News Report
May 10, 2022

Chess Champs and Play Magnus bring an age-old pastime into the Metaverse

Chess Champs and Play Magnus bring an age-old pastime into the Metaverse

Most accounts say chess originates in 6th century India. With help from Play Magnus Group and Chess Champs, the age-old pastime is making its way into the Metaverse–piece by piece. They’re advocating for the future of chess in Web3 by hosting online tournaments, minting NFT trophies, and pursuing a mission to elevate chess to a wider audience. They even made a joint appearance in Art Week in NYC last weekend.

Founded in 2013 by World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, Play Magnus AS pursues “the goal of making the world a smarter place through chess.” They’ve grown into an entire ecosystem of online brands including prize-winning publisher New In Chess and, most notably, the Play Magnus App Suite, “a collection of innovative chess apps with 5 million downloads by users from all around the world,” including “a humanized chess engine that mimics World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen’s style of play from ages 5 and up.”

In October 2021, Cointelgraph reported that Carlsen became the first chess player to ever win an NFT trophy for his victory at the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, in a string of crypto-related spoils. MCCT also minted two identical editions of the grand prize trophy on the Ethereum blockchain, equipped with five lifetime privileges. After winning, Carlsen signed both and they were auctioned off, a rare opportunity for fans to share the winner’s experience. Bids topped $24,000 ETH. Chess Champs’ site notes they are actually owned by Play Magnus, an ethical gray area already addressed by the New York Times in November 2021.

At NADA art fair last weekend, where Play Magnus had a booth in the Cultural Partners area, Senior Marketing Official Edward Radzivilovskiy told Metaverse Post that the company is working with Chess Champs to continue designing new NFT trophies for future projects, including a kids’ chess tournament they hosted at the fair on Thursday, May 5th with help from Critical Path Method Gallery and Chess In The Schools. Every player won an NFT participation trophy. Radzivilovsky realized it might be the first time an NFT trophy was ever awarded for a children’s chess tournament. 

“I almost want to go further and say it might be a world first where a kid got an NFT prize for a tournament in general,” he added. “I’m a little bit scared to say that though because it’s a very bold claim.” He sees definite benefits to a blockchain-supported award. “Ordinarily, if you have a trophy, it’ll sit in your bedroom,” Radzivilovskiy said. “Now, you can access it anywhere digitally. You can be in an airplane and show it off.” 

Soon the same will be true for the whole set. Chess Champs is at work on collectibles, “3D chess pieces for a future blockchain-based game suite where players can have fun and experiment with chess.” They’re banking on chess’s future, which Radzivilovskiy saw for himself at NADA. Even amongst all the artwork, their booth in the fair’s Cultural Partners portion maintained constant interest–a testament to the game, and the sport, as a pastime transcending demographics. “There’s a saying,” Radzivilovskiy said. “Not all artists are chess players, but all chess players are artists.”

Read related posts:

Disclaimer

All of the information on our website is provided in good faith and solely for educational reasons. Any action taken by the reader in response to material on our website is entirely at his own risk.

The Trust Project is a worldwide group of news organizations working to establish transparency standards.

Vittoria Benzine is a Brooklyn-based art writer and personal essayist covering contemporary art with a focus on human contexts, counterculture, and chaos magic. She contributes to Maxim, Hyperallergic, Brooklyn Magazine, and more.

More articles
Vittoria Benzine
Vittoria Benzine

Vittoria Benzine is a Brooklyn-based art writer and personal essayist covering contemporary art with a focus on human contexts, counterculture, and chaos magic. She contributes to Maxim, Hyperallergic, Brooklyn Magazine, and more.

Hot Stories
Join Our Newsletter.
Latest News

OpenAI Expands ChatGPT’s Capabilities with Web Browsing

by Agne Cimermanaite
September 27, 2023

CGV Research: Telegram Open Network’s (TON) Technological Advancements and Future Prospects

TL;DR TON’s Past In 2018, founders of Telegram — the Durov brothers, began exploring blockchain solutions suitable ...

Know More

20 Most Underrated AI Startups in 2023: Ranked by Funding

AI remains a constant focal point for investors and entrepreneurs alike. While the spotlight often falls on ...

Know More
Join Our Innovative Tech Community

Read More

Read more
Meta Introduces 28 AI Characters and AI Studio for Expanded Creativity
News Report Technology
Meta Introduces 28 AI Characters and AI Studio for Expanded Creativity
September 27, 2023
Meta Unveils Impressive AI Integration Across Services, from Generative Emu Model to Smart Glasses
Business News Report Technology
Meta Unveils Impressive AI Integration Across Services, from Generative Emu Model to Smart Glasses
September 27, 2023
OpenAI Expands ChatGPT’s Capabilities with Web Browsing
Business News Report
OpenAI Expands ChatGPT’s Capabilities with Web Browsing
September 27, 2023
Cloudflare to Deploy NVIDIA GPUs on Edge, Partners with Microsoft and Hugging Face
News Report Technology
Cloudflare to Deploy NVIDIA GPUs on Edge, Partners with Microsoft and Hugging Face
September 27, 2023
What You
Need to Know

Subscribe To Our Newsletter.
Daily search marketing tidbits for savvy pros.