Chess Game Moves Its Own Pieces; Up Next: Wizard Chess

If you’re like me and you love to play a game of chess, you know that finding a partner on your skill level can be pretty hard. That often leaves you stuck playing e-mail chess, competing on Yahoo Games chess, or playing against your computer on a game like Chess Titans (popular in Vista and 7). But playing on a computer makes for a huge problem; there is a lack of dimensionality since your screen is only 2D, and sometimes it nice to be able to wander around the board and look at it from different angles. You certainly can’t do that playing on a monitor.

But not to worry. Instructables user mJusticz posted how you can make your very own robotic chess board–yes, that’s right, it has all 3 dimensions. The board looks the same as any other chess board but with a couple key concepts in mind.

As you can see, the board pieces are made of metal. That’s because a robotic arm underneath the board moves the competing pieces with a magnet. The board also tracks your piece movements with a magnet. Embedded in the board are 64 magnetically activated reed switches that allow the Arduino controller to know where each piece is at all times.

Not only is this an awesome chess board, but apparently if you get bored of chess, you can change it into a CNC mill with a couple modifications. For only $350 you can’t get a more kick-ass chess board. To get the full scoop and to make your own check out the instructions over at Instructables.

[via Instructables]

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