Autonomous Chessboard

Location

Gordon Field House - Main Floor

This autonomous chessboard is able to play against a person on a physical chessboard, moving its own pieces using stepper motors and magnets. Each piece is identified through the use of RFID tags within the piece and a PCB with RFID antennas in the board surface. The board has different difficulty settings to ensure that the player is challenged but not overwhelmed. The goal is to create a physical board to practice on for in-person tournaments. Playing chess on a computer gives a constant top down view which is not the case in physical chess matches. Having the physical board allows the player to practice pattern recognition without a top down view. There are similar boards on the market, but these commercially available products typically require a smartphone and are very expensive. This project aims to reduce the cost for this experience and produce an open-source solution.