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Google has released a new chess website<\/a> that puts one fun twist on the game: it uses custom pieces that are created each time by generative AI. The game starts by letting you type in a short description for what the white pieces should look like; it\u2019ll generate the set using its Imagen 3 AI model, then automatically come up with a related idea for black. When I asked for sci-fi-themed pieces for myself, it made fantasy-themed pieces for the opponent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n From there, you can play the game. It\u2019s functional, but it\u2019s far from a fully featured chess app. You can choose three difficulty settings and two time controls, but you can\u2019t review past moves or see what pieces have been captured. The game also defaults to an isometric view of the board that is cool to look at but disorienting to play on, since most chess apps are top-down. You can change to a top-down view in the game\u2019s settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The game was released this week, timed alongside the start of the 2024 World Chess Championship, where reigning champ Ding Liren is defending his title against the 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju. Google is the event\u2019s main sponsor, and it seems to be using the moment to announce a bunch of new<\/a> chess products and initiatives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Google\u2019s other big chess announcement this week is the promise of a forthcoming chess bot within Gemini. You\u2019ll be able to play by typing your moves, and Gemini will display an updated chess board as the game progresses. Google doesn\u2019t say whether Gemini will be gaining any other chess smarts, though \u2014\u00a0right now, the AI chatbot consistently fails to accurately assess the position on a chess board when you upload an image of one. The new feature will be available in December for Gemini Advanced subscribers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n