Mastering the game of chess is infinitely complicated, but getting started just got easier with a chess board that’s perfectly set up and ready to go as soon as you open the box. That’s the genius of Preset Chess.
Before newcomers can even begin to start learning how the various chess pieces move around the board, they have to know what squares the pawns, bishops, rooks, knights, kings and queens all call home. At the very least, arranging the pieces can be time-consuming and a little annoying. But Preset Chess takes care of all of that for you.
As a game of chess plays out, captured pieces are returned to their designated and labelled slots in the game’s box. The bottom of each piece, and the double-sided chess board, are all magnetic.
When the board is placed back on top of the box and the whole thing is inverted onto a table, the pieces are all where they should be once the box is removed. The game’s design also helps ensure that every piece is accounted for at the end of a game, and that none of them go missing when it’s being haphazardly stuffed into your game shelf.
The creators of Preset Chess are using a $US15,000 ($20,519) Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help realise their version of the game, and a set can be pre-ordered with a $US59 ($81) donation, which is about $US30 ($41) cheaper than retail pricing will be. Part of the cost stems from the craftsmanship behind the chess set, and the use of real wood for its box and pieces. It’s not indestructible, but should certainly survive being swept off the table in a rage every time your partner puts you in check.