From the archive. This review was first published in 2021 and is kept for reference. The product may have been replaced or discontinued, and prices will have changed.
Phantom: A Smart Wooden Chessboard That Changes the Game
How would you like to move your chess pieces with voice control? Make your Harry Potter dreams come true with this amazing chess Kickstarter called Phantom —
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How would you like to move your chess pieces with voice control? Make your Harry Potter dreams come true with this amazing chess Kickstarter called Phantom — the brainchild of Wooden Substance.
They reached their $6,000 milestone in less than 24 hours for this month and as of this writing, they have no accumulated almost $1.9m worth of funding – WOW. Here we take a quick look at what this minimalistic wooden chessboard offers and more.
Play With Different AI or Against Any Human
Phantom allows you to play against Maia, a neural network chess engine that’s designed to mimic human play. You can play with other popular engines like Stockfish at different levels and even create your own AI.
It also has a companion app called Phantom Tutor where you can learn moves from your previous games and also supports Sculpture mode where you can play back the most iconic games in history.
The chessboard also connects to the Lichess servers so you can find matches against human players or play against bots through the mobile app.
Even if your opponent uses his smartphone to play chess, the Phantom board can automatically register his moves and you can move your pieces traditionally or use your voice for a modern experience.
Excellent Woodwork with Advanced Technology
The Phantom chess pieces are expertly crafted with obsessive attention to detail. Pick the minimalist design if you want to compliment your modern space or go for the Staunton chess set classic.
The team also found a way to make the chess pieces move smoothly on their own through a sophisticated sensor that can detect the precise location of every piece.
Currently, the board cannot support blitz but the team made sure that the speed is fluid enough to experience this unique way of playing chess. There is also a Cordless version of Phantom equipped with a 2,200 mAh lithium-ion battery that can last up to 50 continuous games.
If you want to support this revolutionary project, you can get your own Phantom chessboard starting at a super early bird price of $399 on Kickstarter.