early access through Sunday and escalating prize pools—including 100 $CHECK per match tonight and a free 300 $CHECK pool on Sunday. Highlight: community player EllaijioB beat Magnus Carlsen in the Magnus Cup for 300,000 $CHECK. OpenSea Mobile early access also launched for holders of Anichess NFTs, with immediate mobile gameplay.
@anichessgame
Jul 12, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess is in the final days of Pre-Season 9 early access, with a 100 $CHECK-per-match Gambit event tonight (Friday) and a free-to-enter Sunday event with a 300 $CHECK pool. The season proper opens Monday, after which every result counts. The account also highlighted a community champion beating Magnus Carlsen in the Magnus Cup, and announced mobile early access via OpenSea Mobile for holders of Anichess Ethernals, Void Vanguards, and Checkmate Pass.
@anichessgame
Jul 10, 2026★ MilestoneBreaking
Jul 10, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess (213K followers) is launching Pre-Season 9: The Circuit tonight with free-to-enter tournaments daily through Sunday, including 300 $CHECK pools on Thursday and Sunday. Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) was in Hong Kong for a FIDE World Team Championships event and a community player (@EllaijioB) beat him to win the Magnus Cup and 300,000 $CHECK. OpenSea Mobile early access is now live for holders of Anichess Ethernals, Void Vanguards, and Checkmate Pass.
@anichessgame
Jul 8, 2026Recap mention
Mentioned in the 2026-07-08 ecosystem recap.
Jul 8, 2026Assessment
Assessment — Bullish
Anichess (213K followers) just hosted Magnus Carlsen in Hong Kong for the FIDE World Team Championships, where he lost to a community player in their spell-casting chess variant. They're launching tournaments next week and have dropped $CHECK rewards totaling over 500K tokens. Key collaborations with @MagnusCarlsen, @opensea, and @animocabrands are driving visibility.
@anichessgame
Jul 2, 2026Recap mention
Mentioned in the 2026-07-02 ecosystem recap.
Jul 1, 2026★ MilestoneBreaking
June 202617 entries
Jun 27, 2026Recap mention
Mentioned in the 2026-06-27 ecosystem recap.
Jun 26, 2026Recap mention
Mentioned in the 2026-06-26 ecosystem recap.
Jun 21, 2026Graph · enriched
Profile enriched
Anichess's dossier was expanded with new researched detail.
Jun 18, 2026★ MilestoneBreaking
Jun 15, 2026★ MilestoneBreaking
Jun 11, 2026★ MilestoneGraph · edge
Anichess, the Abstract chess game, partners with Chess.com.
high confidence
Jun 6, 2026★ MilestoneGraph genesis
Added to the graph
Anichess entered the Descout entity graph — the start of its permanent record.
January 20242 entries
Jan 16, 2024★ MilestoneBreaking
$CHECK · deep market
Market Overview
Market Sentiment
