World Chess and the Algorand Foundation are renewing their strategic partnership to bring Algorand’s secure and efficient technology into the daily lives of chess players worldwide.
The partnership allows World Chess to launch new, innovative products such as the Tower, a 100% on-chain loyalty program built on Intermezzo, Algorand’s custodial solution for businesses.
A uniquely Web3 business partnership
Apart from the on-chain innovations improving the players’ experience, the partnership’s business model is also uniquely Web3. World Chess will receive staking rewards as consideration for services provided, which will be used to cover operational and integration costs. Algorand Foundation will stake a portion of its treasury to generate such staking rewards and further strengthen the overall security of the network.
Algorand remains the exclusive blockchain partner of World Chess, visible across:
- WorldChess.com, the official online platform for FIDE-rated play
- Upcoming World Chess Clubs Network
- Global tournaments, TV broadcasts
- Merchandise and player loyalty programs, where digital rewards meet physical perks
How Intermezzo powers The Tower from World Chess
When players join The Tower, their points, upgrades, and perks are recorded on-chain through Algorand’s Intermezzo custodial technology. This brings multiple improvements to the player experience, such as:
- Players’ achievements and rankings are permanently verifiable with no data loss and no resets.
- Rewards are tokenized and can be used across events, shops, and even partner clubs.
- Algorand’s transparent public ledger guarantees verifiable ownership and transparent proof of every milestone.
The Tower is part of a progression of on-chain projects from World Chess, with the next step being the Global Chess Passport.
Next up: The Global Chess Passport
More innovation is on the horizon as World Chess plans to launch the Global Chess Passport (GCP), built on Rocca, Algorand’s Web3 identity wallet.
The GCP solves online chess’ biggest problem: identity and rating fragmentation. It will become every player’s portable digital ID and will also simplify registration. With the GCP, instead of having multiple registrations across different clubs, events and platforms, the identity and player’s record move with the individual. It’s the foundation for cross-platform fair play verification.
Beyond chess: An on-chain model for other sports
The projects World Chess and Algorand Foundation are building for chess apply to other sports as well. From table tennis and e-sports to running and cycling, any sport with passionate online communities can leverage The Tower model to power loyalty and participation, and a Global Passport for uniting player’s digital IDs, results, rankings, and membership data across federations.
“Chess is the proving ground. Once Algorand’s blockchain-based system works for millions of chess players, it can be scaled to any sport built on community and trust.”
— Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess
Explore this topic:
Learn more about The Tower, a blockchain-based loyalty program powered by Algorand.
Are you curious about the tech behind the Global Passport? Check out our deep dive into Using Blockchain-Based Digital Identity & Verifiable Credentials for Chess, including the whitepaper.
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