robot chess – A hobbyist open-hardware project turns each chess piece into a self-moving “MiniBot,” packing an ESP32-C3, stepper motors, magnet sensors, and a 170 mAh LiPo battery into every figure. A prototype works in the end, but a single-core ESP32-C3 hits firmware limi
The chessboard stops being a passive stage.
In this build. each piece is its own small robot—3D-printed figures that can move without an electromagnet pushing them around or an external robotic arm doing the work. It’s a step away from the usual “self-playing board” approach, where the intelligence and motion live in the furniture. Here, the intelligence travels with the pieces.
The project comes from [3DprintedLife] and is built as an open hardware and source project. That matters because it lets the design feel more like a platform than a one-off trick. The maker points out it isn’t the first attempt at self-playing chess hardware—there’s even a commercial option called Chessnut Move—but the open design and the generality of the build are what make it stand out.
Each individual piece is called a MiniBot, and the hardware inside is surprisingly specific. The MiniBots are built around a custom PCB with an ESP32-C3 module, two PMO8-2 miniature stepper motors with their required drivers, a magnetometer, and a 170 mAh LiPo battery to power everything.
Instead of relying on a single controller to tell each piece when and where to move, communication runs through wireless networking between the central hub and each MiniBot. The pieces use ESP-NOW, and each MiniBot gets its own dedicated channel.
The hub itself is also powered by an ESP32-C3, but the “thinking” happens elsewhere. A Raspberry Pi single-board computer handles the main Python-based software via a serial link. That separation keeps the mobile pieces compact while still giving the system room for higher-level control.
Getting the pieces to know where they are is another key part of the design. Localization is done by scanning electromagnets embedded in the board. Each MiniBot reads its own magnetometer data, and the system triangulates positions based on those readings.
At the end of the video, a basic prototype does work—but not without setbacks. The ESP32-C3, described as a single-core MCU, tripped up the firmware. The maker says changes will be needed in the next update. along with power saving and easier recharging—two practical issues that become unavoidable once you move from a tabletop demo to anything you actually want to keep running.
For anyone craving a more conventional chess robot, the world has plenty of those already. This one isn’t trying to replace them on comfort. It’s trying to prove a different idea: that the pieces can be the robots, not the objects being moved.
robot chess ESP32-C3 open hardware MiniBots stepper motors ESP-NOW magnetometer Raspberry Pi 3D printed robots DIY robotics chess automation