However, when a woman mysteriously dies after one of its performances suspicion falls on von Kempelen and the Turk, they become targets for intrigue and religious persecution. Initially the Turk was only meant to have one performance in front of the Empress but she is so astonished by it she orders the Baron continue showing it. There have been much written about the Mechanical Turk in later decades but little is known about it's early days so this is a purely fictional account. After gaining Tibor's release from a Venetian dungeon the Baron persuades him to utilise his God-given talents in order to fool audiences throughout the Empire. Tibor is deeply religious whilst Baron von Kempelen is in reality a conman. However, the Mechanical Turk is nothing but a cunning hoax for hidden inside the machine behind clockwork gear wheels that do nothing and are purely for show is Tibor, an Italian dwarf with astonishing chess-playing abilities. The result is the Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing automaton. Loosely based on actual events in 18th century Europe, The Secrets of the Chess Machine tells the story of the Baron von Kempelen, whom having seen a demonstration of magnetism and claiming that he could invent something even more remarkable is challenged by Maria Theresia, the Empress of Hapsburg, to do so within six months. What is the dark secret behind this automaton, and what strange powers does it hold? The Chess Machine is a daring and remarkable tale, based on a true story, full of envy, lust, scandal, and deception. But when a beautiful and seductive countess dies under mysterious circumstances in the presence of the automaton, the Mechanical Turk falls under a cloud of suspicion, and the machine and his inventor become the targets of espionage, persecution, and aristocratic intrigue. The crowds all across Europe adore the Turk, and the success of Baron von Kempelen seems assured.

Von Kempelen and his helpers tour his remarkable invention all around Europe to amaze and entertain the public, but despite many valiant attempts and close calls, no one is able to beat the extraordinary chess machine. The chess machine is secretly operated from inside by the Italian dwarf Tibor, a God-fearing social outcast whose chess-playing abilities and diminutive size make him the perfect accomplice in this grand hoax. But what the Habsburg court hails as the greatest innovation of the century is really nothing more than a brilliant illusion.

Vienna, 1770: Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen unveils a strange and amazing invention: the Mechanical Turk, a sensational and unbeatable chess-playing automaton. Based on a true story, The Chess Machine is the breathtaking historical adventure of a legendary invention that astounded all who crossed its path.

The Chess Machine by Robert Löhr