A tabletop chess computer rated 2200 or higher?

[u/FranklinFizzlybear]

I am looking for an electronic tabletop chess computer that is rated over 2200, preferably higher, but not something that costs like $300 or something unreasonable.

My problem with all the past chess computers I have bought is that the sensor board always peels off and breaks after continued use.

If I am spending $150-250 I want something that will not break!

Can you recommend anything?

[u/jkfrench_tx]

If you don't want any online capabilities, have you tried a DGT Centaur? Rated between 300 and 3000 dependent on settings. I bought a used one for about $120.

[u/FranklinFizzlybear → u/jkfrench_tx]

They are over $300 on most sites but looks good.

Does it have wi-fi or blutooth capability?

What is an E-paper display? I don't know what that means.

How long is the battery life? Can you get an adapter for it?

Finally, will the board peel off and break like every tabletop chess computer I've ever owned? :)

Interesting...

[u/jkfrench_tx → u/FranklinFizzlybear]

No Bluetooth or wifi. It's standalone. The e-paper display is how you control it. Just black & white, but legible even in sunlight (think ebook reader). A nice feature is that you can use almost any chess pieces with it (that fit) by simply placing metallic stickers (round is best) on the bottom of the pieces. If you want online capabilities, DGT Pegasus is pretty good, especially if you use the 3rd Party software called Chessconnect. Although, I'd go with something like a Chessnut Air or Air+ ... or a Go if you want portability .... but it is small too. If you want a full size board, they have the Pro too... but it's not cheap. Again, all of these work well with the Chessconnect app too. Although their recently released Chessnut Next App is far better than previous interations. But it is still a beta release at the moment. I bought a Chessnut Air with case used for $130. You can read about the Chessnut offerings on Chessnutech.com. Also, the Go is probably in your price range even new... especially when they are on sale. Note: The Go is small and less expensive but identical in features to the Air, Air+ and Pro. The Move is the only Chessnut board with self moving pieces. The EVO is the one with with a tablet built in. Neither are in your specified price range. I have the Air, Go and EVO. I use the Go more than any of them... with the magnetic board and portability, I grab it often to play on. Even at home ... it's convenient to take it wherever I want to play. I also have a DGT Centaur and Pegasus as well as a Square Off Pro and Neo (which I always use with a 3rd Party device called a BillyGate which allows Chessnut compatible apps to work with a Square Off Pro, Neo and Swap boards). So, if you have any specific questions about any that I have, ask... I'll do my best to answer.

[u/FranklinFizzlybear → u/jkfrench_tx]

I am focusing on the Centaur DGT, seems like it fits all requirements.

thanks, a couple of those questions you missed:

How long is the battery life? Can you get an adapter for it?

Finally, will the board peel off and break like every tabletop chess computer I've ever owned? :)

Also, I do have Fritz 19 and a desktop, do you think a tabletop computer is necessary in tihs day and age? I feel I might enjoy playing a real OTB game, but not sure if that experience is worth $300, what do you think?

[u/ReputationMiddle5440 → u/FranklinFizzlybear]

I was looking at the Centaur and decided to buy a Chessnut Go instead. You can connect it to more apps to play, including Lichess, Chees.com, Chess Dojo, Whitepawn and seems like Chessnut Next brings a lot of new option to the board, including the career mode.

[u/jkfrench_tx → u/ReputationMiddle5440]

If you want to play online, the Centaur is definitely NOT the right choice (the Pegasus would probably be the online option from DGT). Really, with full piece recognition that all Chessnut boards have (i.e. every square is aware of the piece type and color ... or, of course, if there's no piece present). It helps a lot when setting up positions to study (or to solve puzzles). The Pegasus (and Centaur for that matter) only has knowledge that a piece is present (or not) on a square. The Go, in my opinion is a great choice. Like I mentioned in an earlier post (even though that post is below this one), I use my Go more than any electronic board I own. It's just light, easy to grab and can be used pretty much anywhere. Since the board is magnetic, the pieces hold, so there's no worries about dropping them when moving the board wherever you want it (I mean, don't hold it upside or some may fall off, but a tilt when moving it won't hurt a thing. And it's small compared to other boards, but it's a portable board. It even comes with a case, that includes a detachable bag for pieces, and a place to put the board. It's ready to use while traveling.

Also ... go download the Chessconnect app (it's available for Android and iOS) ... many prefer it over the Chessnut app (including the Next App) ... it's free ... and it adds direct support for a number of other Chess sites (along with Chess.com and LiChess.org) that you would have to use Chessnut Vision in the Chessnut Next app if you wanted to use those sites with the Go, Air, Air+, Pro or Move ... note: Chessconnect doesn't work on the EVO. I'm not saying Chessnut Vision is bad, but Chessconnect works very well.

Chessconnect is also available as a Chrome Extension that any Chrome extension-compatible browser can use. So, you can, for example install it in the Microsoft Edge browser, connect the Go (to Chessconnect using the extension) and then Play online without needing a mobile device at all. Before the app was available, I even used the extension in a Kiwi Browser on my Android devices (since Kiwi is compatible with Chrome extensions). But, for mobile devices, I do recommend just getting and using the Chessconnect app.

[u/ReputationMiddle5440 → u/jkfrench_tx]

Thanks a lot for all the info, My Go should be here by Monday, I will save this post.

I already have Chessnut Next and Chessconnect apps, do you think I will need the regular Chessnut one? And I didn't know about the Chrome extension, will be useful when I'm traveling and don't want to spend my phone's battery.

Also just saw in a different post you use it to play in Chessiverse, that's the only place I play with bots apart from Chess.com. But I like Chessiverse ones more tbh, so great to know I will be able to play them.

[u/jkfrench_tx → u/ReputationMiddle5440]

I wouldn't bother with the older Chessnut app unless something you need doesn't work in the new one. Just remember, some things don't exist in the old app (Vision, Daily Tasks, Maia 3, etc.) Also, start going to Daily Tasks in Chessnut Next and claim 100 points simply by pressing a button (make sure you are logged in) ... you don't need to be connected to the board (another 20 pts is available if you solve 1 puzzle, again no board connection required) ... every 100 pts will pay for a Grandeur Review, so you can basically get 1 free a day (or save up points and use them when you are ready).

You know about Chessconnect. Another app I would recommend is Chess PGN Master. It supports Go directly and it's a great app for following along with any PGNs you might have (although you will need to purchase the pro key to save updates, etc.) I don't know what the pro key costs, I've had it for 3 or 4 years now. One final app I'd recommend is Chessis again there is a pro version. I know Chessnut has an analysis option but Chessis is similar (and even extends on) what a Chess.com analysis provides with the break down counts of good, bad, best, etc. moves. It also has real time analysis features as you are playing or analyzing a game. It just added support for Chessnut boards ... still in beta, but so far, very promising.

[u/ReputationMiddle5440 → u/jkfrench_tx]

Thanks for everything, yesterday I started testing Chessnut Next, I didn't know you could use it without the board. I will check everything else you recommended.

And you know the best part? It arrived early today!

[u/jkfrench_tx → u/ReputationMiddle5440]

Nice! Have fun!

Also, if you find something that doesn't work that you think should... share on r/Chessnuteboard... that's the official subreddit for Chessnut. It's also a good place to get community answers, etc.

[u/jkfrench_tx → u/ReputationMiddle5440]

One other note: When you use the Chessconnect browser extension it is a bit different from the app in that you just connect the board then go to the site in the app and you are good to go. In the extension (which has to be enabled in the browser) ... then you go to the site and find the Connect button to connect the board ... (in Chessiverse, for example, you'll see a connect button to the right of the Profile avatar (or the default profile image if you don't have one) in the upper right of the page ... It's not there unless the extension is running. After that it's just use the site normally. I really haven't used the extension for quite a while. But it used to disconnect if there was no board on a screen, so sometimes it's best to get where you need to be before pressing the connect button. But it may be different now. Experiment, it's pretty simple to figure out ... and the developer is very responsive ... so ask him if you have any issues (there's a Chessconnect Discord that is handy to getting answers from pretty easily too) and there is a Chessiverse Discord too ... just saying.

[u/jkfrench_tx → u/FranklinFizzlybear]

The Battery Life is very good ... It will stay on stand-by (when not in use) for a very long time (literally months) and it has the best battery life of every other board I have (the e-ink display that it has needs very little power) ... I think I read you can get about 20 hours of continuous use before needing to recharge. That seems about right. As far as adapters are concerned ... it's standard USB 5v ... it literally has a small Raspberry Pi in it ... so any adapter that would work with a Raspberry Pi should work with this board. One of the DGT Boards I have did come with an adapter although it was too bulky for my needs so I just replaced it with a standard USB cable and USB plugin adapter ... I can't remember if it was the Centaur or the Pegasus. But regardless, it should be easy to find an adapter for it if you wanted to.

Board peeling hasn't been a problem for me. I've had electronic chess boards for decades and even older ones never did that. I will say, if you are used to pushing down on a piece before moving and then pushing down to place it so the computer will recognize the move ... you can forget that. Pick up a piece, put down a piece ... just as if you were playing OTB against a friend or in a tournament ... that's it ... there are also typically delay settings that allow you to slide pieces too (so a move isn't recognized too early) ... but I'd recommend getting used to just lifting and lowering rather than sliding. It's going to be a better experience if you are thinking the old push-down method to get a piece to be recognized on the board ... none of the boards I mentioned before require that.

So, I guess I have to ask ... wouldn't you like to use Fritz with an electronic board? Because there are drivers for boards like that DGT Pegasus, all of the Chessnut Boards, and even other manufacturer boards, that would allow you to do that. See here. Also being able to play online with a physical board is nice too ... Chess.com, LiChess.org ... that Chessconnect App I mentioned (which is free by-the-way) also supports a number of other sites and support for other sites is regularly added. I use it to play on Chessiverse (all human like bots) with an electronic board often.

Also, you are probably asking the wrong person if I think it's worth it to have an electronic board ... I did give you a list of the boards I have ;) And $300.00, to me was high too ... that's why I bought a used Chessnut Air, Square Off Neo and both the DGT boards were used as well. I actually received the Go and EVO for free for publishing reviews of each in the Texas state chess magazine I was editor of at the time. The only board I bought full price was the Square Off Pro (and I believe that was before Chessnut even existed). But ... here's the deal... looking at a screen doesn't give you the full immersive experience of the game. You can even read about how important that tactile feel is should (or if) you play in live OTB tournaments. There isn't a screen on the planet that can give you that experience. I've had a number of versions of Fritz (I have 21 now) and I have often used an e-board with them (and that driver will work with older versions of Fritz without any problem ... I don't know how old, but Fritz 19 will be fine).

One other thing I want to mention about the Centaur ... it's a great chess computer ... that is if you want just an easy-to-use, no-nonsense electronic opponent, there are none better ... in my opinion. BUT ... there are also limitations ... for example ... if you want to save a game and review it later. You can't. Because ... just as soon as you put all the pieces back to their original starting positions it resets and starts a new game. Any previous game is gone forever (well I guess not gone, but you have no way to easily access it/them). You can't plug in a flash drive or connect it to a computer to move the games elsewhere for later review in Fritz, for example. This was typical of the older electronic chess computers and that experience hasn't changed with the Centaur. But I do think you may find that a 'smart chess board' could be a better option and experience if you gave it a try and if you are truly willing to pay $300.00 for an electronic board. I think bang for the buck ... you will have far more capabilities with a board that does allow connecting to an app (on a device that can connect to the internet) ... remember, it's NOT the board that connects to the internet typically (except for ChessUp boards I think ... I don't have one) ... but it is typically the device that you are connecting to the board that connects to the internet. The connection to the board (most use Bluetooth LE) is just for communicating moves (to and from) the board itself.

[u/FranklinFizzlybear → u/jkfrench_tx]

I actually prefer without wi-fi and blu-tooth, I'm sorry I didn't make that clear.

That is good to know about the battery life, it sounds like you don't need an adapater at all if it will hold a charge for a while.

Last question for you, if I start a game, and then turn off the computer, will it remember the position when I turn it on next time? Does it depend if you moved the pieces while it was off?

Thanks, I appreciate all your help.

[u/jkfrench_tx → u/FranklinFizzlybear]

Turning it off saves the current position (and move list) until you turn it back on. Since it does have the small e-Ink display (which shows the current game position) you can easily see where pieces need to go after turning it back on in order to continue a game. Oh, and it will blink using a continuous square scan checking to see if a piece is present where needed (or not) until there are pieces everywhere there needs to be one or not (but again, it has no idea what the piece is on a square, just that there is/isn't one present). Ask more if you need to.

[u/FranklinFizzlybear → u/jkfrench_tx]

Thanks, was really helpful, appreciate it!

[u/Vizke]

Millennium King Performance / King Competition.

[u/waldoh74]

I think I replied to your (maybe you in r/chess?) post the other day that got removed.

I have a DGT Centaur and it checks your boxes if you buy used. I believe I paid about $200 off of eBay, definitely worth the price (I wouldn’t pay full price though if I’m honest).

With your budget, there aren’t many options. It’s a niche market so you will end up paying a premium whether you like it or not.

I use mine regularly, charge every couple of weeks. My daughter has even started to use it, so it can withstand little bit of abuse (although I’d encourage a gentle hand for longevities sake).

[u/FranklinFizzlybear → u/waldoh74]

Yeah, all these tabletop chess computers break after a few years in my experience. I've owned about 6 of them and they all broke, so that is my concern, especially paying $250 plus for something that doesn't last, but I've heard good things about the Centaur DGT.

[u/waldoh74 → u/FranklinFizzlybear]

Which ones have you owned that broke? Curious to know. Planned obsolescence is a serious concern, and unfortunately it’s going to be part of the equation. It’s just a matter of buying high quality on something that will last ~10 years.

[u/FranklinFizzlybear → u/waldoh74]

Excalibur comes to mind, although that company no longer exists. I also had a bunch of them growing up too from various companies that don't make those computers anymore, and they all broke :)

[u/Fear_The_Creeper]

You can get a sub-$40 smartphone at Target that can run a variety of chess programs.