Click on the drawings to see the pdf file of the full Patent documents.
LED Chessboard
Patent Application filed 19th June 1979 Inventors : Darrell Tepoorten and Steven Hechtman
SciSys Chess Champion Mark VI Sensor Board - Piece Recognition Prototype
Patent Application filed 19th July 1982 Inventors: Philip Blenkinsop, Tony Chung Chi-Ming, Peter Lee and Rupert Goodings for SciSys-W Ltd.
Improved LCD Chessboard
Patent Application filed 14th March 1989 Inventors: Thomas Leung, Eric White and David Levy for Newcrest Technology Limited (CXG)
Thin Membrane Sensor Board
Patent Application filed 20th March 1987 Inventors: Peter Ka-Tai Sun, Wilson Wong and Eric Winkler for SciSys-W Ltd
It is not known whether this technology actually made it into a marketed product.
Saitek Piece Recognition Board
Patent Application filed 25th October 1990 Inventors: Paul Ryan for Saitek Ltd.
Mephisto Chess Teaching Computer
Patent Application filed 21st November 1990 Inventor: Manfred Hegener for Hegener + Glaser AG
Chess Game Devices leading up to Chess Computers
Rippenbein Game Device
Patent Application filed 17th August 1945 Inventor: Albert P Rippenbein
This device is an intricate use of a film on rollers making electrical contact to provide the player with feedback in following an opening variation or famous game. I will let you figure out how it works !!
Chess Machine
Patent Application filed 21st April 1966 Inventors: Donald and Fred Worden and others.
A more practical version of Rippenbein’s device using punched card, photoelectric cells and illumination of each square. Intended to aid learning chess and following Master games.
Auto-Chess Apparatus
Patent Application filed 22nd July 1968 Inventor: Frederick Way.
Another similar example using punched card and illuminating the chess pieces themselves.
Electrical Chess Game
Patent Application filed 29th October 1975 Inventor: Enrique Mustelier
An electronic chessboard for playing chess without pieces.
Electronic Chess Game
Patent Application filed 15th November 1976 Inventor: David Bathurst
Another electronic chessboard. Again looking more like a chess computer, but without a chess playing program.
Pocket Problem Solver
Patent Application filed 9th May 1977 Inventor: Bruce Beach
A pocket-sized portable electronic device for playing chess problems.
Other Ideas including the Crazy
Coin Slot Arcade Chess Computer
Patent Application filed 4th April 1981 Inventor: Erwin Piotrowski
Not crazy but there was probably limited demand for playing chess in arcades even in 1981. .
Water Squirting Gameboard
Patent Application filed 15th March 1991 Inventor: Michael J Jones
Envisaged by the inventor as a “fun” addition to a game of checkers (draughts) but applicable to chess also. The idea is that a pump squirts water at one of the players when they move a particular piece to a certain position on the board.
If that isn’t crazy I do not know what is.
“...Anand exchanges queens and reaches for his towel yet again !”
