When the greatest chess player alive wants to talk about artificial intelligence, people tend to listen. Magnus Carlsen is heading to Hong Kong on June 16 for a fireside chat hosted by Anichess, the blockchain-enhanced chess platform built by Animoca Brands in partnership with Chess.com.
The event, titled “Checkmate the Future of Strategy,” will take place at the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel and is expected to draw roughly 150 influential figures from AI, finance, and technology.
What Anichess is actually building
Anichess layers magical spell mechanics on top of traditional chess gameplay. Animoca Brands developed the platform alongside Chess.com, the world’s largest online chess community. Carlsen himself serves as a key ambassador. The project’s phased launch began in January 2024, with the first phase rolling out as a free-to-play experience.
The crypto angle comes through the CHECK ($CHECK) utility token, which powers tournament entry, staking, rewards, and governance within the Anichess ecosystem. The CHECK utility token was adopted as the platform’s native token in November 2025 and is designed to reward players for skill-based performance rather than time spent playing.
