Arab esports body wades into Web 3 via chess partnership

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Arab Esports Federation (ARESF) has announced a long-term partnership with Checkmate, an esports chess tournament and broadcast platform.

According to Gulf Business, the partnership will see Checkmate.live become ARESF’s official chess platform after making previous inroads in the region. The company opened its office in the United Arab Emirates after announcing a similar partnership with the Asian Chess Federation.

“The Arab Esports Federation is delighted to partner with Checkmate and whole heartily supports their vision of improving the integrity of the online game and promoting it as both an esport and sport,” said Hisham Al Taher, ARESF secretary general.

ARESF serves as the governing body for nearly 20 national esports teams based in the Gulf and the wider Arab regions. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, the body has a UAE secretariat and Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud as its President.

“The Arab Esports League has been very successful amongst our members. The addition of competitive online chess as an esports series enables greater access for the wider community to participate in a structured innovative and positive experience,” Al Taher said. “Our strategic alliance with Checkmate allows for further opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the gaming community.”

Checkmate relies on blockchain technology to improve the state of online chess by allowing players to own in-game assets and compete for rewards in the form of virtual currency. Furthermore, incidences of fraud are reduced to the bare minimum using its computer vision-based anti-cheat mechanism, while its proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) means the players can enjoy the game despite varying levels of experience.

The rise and rise of Web3 gaming

Without a doubt, Web3 gaming has been on the rise in recent months, given the successes of Axie Infinity and other titles in the niche. Interest in Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse have played a role in the skyrocketing adoption levels of Web3 gaming.

Mainstream game developers like Konami and Ubisoft have been mulling over including NFTs in their upcoming titles. Konami has shown the most promise of the lot by announcing that it was recruiting Web 3 and metaverse development personnel to “incorporate the latest technology into games and content.”

Sega unveiled a Web3 game to its Japanese audience as part of the Sangokushi Taisen series as it teamed up with Double Jump Tokyo, a firm with experience in blockchain gaming. Square Enix, another Japanese gaming conglomerate, has also thrown its hat in the ring for Web3 gaming after inking a partnership with Oasys, a blockchain project for gaming.

Watch: The BSV Global Blockchain Convention panel, Blockchain: Data Power-Ups and NFTs for eSports & Online Games