Argentina: Students 3D Print Chess Set for Visually Impaired at the Elizalde Institute

Many—whether enthusiasts or not—would say that chess is one of the more difficult board games to master, under any condition. Still, it is an ancient game of challenge and competition that humans have enjoyed for centuries. The chess board remains consistent always, with 64 squares and 16 pieces for each player, but from the king to the pawn, we’ve often seen the moving parts created by artisans demonstrating stunning craftsmanship. And this continues today, as artists around the world with a love and passion for ‘checkmate’ put their own spin on the chess board and its pieces.

Now, students in Argentina have used 3D printing to create a chess set for the blind and those with low vision at the Elizalde Institute. The students, hailing from Villa Maria in Cordoba, attend the Tecnoteca cultural and educational center there. The project took only a month, as they 3D printed blue and white squares, each with holes in the center for the chess pieces. The pieces themselves stack together, creating a unique modern look. There are references for the visually impaired around the edges of the 3D printed chess board in Braille, as well as with numbers and letters.

Gustavo Cierra

They have already taken the 3D printed chess board to the Elizalde Institute where it is in use, and the group has moved on to their next project which will combine computers and robotics as they create an audio module for a talking board.

“At that meeting, we realized that we could print 3D posters by using the Tinkercad design program at a cost 10 times lower,” said the coordinator of activities of the Technical Library, Gustavo Cierra.

As those at the Elizalde Institute benefit from their new 3D printed chess board, the Tecnoteca students are also learning about and making use of many of the benefits of 3D printing in terms of the latitude offered during the design process, self-sustainability in manufacturing, affordability, and more.

Old-style gaming seems to be popular with numerous 3D printing hobbyists, along with other board games, from tic-tac-toe to checkers. Chess sets abound in 3D printed form from the surreal to the elegant, even with pieces made in the form of city buildings. We’ve also seen theme-based sets with Jurassic Park dinosaurs or medieval pieces in the style of Game of Thrones.

There are many benefits to putting 3D printing and chess together, from the innovative aspect as users explore what they can do with new technology to stimulating the brain with challenging game play. Chess forces players to use both sides of the brain too as they must problem-solve and be creative at the same time, hoping for original ways to beat their opponents. Discuss in the Chess Set forum at 3DPB.com.