Robotic Chess Boards: Phantom, Chessnut Move, GoChess and Square Off Compared
Four families of chess boards now move the pieces entirely by themselves: Phantom Chess (solid wood and a magnetic mechanism), Square Off (robotic arm), GoChess (small robots under a translucent surface) and the Chessnut Move (motorised wheeled pieces). All play against a built-in or online engine; they differ in mechanism, finish and price.
Automatic chess board: a chess board whose opponent’s moves are carried out physically, with no intervention from the player. Also called a robotic board or a self-moving chess board. Not to be confused with the ordinary connected board, which merely lights up indicator lights.
Phantom Chess and Other Automatic Chess Boards: The Table
| Model | Mechanism | Built-in engine | Online | Price observed* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phantom (Minimal, Grand Classical) | Magnetic mechanism under the board | Stockfish and Maia | Lichess and Chess.com via the app, over Bluetooth | About $870 (Minimal in walnut) to $1,250 (table) |
| Square Off / Miko Chess Grand | Two-axis arm and magnetic head | Yes, 20 levels (Miko Chess Grand) | Chess.com, Lichess via the app | About $550 |
| GoChess (Particula) | Small wheeled robots under a translucent surface | Via the app | Lichess and Chess.com | $379 announced at launch |
| Chessnut Move | Each piece has its own motor, wheels and battery | Stockfish 17 | Chessnut app | About $800 to $1,100 (wood) |
Phantom Chess: The Robotic Piece of Furniture
Phantom is a robotic chess board designed by Eduardo Cano and Osmar Martinez. Its approach is aesthetic: a board of solid walnut and maple, with no visible screen, under which a magnetic mechanism moves the pieces. Designboom magazine reported in December 2025 that the first production units were being delivered.
Phantom carries two engines, Stockfish for raw strength and Maia, an engine trained to play like a human of a given level. The app syncs over Bluetooth with Lichess and Chess.com. Two formats are offered: a “Minimal” board and a “Grand Classical” game table. Lichess does not name Phantom in its list of boards compliant with its official interface.
Chessnut Move: Independent Pieces
The Chessnut Move, announced in late 2025, abandons the arm under the board. According to Chessnut, each piece contains its own motor, wheels and a battery, and locates itself on the board to the millimetre. The pieces recharge together on a base. The board measures 63 × 52 cm and weighs 6.5 kg, and includes Stockfish 17. Theoretical advantage: several pieces can move without getting in each other’s way, and resetting is natural. Drawback: 32 battery-powered pieces to look after. The rest of the range is covered in our comparison of the Chessnut Air, Evo and Pro.
GoChess: The Translucent Surface
GoChess is designed by Particula, the company already known for its connected GoCube. Launched on Kickstarter in May 2023, it uses small wheeled robots that travel under a translucent surface and drag the magnetic pieces. Coloured LEDs indicate the possible moves, the good moves and the worst ones. GoChess connects over Bluetooth to Lichess and Chess.com; the online opponent does not need a board. A “Lite” version, without motorised pieces, was also offered. The retail price announced in 2023 was $379 ($319 for the Lite); check current availability before ordering.
Square Off: The Pioneer
Square Off led the way from 2016 with a two-axis robotic arm fitted with a magnetic head. Its Kingdom and Grand Kingdom models popularised the idea of a “wizard’s chess” board. Since Miko took control in 2022, the range has been sold under the name Miko Chess Grand.
Three Mechanisms for a Chess Board That Moves by Itself
| Mechanism | Models | Advantages | Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving magnet on an arm or carriage under the board | Square Off, Phantom | Simple pieces (a magnet in the base), a principle proven since 2016 | Only one piece moved at a time, mechanical noise, thicker board |
| Small wheeled robots under a translucent surface | GoChess | Several robots possible, built-in coloured lights | Specific surface, robots to recharge |
| Independent motorised pieces | Chessnut Move | No mechanism under the board, independent pieces | 32 batteries to recharge, more complex pieces that are dearer to replace |
In every case, the board must know where the pieces are before moving them: it tracks them from the starting position or, for the Chessnut Move, thanks to the locating of each piece. A piece moved by hand by mistake can therefore disturb the mechanism: it is better to let the machine play its own pieces.
An Idea Born of Accessibility
The story of Square Off is a reminder that the robotic board is not just a gadget. According to the Indian press, its founders began work on it in 2013 at the request of India’s national association for the blind, which was looking for a chess board suited to visually impaired players. A board that physically carries out the opponent’s moves makes it possible to follow the game by touch, without depending on a screen. Today’s mainstream models are not designed specifically for this audience, but the idea remains one of the most promising of these devices.
Automatic Chess Board: How to Choose?
- For a handsome living-room piece: Phantom, in solid wood, at the price of a piece of furniture.
- For the most recent technology: the Chessnut Move and its independent pieces.
- For learning as you play: GoChess, whose colours comment on the quality of the moves.
- For a proven model: Square Off, which has been around the longest.
For online play, the question of compliance with the platforms’ rules also applies to robotic boards: Lichess cites DGT, Chessnut, ChessUp 2 and iChessOne as manufacturers compliant with its official interface, but neither Phantom, nor Square Off, nor GoChess. Our page on connected boards for Lichess and Chess.com details this point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a chess board whose pieces move all by themselves?
Yes. Phantom, Square Off (now Miko Chess Grand), GoChess and the Chessnut Move physically move the opponent’s pieces, by a magnet under the board or, for the Chessnut Move, by motorised pieces.
How does an automatic chess set work?
Most often, a magnet mounted on an arm or a small robot travels under the board and drags the piece, which itself contains a magnet. The Chessnut Move is the exception: each piece has its own motor and wheels.
How much does a robotic chess board cost?
On the manufacturers’ websites, we observed about $550 for the Miko Chess Grand, $800 to $1,100 for the wooden Chessnut Move and $870 to $1,250 for Phantom (indicative prices observed, October 2026).
Can you play on Lichess with a robotic chess board?
Manufacturers announce Lichess for Phantom, GoChess, Square Off and Chessnut. However, only Chessnut appears in the list of manufacturers that Lichess cites as compliant with its official interface.