WiFi-only. No phone. No app. Pair once, play forever on Lichess.
Apps live in your pocket. Hinge moves them into the world.
Purpose-built hardware that runs one valuable app loop and nothing else. No feed. No notifications. No path back to the scroll.
The first product: a chess board that plays Lichess without a phone. Pair once, play forever.
A game ends. There's a winner. A rating changes. The activity has natural closure — unlike infinite feeds designed to trap you.
A weighted wooden board is simply nicer than glass. The phone doesn't add anything — it only distracts. Physical is genuinely better here.
A chess board is furniture. It sits out. It signals something about the person who owns it. The app that lives in your phone doesn't have this quality.
The board is the interface. No browser. No notifications. No path to the feed.
Connect to your Lichess account once. The board remembers. You just play.
Under-square lights show opponent moves. Clean, elegant, no screen required.
Play humans or bots. Climb the Lichess ladder. All without touching your phone.
Use any standard tournament board. Hinge sits underneath.
Scan a QR code once. Your account is linked. Forever.
Make your move. Hinge reads it, sends it to Lichess, lights up the opponent's response. No phone required.
Hinge starts with chess. It doesn't end there.