It is possible to design your own chess piece with Google Gemini’s Imagen 3

Google Labs, the experimental division of the tech giant, has launched an innovative online project that puts a creative spin on the classic game of chess. Named GenChess, this web experiment leverages Google’s advanced image-generation model, Gemini Imagen 3, to let players design their own chess pieces through text prompts.

To get started, users need to log in with a Gmail account. Once signed in, they can click the “Generate” button and input their preferred theme for the chess set—whether inspired by sushi, pizza, or other imaginative concepts. GenChess provides two distinct styles: classic, which mirrors a traditional chess design, and creative, which allows for more abstract and unique interpretations. After generating a full set, players can even customize individual pieces. For instance, if the king doesn’t align with expectations, users can refine its design using additional prompts.

Once a custom chess set is complete, players can generate a themed opponent to face off against. In one example, a sushi-themed set was paired with a taco-inspired opponent, showcasing the playful possibilities of the platform. Players can select from three difficulty levels (easy, medium, and hard) and choose a game timer setting, either 5/3 or 10/0, for their matches.

Google describes GenChess as a simple yet engaging way to blend AI, design, and chess. A company spokesperson highlighted its purpose as demonstrating how “AI and creativity can intersect, making it accessible for anyone to explore the game of chess through image generation.”

In conjunction with the launch of GenChess, Google announced several other chess-related initiatives timed with the World Chess Championship, which kicked off this Monday. These include a collaboration with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to host a coding competition on Kaggle, Google’s platform for data scientists and machine learning enthusiasts, encouraging participants to develop AI chess engines.

Additionally, next month will see the release of Chess Gem, a new feature for the Gemini app. This conversational chess tool will allow players to engage in matches against a language model while enjoying light-hearted dialogue. However, this feature will be exclusive to Gemini Advanced subscribers.