Chess Officially Recognized as Esport, Champions Chess Tour Named as Path to Esports World Cup

**Key Updates in Version 3.7.0:** - **Shot in The Dark** mechanic revised: Invisible pieces can no longer be captured by pieces moving through their square. Capture now requires direct landing on the invisible piece's position. - **Queen Time** ability modified: Players can no longer use this spell on opponent's pieces. These changes aim to create more balanced gameplay and strategic depth.

Anichess has launched Season 4 with a complete rating reset, giving all players a fresh start. The new season introduces: - Revamped reward system where both Quick and Ranked matches earn daily M8 tokens - Higher ranks now earn increased M8 rewards - Top 64 players qualify for $10K worth of $C token playoffs - Daily M8 claims required (resets at 00:00 UTC) - Dual leaderboards tracking both skill (Rating) and participation (M8 Earned) This is the final season before major changes. [Play now](https://anichess.com)

**@CheckmateFND** is making waves in the chess community with a new initiative that emphasizes strategic thinking and game mastery. The project appears to focus on identifying and highlighting exceptional chess minds who can analyze multiple moves ahead. - Focus on strategic depth over tactical plays - Recognition of advanced pattern recognition abilities - Emphasis on comprehensive game understanding *Strategy is being positioned as a core competitive advantage rather than a supplementary skill.* Follow [@CheckmateFND](https://twitter.com/CheckmateFND) for early updates.

The Top 64 players for the Anichess x Chess.com Pre-Season Cup have been confirmed following the qualifier snapshot taken at 7AM UTC on February 27th. - **Qualified players** must submit confirmation forms by 10PM HKT on March 2nd - Regular ranked matches continue but won't affect tournament qualification - Players who haven't received confirmation emails should open Discord support tickets Tournament brackets will be announced soon. All participants should join the Discord server for important updates and bracket setup.

Anichess reveals development of a webcomic project coinciding with the $ANIME token season. This announcement follows recent developments in the Azuki anime anthology series, where community engagement is being rewarded through cameo licensing. - Project has been in development for several months - Timing aligns with $ANIME token activities - Follows Azuki's community-centric approach to IP building The announcement connects to broader trends of web3 projects expanding into traditional media formats while maintaining community involvement.