Inside the box was a chess board connected to a series of levers. These controlled the model's left arm and could move it around the chess board. The arm could be moved up and down, and turning the lever would open and close the Turk's hand. This let it pick up the chess pieces on the board. The machinery made a clockwork-type sound when the Turk made a move, further adding to the machinery illusion. The levers also made the Turk make various facial expressions. A voice box was added later, allowing the machine to say "Échec!" (French for "check") during matches.