Surely many of you have played chess, the electronic chess that many had before the boom of chess programs that came to the computer and later to the mobile. And although many liked it, the truth is that they still had something left to be the perfect player: move only the pieces.
Well, this is already possible thanks to Square off, a mechanical and electronic chess that only moves the pieces according to the moves as if you were playing against a ghost. But in addition, Square Off uses free and easily available components, such as an Arduino board or a bluetooh module that manages the servomotors that move the parts through magnets.
Square Off has a small part size to be able to move through the magnets
This makes this chess board more than interesting, but there is more. Currently we can get it through Kickstarter, but either with a discount or with its normal price, Square Off we can get it for a lower price than current electronic boards. A regulatory electronic board has a cost of more than 700 euros, something far from many pockets, but Square Off has a cost of 390 euros, being 199 euros with discount.
The operation of Square Off is very simple, once the operation is known. On the one hand, the 32 pieces of the game have a precise size that allows you to move between two or more pieces in such a way that no part pulls or moves the rest of the parts. On the other hand, the pieces have a neodymium magnet that makes them move. Inside the dash there is an electronics similar to Arduino Uno with a bluetooth module that drives two servo motors that will move the pieces through the magnets.
This electronics not only runs the Square Off software but also connects with our Android mobile or tablet. The mobile or tablet will connect with Square Off via bluetooth connection and will be able to run game engines that will allow us to play against the board without the need for any other player.
In the demo video you can really see how this new chess board works, as well as the extra functions it has such as the auto-saving of manual games or the study of certain games. In any case, the Square Off possibilities for chess lovers are many and all thanks to the Hardware Libre.