Anichess Returns 75% USDC to Season 1 Premium Pass Holders

**Gambit's leaderboard rewards consistency over skill.** Rankings are determined by buy-ins, not wins—playing five matches beats winning once. **Season 8 closes this week** with a final 150,000 $CHECK payout on Monday. Players with zero Season 8 matches have one last chance to qualify. - Every match counts equally toward leaderboard position - 250,000 $CHECK distributed weekly - Previous example: 33 wins, 50 losses = 4,000 $CHECK earned The system prioritizes active participation over win rates, making competitive rewards accessible to all players regardless of skill level.

Sixteen Lichess players competed in their first Anichess tournament, collectively earning 14,400 $CHECK tokens from a $600 prize pool. **Tournament Results:** - **1st Place:** BJackl21 (2-0 sweep in finals) - **2nd Place:** TheMeowGuy - **3rd Place:** SereneChess The event was part of the Anichess Rising Stars Tournament, showcasing competitive players transitioning from traditional chess platform Lichess to Anichess's spell-based chess variant. The tournament finals were streamed live in the project's Discord on May 10 at 13:00 UTC. Anichess combines traditional chess mechanics with strategic spell elements, offering a free-to-play experience that adds new layers to the classic game.

Anichess has launched Season 8 with significant gameplay changes and a 700,000 $CHECK prize pool. **Key Changes:** - All 15 spells have been reworked and buffed - New spell **Plasma Beam** clears entire lines in one cast - **Shift** now casts 99 times per match - **Tactical Necessity** gives 4 mana instead of costing 1 **Prize Structure:** - 600,000 $CHECK in Gambit prize pool - 100 $CHECK buy-in per match, winner takes all - Standard rating milestones pay up to 2,000 $CHECK - Checkmate Arena: 50 random players share 20,000-30,000 $CHECK weekly **Competition Details:** - Gambit ladder reset to zero - Peak hours (13:30-16:30 UTC) award 2x leaderboard points - Week 1 offers the easiest climb with an open meta Season 7 concluded with 1.6M $CHECK distributed, with top earners receiving 125,000 $CHECK each.

Anichess has launched **Season 7: Gambit**, a competitive chess mode with over 1 million CHECK tokens in rewards for the season. **How it works:** - Players buy in with 100 CHECK per match - Winners collect rewards instantly - Week 1 offers a 25 CHECK rebate even for losses (rebate changes weekly) **Reward structure:** - Top 50 weekly leaderboard players split 250,000 CHECK - M8 Arena randomly selects 50 players weekly for CHECK rewards - Standard Mode rewards consistent players with M8 - Gambit players receive Abstract perks The first week provides the best learning opportunity due to the loss rebate, making it an ideal time for new players to participate. This builds on the previous Kings Gambit mode, which was part of the 1% CHECK token allocation program.

The **Pudgy Penguins takeover** of Anichess has officially concluded after a successful season. **Key achievements:** - 5M $PENGU tokens unlocked from PenguBoard - 50K PenguBoards started, 40K reached $PENGU rewards - 2.5M $CHECK distributed through leaderboard awards - 10K prize pool awarded to top 64 players - Thousands earned Abstract XP **What's next:** - Final fairness review of PenguBoard leaderboard underway - Rewards distribution pending review completion - Special season M8 rewards being prepared separately - New chapter launching later in December The takeover transformed the chess platform into **PenguBoard**, featuring an 8x8 frozen battlefield where players scratched squares to unlock rewards up to 600K $PENGU. Players earned M8 tokens through ranked games to access PenguBoard. Two leaderboards tracked progress: ranked gameplay and total M8 spent on PenguBoard.