Google has a new chess game that lets you design the pieces with AI
- GenChess allows you to design the pieces with AI and then play on the board
- It uses Google Gemini’s Imagen 3 image generation engine
- GenChess is free to play and you can redesign the pieces as many times as you like
In addition to being the main event sponsor of the 2024 World Chess Championships, Google has just released a free chess game called GenChess that brings something new to the table. GenChess is unique because it allows you to design the chess pieces you play with using AI.
To play GenChess, simply go to the GenChess website in your browser and start designing your chess game. You can choose a classic or creative set and then type an AI prompt to describe the type of set you want to see.
At the top of the screen you will see the message ‘Create a classic chess game inspired by’ and you can complete the sentence with whatever you want. So if you fancy a chess game made of ice, type in “ice” and click the “Generate” button.
GenChess will then think for a few seconds while the AI generates some sample chess pieces for approval. If you don’t like what you see, hit the ‘Regenerate Set’ button and it will try again. However, if you like what you see, press the ‘Generate Opponent’ button to proceed to the next stage.
Don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild with your AI clues, as there is no limit to the number of chess sets you can design.
Cyberpunk Ninjas
The computer then chooses a prompt to design the opponent’s piece that it thinks will go well with what you have already chosen, and generates the opponent’s chess pieces to play against you. For example, when we typed ‘Space Soldiers’ for our chess game, the computer chose ‘Cyberpunk Ninjas’ as a good counter game.
You can now play a game of chess with the pieces, against the computer. Simply choose a difficulty level and time for the timer, then click ‘Chess’ to get started. You’re white and you go first.
To design the pieces, GenChess uses the Imagen 3 image generator found in the latest version of Google Gemini, which rolled out in October. At the time we said: “Imagen 3 has a range of features worth exploring. For example, you can ask him to create photorealistic landscapes, richly textured oil paintings or even claymation scenes.” All of these powerful image manipulation features can be seen in action in GenChess.
The 2024 World Chess Championships are in full swing in Singapore from November 25 to December 13, where we can expect current champion Ding Liren to defend his title against 18-year-old challenger Gukesh Dommaraju. Unfortunately, they will be playing with a standard chess set, not an AI designed chess set.