World Chess Plc

("World Chess" or the "Company")

World Chess Unveils the Tower

LONDON, 4 August 2025 - World Chess Plc (LSE:CHSS), the official online partner of FIDE and longtime innovator in the sport, is pleased to announce that is has today launched The Tower, a bold new progression system that introduces clarity, visual identity, and motivation to online chess.

Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess, commented:

"It's not just an update - it's chess's Duolingo moment: the introduction of a structure that rewards consistency, makes progress visible, and offers a fresh, design-driven user experience.

We're building infrastructure - a way to see yourself progress in the game in a way that's meaningful, modern, and beautifully executed."

The Tower is a vertical player progression system built into WorldChess.com. Every game earns Progress Points, exchangeable for digital and physical rewards. Players move up through named Floors - gaining identity, status, and rewards along the way. Your Floor is public. It's attached to your name, your games, and your trajectory, giving you an instant understanding of your progress.

PRO members gain points faster and access exclusive upper Floors - a layer designed to reward the most committed players, where they can even face off with chess legends.

While casual players will see it as a clear incentive to return and climb, content creators have already begun launching Tower Race challenges. World Chess plans to integrate the system into tournaments, rankings, and national leaderboards.

Not Gamification - Design

The Tower avoids childish tropes or hollow points. It borrows from the most successful consumer UX systems - think Strava streaks, Spotify stats, Duolingo XP - and applies them to chess.

It's narratively sharp and built to scale. The Tower will soon be open via API to other platforms, clubs, and national chess federations - becoming a universal rewards layer for the entire chess economy. 

"Ratings alone don't tell your story," Merenzon adds. "But the Tower does."

FIDE Integration

As the official partner of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), World Chess has integrated The Tower into all FIDE-recognised games played on its platform. This ensures that players progressing toward official FIDE-recognised ratings and titles now do so within a structured, motivational environment.

The Tower acts as a bridge between casual and professional play - turning long-term engagement into a visible journey and providing players with a sense of continuity and purpose.

Algorand Blockchain Integration

To ensure permanence and portability, World Chess will record all player progression data on the Algorand blockchain, the official blockchain partner of World Chess. This will allow, for the first time, Progress Points  and player achievement data to be securely stored and connected to Algorand-compatible wallets. It's a step toward making chess data portable across platforms - creating long-term value, trust, and interoperability in the chess ecosystem.

Algorand's blockchain infrastructure opens up the possibility of third-party integrations, verified progress history, and ownership of in-game accomplishments - all while maintaining a seamless user experience.

More Than a Feature - A Strategic Platform

World Chess is treating The Tower not as a marketing campaign, but as the foundation for a new phase of its product roadmap. Upcoming tournament formats, analytics dashboards, influencer events, and player recognition systems will all be Tower-integrated.

The Tower is designed to increase retention, reduce drop-off, and drive PRO subscriptions - while making chess feel relevant, rich, and alive for the next generation.

This announcement contains information which, prior to its disclosure, was inside information as stipulated under Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310 (as amended).

For more information, visit: www.worldchess.com or contact:

World Chess PLC

Ilya Merenzon, CEO                                                                           merenzon@worldchess.com

Novum Securities Limited

Financial Adviser

David Coffman / Anastassiya Eley                                                                +44 (0) 20 7399 9400 

Notes to Editors

World Chess (LSE: CHSS) is a leading chess gaming and entertainment company and Fédération Internationale des Échecs ('FIDE') official commercial partner. World Chess reinvents the sport for the modern consumer by developing worldchess.com, the exclusive platform to play for the FIDE-recognized rating online, running Armageddon, the chess league for prime-time television, and a new kind of chess clubs. The company organized the World Chess Championship Matches in New York and London and signed some of the biggest chess media deals in history.  The company's shares are traded on London Stock Exchange: LSE:CHSS. More at worldchess.com.