NFTs and the Blockchain

NFTs are more than just a technically exciting touch of contemporary art. Their meaning is much more fundamental. DTVs are fast becoming the essential form of ownership in the digital world. Some say that the explosive development of TVN could become more important than the Internet.

The acronym NFT stands for “Non-fungible Token”. NFTs can forever register ownership of things as diverse as works of art, real estate, music, or even used cars. They are stored in a blockchain.

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Why are NFTs written in a “blockchain”? Blockchain is one of the greatest technical innovations of our time because it establishes indestructible and tamper-proof accounting. Records can be stolen, lost or burned. The databases on the servers can be attacked and manipulated by hackers. A blockchain, on the other hand, is distributed around the world on thousands of computers that monitor each other, making it the most secure information storage there is. We can say with confidence: what is once written in a blockchain recognized as “Ethereum” will be valid for eternity.

Today, a primary focus of NFTs is indeed still the ownership of digital art. NFTs have unleashed a huge wave of creativity this year and sparked a hype about which two things can be said for sure: the billions in sales currently at stake are being exaggerated. But the art world is forever changed. Some artists are becoming extremely popular because their works can be reproduced 1: 1, that is, copied as files, without any loss in quality. Yet, you can clearly own such a work and resell it with just a few clicks.

Do you think it’s crazy for someone to bid for the exclusive property rights to a freely copiable image? I’m sure you are, but imagine the following analogy: You are a football fan, and FIFA is transferring ownership of the 2014 World Cup final between Germany and Argentina to you through NFT. Everyone knows the game, but you’re the only person in the world who can say “Mine!” “.

World champions as artists

And that’s where the classic world champions come in. They are the exceptional protagonists of our chess culture, each of them having shaped an era. Their games are not only great sports performances, but often feature a beauty that we all perceive as art. This is why ChessBase has launched a series of NFTs for these players. Two things were important: First, as many players as possible should personally authorize “their” NFT, giving it substance and exclusivity. Second, the series must be artistically valuable and beautiful. Along with the creative achievement of the players, there should be a visual aesthetic that does justice to their importance in chess.

This NFT “Chess World Champions” series is now auctioned on the Opensea.io platform. This is the first series on the world chess champions, which was mainly authorized by the players themselves. It will stay that way forever, no matter who produces what in the future on this topic. After all, it was entered the blockchain with a clear timestamp. Think of it as a sort of “Blue Mauritius” of chess NFTs.

But that’s not the point here. There are certainly people who see the NFT market primarily as a store of value or as a speculative investment. However, the technical obstacles to participating in an auction are not trivial: you have to be able to manage cryptocurrencies in a wallet. For those who think the opportunities in such a pioneering market are worth it, we’ll write a detailed guide later. The auction will run until January 11, so there is plenty of time to get to know her at your leisure.

For now, this is simply the World Championship Series in tribute to the creative efforts of the players and artist Carl Eriksson. It belongs to all of us. Anyone can visit the auction, watch the animations and download them with a right click. This is what is exciting about NFTs: They are often traded at high prices, but you can enjoy the actual works for yourself as a JPG or, say, GIF virtually in their original form.

The implementation of Carl Eriksson

Written by Miyoko Watai, widow of Bobby Fischer.

The implementation of Swedish artist Carl Eriksson is based on four elements. The format is of course square, suggesting the geometry of a chessboard or a square. The notation of the game constitutes a fragmented plan which carries the whole of the drawing. It hovers vividly above a powerfully vibrant red texture. On the scoring, the player’s portrait alternates with a ray traced view of the critical position of the game. Thus, either the player’s view or the position can be printed and hung on the wall. The two images are sufficient on their own. Or you can experience the NFT in GIF format as a concise animation.

Games

For connoisseurs, it is interesting to identify the selected games on the basis of the rating. Or even to name the fragment of position illustrated. With Fischer you can certainly do it, Black just moved 17 … Be6! and the white bishop in c5 will now capture the black queen.

The whole series is presented on the nft.chessbase.com site. In addition to the short portraits of the world champions, you will find all the selected games to replay.

Who participates ?

At launch, the series includes 14 titles. NFTs from Spassky, Fischer, Karpov, Anand and Kramnik are personally licensed, and a substantial portion of the profits go to the players or their families. We hope to end the series with Kasparov and Carlsen at a later date.

For valuable DFTs, all rights and permissions must be anchored on a solid legal foundation. The “unlockable content” of the auction includes the appropriate certificates. Part of the joy of bringing such a project to the world was the exciting search by the photographers to agree and honor the image rights for this project. The typeface used is also the development of Carl Eriksson.

Connections

The project on nft.chessbase.com

Auction at Opensea

About cryptocurrencies and blockchain

Disclaimer: While the author himself would really like to own Capablanca, this text does not represent investment or tax advice.