Anichess Review 2026: Spell-Powered Chess on Base

Anichess is a free-to-play chess game that adds a spell system to the classic rules. It was founded by Animoca Brands and is run in partnership with Play Magnus Group, a company owned by Chess.com. The pitch is chess with a twist: new strategic layers powered by magic, while core moves stay familiar.

The project has grown beyond a single game. It has a CHECK token, an airdrop to MOCA holders scheduled for 13 November 2025, and a move to the Base network with a new staking pool. A puzzles product reports 3 million puzzles solved and more than 150,000 unique players since July, with play recorded onchain.

The homepage could not be reviewed directly, so details such as audits, fee schedules, the full token supply, and team names are not covered here. The project does not publish them in the material reviewed.

Anichess is played like chess, with the same board and pieces and moves such as castling, en passant and promotion. The difference is a spell layer: players can use magical abilities for attack, defence and tactics, and the win condition is not the same as in classic chess.

The project has a crypto layer around the game. The CHECK token sits in what is called the Checkmate ecosystem, with Anichess as its first live application. MOCA holders were scheduled to receive CHECK in an airdrop on 13 November 2025.

Anichess has moved to the Base network and asks stakers to migrate to a new pool for bonus rewards. In practice this means players who want to take part in staking connect a wallet, move tokens, and accept normal smart-contract risk. Players who only want to play can focus on the game.

Anichess does not publish a fee schedule in the material reviewed. The game is described as free to play, so there is no stated entry charge for casual matches.

Any cost tied to the token, such as swap fees on Base, network gas, or staking terms, would show in the wallet or staking interface at the time of the transaction. Check those details before moving funds.

Audit reports, custody arrangements and bug bounties are not described in the material reviewed, so smart-contract risk cannot be rated from public detail. Staking and migrating to a new pool involve contracts on Base, and users should check that they are interacting with the official interface.

Playing the game does not require holding tokens. Token holders face price volatility and the usual phishing risk around airdrops and migrations. A separate Solana token with a similar name exists, so verify the contract address from official channels before buying anything. This is a game, not a gambling product, but treat any rewards as uncertain.

Anichess is for chess fans and casual gamers curious about a spell-based variant, and for crypto users already in the Animoca or MOCA community. It is less suited to anyone who wants a fully documented, audited DeFi product with clear fee tables.