Ghost Chess System Moves Pieces Automatically

Computer chess simulation programs have advanced to the point where they can beat world-class players, but something is still missing in that you are still staring at a computer screen. While a robotic arm could be useful to move pieces in the real world — a brilliant hoax was even tried as early as the late 1700s — a more elegant solution would be to “simply” have the pieces slide across the board from one square to another.

The Raspberry Pi-based Ghost Chess project does just that, using an X/Y gantry system under the table to move 3D-printed pieces using an electromagnet. Each piece has a magnet embedded in the base, and the hidden gantry system pulls them along the edges of the squares in order to avoid collisions.

Human interface for the system is accomplished via a grid of 64 latching Hall effect sensors, along with a computer screen running next to the board. The playing surface is made out of clear acrylic, so users can see the robot working — either for entertainment, troubleshooting, or to see if the robot is cheating!

A full build write-up is available on GitHub, or check out the video below for a short explanation and demo.