Vienna 1770: Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen unveils the Mechanical Turk, a sensational and unbeatable chess-playing automaton. But what is hailed as the greatest innovation of the century is really nothing more than a brilliant illusion. 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.