Tranchess (CHESS): A Guide to Tranche-Based Crypto Investment and Liquid Staking

Tranchess is a DeFi protocol that provides two primary services: liquid staking and tranche-based crypto investment, a form of structured investment where traders can choose different risk/reward profiles in a fund based on the same underlying asset.

The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector boasts a wide range of protocols and solutions designed to enhance yield generation and optimization. Among these are asset optimization platforms, liquid staking solutions, and various other protocol types, all promising to deliver the best yields in the industry. However, most of these protocols lack the flexibility to cater to traders' specific risk profiles. While traders can choose to invest in different crypto assets, each with its own level of risk, the ability to select different risk profiles based on the same underlying investment asset is not a common offering in DeFi.

Tranchess is a protocol that steps in to provide precisely this opportunity. By employing the concept of tranches — structured products with different risk profiles but based on the same underlying asset, like slices of a chessboard cake — the chess-themed Tranchess aims to provide DeFi traders with yield opportunities based on their preferred risk tolerances and investment styles.

The protocol began its journey in 2021 as an asset tracker for yield optimization and gradually evolved into a platform offering a comprehensive suite of DeFi services, including tranche-based crypto fund investment, liquid staking, and liquid token swaps. At its core, the protocol offers tranche-based crypto fund investments in funds based on high-cap assets like BNB and ETH.

Key Takeaways:

Tranchess is a DeFi protocol that offers two main services: liquid staking and tranche-based crypto investment, a form of structured investment where traders can choose different risk/reward profiles in a fund based on the same underlying asset.

The protocol provides its services on two blockchain platforms — BNB Chain (BNB) and Ethereum (ETH).

Tranchess utilizes a multi-token system, with the primary token, CHESS, used for governance, revenue-sharing, and staking reward accruals. CHESS can be purchased on Bybit as a USDT Perpetual contract.

What Is Tranchess?

Tranchess is a decentralized protocol on BNB Chain that offers users crypto fund investment opportunities with varying risk profiles, as well as liquid staking services. The protocol's core service is tranche-based crypto fund investment, which provides traders with the opportunity to choose different risk levels based on tranches, or portions, of investment in the same underlying asset. This method of structuring products for different investor segments based on the same overall fund has been a popular approach in traditional finance (TradFi). Tranchess is among the first protocols to introduce this concept in the world of DeFi.

Founded by Danny Chong and his associates in 2020, Tranchess began its operations in June 2021 as a solution for tracking assets and offering yield opportunities in a fund based on Bitcoin (BTC). Later that year, in November, the protocol added support for an Ethereum (ETH) fund. In January 2022, Tranchess introduced its third major fund, based on the BNB coin, and also became a validator for the BNB Chain.

The original version of the protocol was based on an order book system, with traders executing their preferred strategies being supported in the background by a swap solution based on order matching. In August 2022, Tranchess introduced V2, a major revamp of the platform that largely replaced the order matching system with automated market maker (AMM) pools in Ethereum and BNB Chain.

In February 2024, the project team further upgraded the platform to V3, introducing a range of Ethereum liquid staking products for enhanced yield opportunities.

How Does Tranchess Work?

The protocol utilizes three chess-themed crypto tokens — QUEEN, BISHOP, and ROOK — to enable investors to choose their preferred strategy and investment approach.

The QUEEN token is used for yield farming and is issued on the platform when you deposit ETH, BNB, or BTCB (a BTC-pegged stablecoin issued and used on the BNB Chain) as collateral. This token tracks its specific underlying asset and is designed for investors who prefer a more stable, long-term investment approach.

QUEEN also possesses a rather curious feature: it can be split into two tokens, BISHOP and ROOK, which open up opportunities for additional investment strategies. BISHOP allows investors to earn additional yields on their stablecoin investments. Yields on BISHOP are typically slightly higher than QUEEN yields, reflecting a somewhat riskier profile for this token. However, BISHOP is still an asset for relatively less risky strategies, at least when compared to ROOK.

The ROOK token provides opportunities for particularly high yields in a high-risk investment environment. ROOK is used to open leveraged positions that are protected from forced liquidation. The three tokens — QUEEN, BISHOP, and ROOK — essentially act as tokenized fund-tracking investments, each with its own unique risk-and-reward profile.

The sustainability and stability of the Tranchess platform are directly tied to a fine balancing act between BISHOP's stable returns and ROOK's volatility. For instance, during adverse market events, the value of ROOK might drop so low (due to its leveraged nature) that it might affect the viability of stable returns from BISHOP.