Not chess related but besides anonymity I think it is worth reminding people of another technical reason that makes CryptoNote coins much different than bitcoin.
CryptoNote uses the Schnorr signatures algorithm instead of Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm used by bitcoin
https://twitter.com/aeoncurrency/status/688726908188643328It is open for debate which one is better than the other but hedging your bets may make sense to some.