Chess Games Turned Into Unique Art Pieces (and NFTs, Of Course)
As soon as elite chess grandmasters fighting for the right to challenge the World Champion finish their games during the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin next month, the positions on the boards (called FENs in chess-speak) will be fed into a complicated AI-algorithm that will turn the data from each game into a unique chess piece. An exhibition of the unique art generated from chess positions will be held in Berlin during the FIDE Grand Prix Series.
Each artwork will be minted as NFT on Algorand blockchain and printed as a one-of-a-kind art print to be signed by the chess players, creating the ultimate chess memorabilia: a visual representation of the game, authored by the two opponents with the help of AI, and produced as a unique collectors’ item.
The prints will be exhibited in Berlin and offered to collectors along with the corresponding NFTs. They will be minted on Algorand blockchain which has a strong connection to chess as it already keeps record of the official FIDE-recognized ratings. Algorand’s founder Silvio Micali’s pioneering work in cryptography gave the start to the modern anti-cheating protocols widely employed in chess.
An NFT (non-fungible token) is a digital asset that exists on a blockchain, a record of transactions kept on networked computers. The blockchain serves as a public ledger, allowing anyone to verify the NFT’s authenticity and who owns it. Algorand is recognized as the premier platform to create, launch and manage NFTs given its proven inability to fork, meaning that the network will never split into multiple networks which can lead to the duplication of digital art pieces. In addition, Algorand is also one of the only carbon-negative blockchain networks.
The exhibition by World Chess, the organizer of the FIDE Grand Prix, and Algorand, is one of the rare art events that meld NFT, a digital object, with a real life setting. The project is in line with World Chess’ mission to make chess accessible to a wider audience, and employing AI to visualize a game and turn it into a unique art piece will launch a new line of collectors items for chess. World Chess will make this mechanism available to other chess organizers and enthusiasts.
FIDE Grand Prix Series is a major chess event and a qualifier for the World Chess Championship. It takes place every two years and features 24 strongest chess players. The Series is organized by World Chess, FIDE’ official broadcaster and commercial partner. World Chess organized FIDE Championship Matches in Russia, the USA, and the UK. The company also runs FIDE Online Arena, the exclusive FIDE chess gaming platform. World Chess and Algorand, a leading blockchain company, partnered to move chess to blockchain. Online ratings recognized by FIDE and NFTs generated by FIDE Online Arena, are published on Algorand blockchain.
