Square Off

     I just discovered this contraption yesterday and find it intriguing. It's a Rube Goldberg-like device that allows you to play chess against people all over the world just like online. That's assuming they also have purchased the device. 
     Just hook up the box to your smartphone and when you play, you make your move by actually moving a real chess piece. When your opponent moves, a two-axis robotic arm with a magnetic head beneath the board moves the magnetic pieces. You can also practice against it at different user selected levels. 
     The attraction is that you can sit in the comfort of your living room and challenge a player anywhere in the world and then play on a real chess set...even if it is kind of small; at least that's they way they look in the photos. 
     The cost varies. The plain old Kingdom Set will sell for $375, but if you order today it can be yours for $249...plus shipping, of course. The Grand Kingdom Set will sell for $450 but order now and it's only $299...plus shipping, of course. There are also huge discounts if you order in quantity; you'll have to pay shipping. 
     An outfit from Mumbai, India called Infivention Technologies ran a campaign on Kickstarter to fund the project and claims to have gotten more than enough funding and if you pre-order, your chess contraption should ship in June of 2017. Think I will wait, but if you want to pre-order you can do it on Kickstarter HERE.