Checkmate, Wyoming: This Self-Moving Chess Set Is Next-Level

One of my favorite board games of all time is chess. That being said, often times it is difficult to find suitable opponents. New technology is literally changing the game though.

Enter the Chessnut Move

The Chessnut Move is a self-moving chess set, with each individual chess piece being a robot. Yes, you indeed read that correctly. All 32 pieces (16 per player), are equipped with Chessnut's proprietary Advanced Full Piece Recognition Technology (AFPR), for precise identity and position recognition.

What types of features does the chess board have?

In addition to the automated chess pieces, there are several different AI (artificial intelligence) gameplay options. It all supports voice commands, automatic setup, and various connectivity expandability.

According the Chestnut website:

Once connected to the Chestnut App, combined with Chestnut Vision, it enables online platform gameplay, efficient puzzle solving, game analysis replay and more, fully unlocking the powerful potential of Move.

Be aware, all of that is just at release. The Q&A section of the website stated that were will be ongoing updates to the product, with updates for the firmware available online. It also is compactible with both Android and Apple devices.

What is the price tag for the complete set?

At the time of this article, the wooden piece set is available for preorder for $799.00 and the plastic peace set is shipping now for $719.00, although there does to be a sale going on (or different price for US buyers).

Personally, the plastic piece set is more aesthetically pleasing, but I know a lot of players prefer the wooden feel. Per the website, the plastic set has an "ebonized" feel, which I am a fan of.

When do the Chestnut Move sets ship out?

Orders that were made in the last quarter of 2025 have already begun shipping, but all new orders are scheduled to arrive in between September and early October 2026.

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This is literally a dream come true. For folks like me that grew up watching the Jetsons, it is nice seeing what my generation fantasized about in the '80s coming to fruition now.

I will admit, we've had robotic chess machines before and you can play online now with other humans and against AI opponents (on computers and on home video game consoles, handhelds and smartphones), but this type of experience is unmatched.