The Anichess tournament at the YGG Play Summit concluded on November 19, 2024, with player johnfdong winning the event after battling against contender Rsl. Eight players competed in the tournament’s Individual category for a total prize pool of US$10,000, of which US$3,000 in USDT went to the champion. Johnfdong claimed the tournament title in his first month of playing Anichess, leveraging his background in the traditional game. The champion’s winnings include a one-year ambassador contract with Anichess.

“I just happened to come across the post on X, and I wrote a comment saying maybe I should join,” said johnfdong. “I was actually supposed to be playing DOTA that day, but when I found out that Anichess was holding a tournament, I thought, ‘Wow, this is new.’ So I joined, and now here we are.”

Launched by Animoca Brands, Anichess is a twist on the chess formula, integrating elements of magic that add a new layer of strategy and complexity to the classic game. Partnered with companies such as Animoca Brands, Chess.com, and Team Secret, as well as chess superstars including Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri, Anichess is a free-to-play game with regular online tournaments. The game has a skill-based leaderboard and plans to integrate more game modes in the future.

“Today is the first of many tournaments that will come in Southeast Asia,” said Brian Chan, Animoca Brands VP of Operations and Projects and Head of Anichess, who thanked the more than 500 players who participated in the qualifiers leading up to the finals. “We, as a pretty young team, are extremely excited and extremely happy about the level of finesse and skill that has been displayed through the entire afternoon.

The Anichess tournament also saw the attendance of renowned European esports organization Team Secret, whose Valorant team held a meet-and-greet with Filipino fans before the competition. The championship was held on the same day as the tournament for the MOBA Arena of Faith, which saw Sylphy Academy securing the victory. Other esports showdowns this week include a tournament on November 20 for Indus, the battle royale from SuperGaming, and the November 21 YGG Play Summit invitational for the hit trading card game Parallel with a US$100,000 prize pool.

“It was an amazing run, an amazing journey from the online qualifiers to this LAN tournament,” said Archer Perez, web3 content creator and Philippine Ambassador for Anichess. “Congratulations to both finalists who secured one-year contracts and to johnfdong who takes home a huge chunk of the US$10,000 prize pool.”

Outside the esports tournaments, the five-day YGG Play Summit has more events lined up, including the first in-person GAM3 Awards, a cosplay competition, and the red-carpet premiere of “Metaverse Filipino Worker,” a five-part series exploring how Filipinos are embracing web3 as a new frontier for work.

Event attendees also have the opportunity to experience demos of new and upcoming web3 games at the event’s Gamer Expo, with 30 projects participating. Showmatches will likewise be held throughout the event, featuring well-known web3 personalities as players and shoutcasters.

ABOUT YGG PLAY SUMMIT

The YGG Play Summit explores the intersection of gaming and the emerging web3 ecosystem, featuring a hackathon, a conference, a game expo, and esports tournaments. It features opportunities for attendees to connect and provide valuable insights into the future of gaming, digital ownership, and the top projects of web3 globally.

The conference focuses on the business of web3 gaming and the future of the gaming industry. Speakers include founders and C-level executives from venture funds, crypto exchanges, protocols, and web3 wallets, alongside gaming studios, esports teams, guilds, and the gaming community.

ABOUT ANICHESS

Anichess is a subsidiary of Animoca Brands focused on developing and advancing decentralized chess through its distinctive spell-chess gameplay. Anichess brings new energy and innovation to one of the world’s oldest and most widely played games, modernizing and tokenizing it to take advantage of opportunities presented by web3 technologies and communities. Anichess is a completely free-to-play game that combines the core values of traditional chess with an additional layer of strategy provided by new features that include an innovative spell mechanic and special challenges. Anichess boasts a strong focus on powerful visuals and skill-based gameplay to deliver a captivating, esport-like experience for fans of chess and novices alike.