What it is:
Square Off - World’s Smartest Chess Board. A chess board that allows you to challenge any online opponent across the globe or play against the artificial intelligence on this automated chess board.
Made by: InfiVention Technologies
About Square Off:
Hey chess lovers!
We know that there’s nothing like playing a game of chess on a real board. But, let’s face it. It’s a busy world, people stay miles away from each other and even if someone wants to come over to play, it requires a hell lot of a planning. Phew! Too much effort. Result, you give up and end up playing chess online. How boring.
Square Off is all set to redefine the world of board games, starting with chess. Bringing to you the world’s smartest, most connected and the most evolved chess board. It enables you to play your favorite game against a fellow chess enthusiast from anywhere in the world. The automated board is designed to reflect the move of your opponent with precision. Not just that, you can challenge the artificial intelligence of the board too.
Yes, Square Off is here to bring back those charming old days when people played chess on classic tangible boards. Felt chess from their heart, indulged in the luxury of playing with wooden boards and handcrafted chess pieces. Where on one hand, it has revived the classic charisma of chess, on the other hand, Square Off has also made it smarter, automated and super fun.
Want to play a game of chess with someone who is as passionate? Possible. What if that person is sitting far away? Possible. What if he doesn’t have the same board? Still possible. Now, what’s not possible is to have an excuse for not playing your favorite game.
So let’s get connected. Let’s Square Off!
About the App:
Compatible with both Android and iOS (currently in beta) operating systems, Square Off is designed as a user-friendly app. It lets you interact with the board effortlessly; it just takes a click to begin the game.
But why an app? The idea is to keep the board button-free so that the users can enjoy the classic chess board experience. Be it selecting sides (black or white), difficulty levels, opening moves of computer, challenging friends, analyzing games, using the timer or chatting with the opponent (this feature is being worked upon), everything is controlled through the app.
Phone is connected to the board all the time via Bluetooth, allowing you to save an incomplete game. Also, it uses your phone’s Wi-Fi to connect to the internet and your phone’s processor to process the data and think of the next possible moves.
Currently, it works on Stockfish 7 which is one of the best open source chess engine and second engine is Cuckoo Chess, which is suitable for beginners. We plan to offer more chess engines in the future.
A Brief History of Chess:
The origin of the game chess is a fascinating and somewhat unknown tale, stretching continents and many hundreds of years. In the last 25 or so years, however, it has gone from a game played on a beautiful board with finely crafted pieces, to something played on a computer or smartphone. Perhaps this is a good thing, since finding competition is as easy as signing into the correct game.
On the other hand, this type of play looses a lot of charm, and you can’t exactly pass the app on your beat up smartphone to your kids one day. Attempting to fill in the gap is the amazing automated board called “Square Off.” This is the future of chess.
Game Modes:
Square Off mode: Challenge anybody, from anywhere in the world. You can either play board vs board or board vs app. The chess pieces shall move on their own, reflecting every move of your opponent.
Training mode: Play against the artificial intelligence of the board that can challenge you with 20 different difficulty levels.
Live streaming mode: Tune into any match, worldwide. It also lets you record those matches and replay them, whenever you want.
What Our Fans are Saying:
"If you love chess, but aren’t thrilled about playing it on an app, the InfiVention team has just the board for you."
- Audrino, https://blog.arduino.cc/2016/10/17/square-off-is-a-chess-board-with-a-high-tech-twist/
"It's just like playing against a real opponent!"
- CB News, https://en.chessbase.com/post/world-s-smartest-chess-board-is-here
How it Works:
It uses a compact 2 axis robotic arm with a magnetic head beneath the box to move the magnetic chess pieces. The AtMega 2560 chip with Bluetooth BLE ensures smooth communication with a smartphone, taking care of decrypting and execution. The most important thing is that it is programmed in a way so that the chess pieces don’t collide during automatic movements.
Two chess boards are connected with each other with the help of the Square Off app on your smart phone. The app will connect you with an opponent sitting anywhere in the world. Suppose you get the white pieces and make the move 1.e4 on the board. That same move will be automatically executed on your opponent's board! It's just like playing against a real opponent! Besides human opponents, you can also play against the in-built engine which will automatically make its moves.
Technical Specifications:
Additional Features:
- Play against 20 different difficulty levels
- Select opening moves with ease
- Load and save an incomplete game
- Membrane sensing technology to detect the location of pieces
- Receive audio feedback during check, promotion, checkmate and for invalid moves (invalid moves, strictly not allowed)
- Get all the instructions through the app, on your phone screen
The InfiVention Technologies Team:
How Square Off came to be:
In the year 2013, the Chairperson of National Association of Blind (NAB) got in touch with us to understand the feasibility of an idea. He wanted us to design a chessboard for the visually impaired. It’s not possible for them to play chess on computers and smartphones. We, being board game lovers ourselves, simply dived in to explore the possibilities. We researched tirelessly to finally arrive at a design. But, we didn’t have any funds to bring it alive. That’s when an idea struck us.
We started participating in various technical paper presentations and national level tech competitions to earn the prize money, just to create the prototype. Gradually we gathered sufficient money to design our first prototype in 2014. And guess what? It worked.
The Chairman of NAB who was visually impaired himself, tested the prototype and loved playing on it. We showcased this prototype in many national exhibitions and got a great response. But, on 3rd October, 2014, for the first time we got an opportunity to present our prototype in front of an international audience in Maker Faire, Rome. This was the real turning point.
The tremendous response and exhaustive feedback helped us realise that the board has the potential to connect the entire world. So, the moment we returned, we were driven to work harder. We created 4 more prototypes and visited several events to get as much feedback as possible. We are board game lovers, but not exactly pro chess players. That’s why it was necessary to find out about those features that would really excite a chess player? From the very beginning, we were dedicated to bring alive the features requested by the users.
More opportunities flowed in. We were invited to showcase the prototype at all the IITs in India, then MIT Boston FAB 11, Startup Istanbul and the Sharjah Chess Club. After 3 years of sustained efforts, finally our Beta product was ready in May 2016. To test the product and gauge the response, we produced a small batch of Collector’s Edition Square Off boards and sold 20 specially created, highly premium boards within no time.
The next step was to work out the mechanics of a large scale production. The aim was clear: get the best price without compromising on the quality of the board.
However, the challenge was to find a manufacturer that would offer an incredible combination of technology and luxury. In other words, advanced software and hardware perfectly encased in a premium wooden surface. End of July 2016, we visited Shenzhen, China to explore the manufacturing possibilities. Shenzhen, being the electronics hub of the world, offered the technical expertise we were looking for without much trouble. But, finding a dealer for wood wasn’t that easy.
After a lot of research, we fortunately stumbled upon a dealer who could supply the desired quality of wood. And now we are all set to produce on a bigger scale to reach a larger number of people.
Cost:
Kingdom set: Retail price will be about 300.
Grand Kingdom set: Retail price will be about 360.
Twin Kingdom set: Retail price will be about 600.
Club pack Kingdom set: Retail price will be about 3000.
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