Phantom: a Self-Playing Chessboard Built as an Heirloom Object
A synthesis of traditional woodcraft and silent robotics, Phantom reimagines the chessboard as a self‑playing heirloom. Phantom is the world’s first robotic chessboard crafted from solid wood. A masterful blend of engineering, design, and woodwork has re‑engineered one of the oldest strategic objects: the chessboard. Phantom Chess features a hidden, silent drive system that allows pieces to move autonomously, while its exterior remains pure walnut and maple, eliminating the visible motors and toy‑like aesthetic that have defined automated chess until now. Drawing on precision sensor grids and ultra‑quiet linear actuators, Phantom turns the board itself into an intelligent interface, creating an entirely new category of connected chess experience.
where tradition meets innovation | all images courtesy of Phantom Chessboard
Phantom chessboard introduces patented layered architecture
Unlike conventional electronic boards, Phantom Chessboard uses a patented layered architecture that conceals all technology beneath a veneer of natural wood. The playing surface is a matrix of magnetic sensors that detect piece movement, while an array of sub‑18dB linear actuators provides autonomous motion with no audible mechanical noise. The system requires only a single Bluetooth‑pairing step, after which the board operates as a silent physical terminal for digital chess.
In addition to its mechanical innovation, Phantom integrates seamlessly with the digital chess ecosystem. Through its companion app, the board syncs in real time with Lichess and Chess.com, allowing online matches to be played out physically move‑for‑move. It also hosts adaptive AI opponents, from the tactical precision of Stockfish to the human‑like intuition of the Maia neural network, and features a Sculpture Mode that autonomously replays historic games or personal analyses. Four pending patents cover the sensor‑actuator array, the silent drive mechanism, the magnetic piece‑recognition system, and the software architecture that ties physical play to digital platforms.
a natural wood chessboard where pieces glide autonomously, powered by a completely hidden mechanism
By dissolving the boundary between the tangible tradition of wood and the limitless potential of connected play, Phantom does not replace the chessboard; it completes it. The first production units are shipping now, marking the first time a robotic chess system has been conceived not as a gadget, but as a crafted object meant to last generations.
crafted from solid American Dark Walnut and Maple, each board is a unique piece of natural craftsmanship
Phantom is the result of a philosophy that respects materiality while embracing silent technology
in sculpture mode, the board autonomously replays historic games or personal analyses as a kinetic sculpture
the board syncs in real time with Lichess and Chess.com, allowing online matches to be played out physically
the CNC‑milled pieces come in tournament dimensions, designed for balance and tactile satisfaction
a masterful blend of engineering, design, and woodwork has re‑engineered the chessboard
hidden architecture introduces a magnetic sensor grid and silent linear actuators beneath the wooden surface
project info:
name: Phantom Chess | @phantom_chess
designer: Eduardo Cano, Osmar Martinez
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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom
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