Technical Specifications
ChessOnChain – Technical Architecture & Specifications
ChessOnChain is a decentralized, Realtime, Onchain chess gaming platform leveraging a multichain gaming economy architecture and Building to support into a full Layer-1 (L1) ecosystem with integrated tokenomics, Proof of Gaming rewards, and transparent governance. Our infrastructure is built on three primary pillars:
Client-Side Platform (Application Layer)
Client Chains (Execution Layer)
L1 Data Availability & Governance Hub (Future-State Substrate Chain)
This modular approach ensures immediate usability while laying the groundwork for a robust and sovereign Multi-Chain economy and Robust system tailored to chess/gaming-specific workloads.
Client-Side Platform
The application layer is user-facing, handling wallet connections, gameplay logic, offchain sync, and user dashboards. This is built on the T3 stack for performance, security, and future extensibility. We've implemented Wallet sign-in and Connect-based onboarding, enabling players to participate directly from over 10,000+ wallets social profile linking coming soon:
Next.js – SSR-enabled React framework for scalable UI rendering
Tailwind CSS – Utility-first styling for UI consistency
TypeScript – Strong typing across both frontend and backend logic
tRPC – End-to-end type-safe APIs for seamless backend integration
Offchain Data availability Layer – A cache and storage solution for:
Game move logs
Player ELO/rating data
Tournament results
Proof of Gaming calculations
NFT metadata and minting references
Functional Highlights:
Real-Time Game Synchronization:
Low-latency move tracking, critical for Blitz/Bullet formats
Ensures deterministic game states to prevent cheating
User Profiles & Leaderboards
Tournament Participation Tracking
Bounty Participating
NFT gated authorization and Whitelist functionality
Client Chains (Multi-chain Smart Contract Layer)
This layer manages contract execution for users connected via supported blockchains. for Chain specific Interactions as defined by ChessOnChain Contracts.
Supported Contracts (Live & Tested):
Legacy NFT Contracts:
Over 1,000 NFTs deployed across chains
Marketplace integration for trade and aution
Proof of Gaming Contracts:
Tokenizes finalized chess games
Produce what we call Checkmate NFTs
Can be leveraged in NFT Marketplaces (chessonchain is committed to providing an In game marketplace in the long run)
Why We Use Offchain Sync:
We're intentionally deferring on deploying siloed contracts for bounties, tournaments, and niche use-cases. This avoids:
Technical fragmentation
Unsustainable gas costs
UX complexity for casual users
Instead, we employ an offchain coordination mechanism to store participation and results, keeping the UX fluid and the system extensible.
ChessOnChain L1 (Forthcoming Substrate-Based Blockchain)
While not yet in production, our long-term vision centers around a custom-built Substrate-based Layer-1 blockchain, purpose-built to serve as the canonical source of storage and a data hub for ChessOnChain—extensible to other teams building for the emerging multichain gaming economy. This blockchain will be optimized to store mission-critical data including match histories, player ratings, game outcomes, reward triggers, and ownership records of in-game assets like Checkmate NFTs. By anchoring this data natively on-chain, we enable a tamper-proof environment where gameplay integrity, user progression, and asset provenance are guaranteed.
In addition to serving as a permanent, verifiable data layer, the ChessOnChain L1 would support event-driven, bidirectional communication protocols* that allow this data to be synchronized with any connected Layer-2 or client chain. This means player profiles, achievements, and tokenized assets can move fluidly across networks without losing fidelity or trust. Developers and game studios can leverage this infrastructure to build interoperable experiences, AI-powered tools, and stat-driven game mechanics, all while ensuring their applications are anchored to a decentralized source of truth.
Core Features:
Rapid Game State Finality:
Games are executed and validated on-chain
State commitment guarantees no tampering
Proof of Gaming Epoch Rewards:
COC tokens distributed algorithmically based on:
Performance metrics (Win/Loss/Draw)
Rating differential
Match consistency and sportsmanship
Checkmate NFTs:
Minted upon game finality
Metadata includes:
Player ratings
Timestamps
Game sequences
Milestone achievements
Data Availability infrastructure:
All games stored Onchain
Onchain Game validation
Sync user data from Client chain
Gamer Data and User Stat aggregation
Native user accounts for Onchain Token rewards
Accessible for:
AI Chess Analytics
Coaching Tools
Community Research
Powers a third-party dApp ecosystem which Enables third-party developers to build dApps like leaderboards, marketplaces, or tournaments or gaming clients
Decentralized Governance:
COC holders can:
Propose and vote on protocol upgrades
Influence tournament rules, reward emissions
Approve integrations and L2 bridge deployments
⚠️ Caution on Deployment:
While we could technically deploy a solo chain or parachain today, we’ve opted against doing so prematurely. Our reasoning:
"Bootstrapping an L1 should not be a marketing event, it’s a responsibility. We reject half-baked deployments in favor of deep infrastructure design that reflects our ethos of fairness, modularity, and long-term resilience."
We're seeking strategic capital and community alignment before executing this milestone. Any L1 that emerges from ChessOnChain must be robust enough to support:
Epoch emissions and earning Rewards
Validator incentives
Robust Finality
On-chain governance
Scalable game logic without compromise.
Summary
ChessOnChain is a composable, evolving gaming ecosystem designed for scale. Our architecture balances immediate utility with future extensibility ensuring today’s users aren’t penalized by tomorrow’s upgrades.
We are:
Multi-chain by interaction
Single-source by state
Long-term by architecture
These specs are preliminary and will evolve alongside our user base, engineering bandwidth, and treasury growth. We welcome community input, protocol contributions, and co-design partnerships.
*decisions about this interoperability protocol is still bieng considered with Product fit expamples are Hyperbridge and Axler
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