Immersive Chess
by JoeyDP
Immersive Chess lets players set up and play a chess game inside their Minecraft world, using pieces they build themselves.
What it does
Players build the board from two contrasting vanilla blocks laid out as an eight by eight checkerboard, with edge blocks chosen so the board stays valid. A chess case holds the default set, so a game can start right away without building any pieces. Games can be played against another player or against an AI opponent.
Pieces are built with Piece Structure Blocks, which are crafted once and placed to outline each miniature at an eight to one scale. A dye sets the piece color and a signature item sets its type. Six structure blocks are needed to craft Piece Stands, which save a finished piece and are dyed in any of the 16 Minecraft colors. Right-clicking a stand stores a miniature version, and right-clicking again takes it back out. Lighting within the miniature pieces is still being worked on.
The mod runs on the client and the server, so the server and every player need it. It is published for Fabric only, in two release versions, 1.19.4 and 1.20.2, with 1.1.0 for 1.20.2 as the latest file. Immersive Chess is open source under the GNU Lesser General Public License v2.1 or later, and it bundles the JChess library under the same license.
Key features
Custom chess pieces
Players craft their own piece sets from miniature builds, with the piece type and color chosen by the item and dye used.
Chess against friends or AI
A game can be played between two players or against an AI opponent, on a board built in the world.
Piece Stands storage
Piece Stands save finished pieces and can be dyed in 16 colors, then stored inside the chess case.
In-game advancements
Advancements guide players through the content, so the mod can be learned in the game rather than read about.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Ultimate Chess is a Fabric and Forge option for 1.19 – 1.20.1, open source under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only, and it runs on the client and server. Chinese Chess covers Fabric, Forge and NeoForge for 1.18.2 – 1.20.6 under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only. PolyChess is server-side only, so players join without installing it, and it targets 1.21.1 – 26.3 on Fabric and Quilt under the MIT License.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immersive Chess | Fabric | 1.19.4 – 1.20.2 | Client and server | 2025-05-14 |
| Ultimate Chess | Fabric and Forge | 1.19 – 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2023-09-14 |
| Chinese Chess | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.18.2 – 1.20.6 | Client and server | 2024-06-11 |
| PolyChess | Fabric and Quilt | 1.21.1 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-09-17 |
Questions
Does Immersive Chess need Fabric API?
Does the server need the mod?
Which game versions are supported?
Can a game start without building pieces?
In the catalog
Immersive Chess is one of 2,135 Minigame mods on ModsFinder, and one of 1,454 Minigame mods for Fabric. 12,076 mods support Minecraft 1.20.2.
Similar mods
What the author says
Would you rather discover the mod in-game? The advancements will guide you through all the content. The first item you need is a chess case to contain your pieces.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/immersive-chess
- Owner
- JoeyDP
- Published
- 2023-08-18
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-05-14
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15