Make Hides Fully Functional Chess Game Inside Automation Platform.

Make has embedded a fully functional chess game inside its automation platform, accessible to all paid users through a hidden Easter egg in the Grid view interface.

The game, called Freestyle Chess, was built entirely within Make by team member Quique Marín Richelet during their free time, inspired by Make's partnership with the Freestyle Chess organization. It represents an unusual demonstration of the platform's capabilities, using automation logic to power a playable chess engine that has been tested by grandmasters.

Users can access the game by opening any scenario in Grid view, navigating to the Features & Settings menu in the top-right corner, and following the embedded clues. The implementation supports multiple difficulty levels, different board views, and offers two play modes: competing against an AI opponent or challenging other team members within the same organization.

The release follows Make's recent launch of Grid, a visual interface for mapping entire automation landscapes across organizations.

The project showcases Make's visual builder in an unconventional context. Rather than connecting APIs or triggering workflows, the chess implementation uses the platform's logic modules to calculate moves, evaluate positions, and manage game state. Building a chess engine typically requires handling complex decision trees and position evaluation, tasks that automation platforms handle through different metaphors than traditional programming languages.

While presented as a Friday feature announcement, the chess game serves dual purposes. For existing users, it provides an interactive way to explore Make's capabilities outside typical business automation scenarios. For prospects evaluating the platform, it demonstrates the depth of logic handling available within the visual builder.

Make joins other no-code platforms like Bubble and Glide in using unconventional demos to illustrate platform flexibility. However, embedding the game as a permanent Easter egg within the production interface, rather than as a standalone template, takes a different approach to developer marketing.

The multi-player functionality leverages Make's organization and team member systems, suggesting the underlying implementation integrates with the platform's existing user management infrastructure. This approach allows the game to function as both demonstration and actual utility for teams looking for quick breaks without leaving their workflow environment.

The feature is available immediately to all paid Make accounts. Free tier users cannot access the Easter egg, consistent with Make's strategy of reserving advanced features and experimental capabilities for paying customers.