Google Launches AI-Powered Custom Chess Website

Google has unveiled an innovative chess platform where players can generate unique, AI-designed chess pieces. This service utilizes generative AI to create distinct sets based on user suggestions. As the 2024 World Chess Championship approaches, Google is making a push in the chess world with both this platform and a new chess bot feature for its AI assistant, Gemini.

Google’s latest chess platform is like giving the age-old game a shot of espresso—suddenly, it’s buzzing with new energy. Imagine crafting your own chess pieces with just a few words. Describe what you want for your white pieces, and boom, the Imagen 3 AI whips them up. And here’s the kicker: it also dreams up a perfect counter-theme for the black pieces. Sci-fi vs. fantasy? Classic. But let’s be real, it’s not just about looking cool.

Playing the game is straightforward, though it’s missing some bells and whistles you’d expect. You’ve got three difficulty levels and a couple of time controls to pick from, but don’t go looking for a replay feature or a tally of your conquests. And that isometric view? Gorgeous, but it might throw traditionalists for a loop until they find the setting to switch it back to the classic top-down.

Timing is everything, right? Google rolled this out just as the 2024 World Chess Championship kicks off, with Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju duking it out. As the main sponsor, Google’s also teasing a chess bot for Gemini, its AI assistant. Text your moves, and Gemini updates the board in real-time. Though, let’s hope it gets better at reading the room—or in this case, the board—since it’s currently a bit hit or miss with uploaded images. Gemini Advanced users might get to test this out by December, fingers crossed.