Chess may be reaching all the way back to ancient Persia, but it’s having a last-minute overhaul with a crypto-based version. Online chess has always been widely accepted as both an idle pastime and fierce competition.
The play to earn version of chess is no different, though with some extra features added for fun and engagement. Play2Moon picked some of the best renditions of chess combined with NFT and token economy.
Within the P2E space, there are also chess-themed apps which are more akin to gambling or speculative finance. We focused on real chess games, which can also avoid bots to an extent.
MetaChess
MetaChess is one of the leading and older NFT-based e-chess games, with a play to earn component. MetaChess claims to be one of the oldest games, though there are other attempts to bring together chess and blockchain.
MetaChess has several modes, from PvE against AI as the most generic entry level to more complex games at a higher level. MetaChess is available in open beta with a 2D play mode, awaiting a 3D launch and a battle arena in the future.
MetaChess prepared for the launch of its native SHAH token after a private placement in March.
The Immortal Game
The Immortal Game chess challenges are coming with a twist. Instead of beginning-to-end games, Immortal Game has a mode offering limited chess problems in the form of small missions. This tool has the goal of achieving fairplay, avoiding the use of AI to solve games.
The Immortal Game also includes NFT items, which sway the game with unexpected twists again to resolve the problem of using computer prompts for classic chess.
Player availability is also highly important to make the chess hub a hot spot for competitors of all ranks. The Immortal Game sparks interest by organizing regular tournaments.
ChessVerseHQ
ChessVerseHQ uses the already widely known Lichess.com, but with added MATIC token rewards.
This game solves the problem of user interest with regular social media campaigns and a reward pool for a short-term event. This way, ChessVerseHQ limits the play to earn element to a competitive meeting instead of idle and random meetups. The game also uses the already robust community of Lichess.
BoardLords
BoardLords is an NFT-first game, which distributed its unique chess figures to build a community.
Later, the game introduced a tournament-based gameplay and a new version of the game. BoardLords completed its most recent tournament in March, along with a recent NFT giveaway.
The game promises another mint coming soon, while offering roles within the project to top chess talent.
Zone by XTZ
Zone is a simulated sports play by XTZ, which also involves a chess section. The simulated sports environment uses the Algorand (ALGO) token to draw in players. ZONE tokens are also awarded for chess games.
Players in the Zone environment can choose chess challenges, finish games and receive rewards. The twist in the game is that even losing players get rewards for being in the game, just for the engagement.
The goal of Zone is, in fact, to sometimes lose against bots and still gain token rewards.
The appeal of chess extended as far as the Voxies game, which initially wanted to have a full chess-like set of figures. In the end, the Voxies game ended up with three-character teams. However, the basis of classical chess has boosted creativity in the NFT and P2E space, with varied reward and incentive models.
