Chess.com has launched a digital chess bot inspired by Yoko Ono’s seminal 1966 conceptual artwork, Play It By Trust. The game features an all-white board and pieces, mirroring the original installation where players eventually lose track of their own pieces, forcing them to collaborate or abandon the competitive nature of the game. The release coincides with Ono’s 93rd birthday and the digital debut of the Oscar-winning short film War Is Over!, which draws from her and John Lennon’s peace activism.
This digital adaptation brings 1960s Fluxus conceptualism to a massive contemporary gaming audience, testing whether the artist's message of peace and shared humanity can translate into a competitive online environment. By removing the visual distinction between opponents, the project challenges the fundamental logic of chess and serves as a high-profile example of how legacy art institutions and estates are leveraging digital platforms to maintain the relevance of historical avant-garde works.