Reviewing the ChessUp 2 Smart Chess Board

The ChessUp Smart Chess Board is probably one of the greatest chess inventions of the 21st century. It allows players to play on Chess.com on a physical board. Whether you're looking to improve your physical playing skills while gaining rating, seeking to get tilted without your parents telling you to get off of screens, or just interested in training on the numerous built-in bots, you might want to read this.

What is it and How Does it Work?

As mentioned above, the ChessUp board allows players to play on Chess.com (or Lichess in the future) or online bots using a physical board. It is rechargeable, with 6 hours of battery life. Each piece has a computer recognition chip, so the board recognizes what piece you moved where. When you make a move, all the squares you can move to will light up.
When your opponent moves, lights will show you where to place their piece. When you are in check, the king's square will light up in red. When you promote a pawn, you can select on the small touchscreen what you want to promote to. The set comes with one promotion queen per color. If you underpromoted, the pawn will move like the piece it promoted to (unless you buy more pieces separately). You will log into your Chess.com account via the ChessUp app.

What Can I Play?

You can play any live mode on Chess.com (excluding variants) and you cannot play daily. You can play from a custom position against a ChessUp bot using the board editor. You can play Chess.com bots, but not the monthly type. It is also compatible with Lichess. You may also play checkers, but they must be bought separately. There is also the option to play versus another physical opponent, or against the built-in bots. For those bots, there are also differing tiers of assistance.

My Review

My ChessUp board arrived quickly, with the pieces neatly packed in foam and the board fitting underneath. I turned it on. The board came pre-charged and had about 70-80% battery when I opened it. It proceeded to light up all of the squares where pieces should be. When I put a piece on its square, the light on that square turned off. If I placed a piece incorrectly, it would light up in purple. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the materials, the ease of setup, and the functions of the board. I played my first game against a ChessUp bot. As soon as I laid my hand on a piece, the squares it could move to would illuminate. Moving my opponent's pieces bothered me less than I expected. The log-in to Chess.com using the app was also a breeze, and the app also had training tools and a game library. The only problems were a few glitches in finding a match on Chess.com, which were easily fixed. I strongly recommend you to play Rapid and not Blitz or Bullet because moving your opponent's piece takes up time. While it took some time to get used to, playing on the ChessUp was quite enjoyable, and I would give the product 5 stars.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Easy to use and set up: Clear instructions and simple process.

Compatible with major Chess sites: Supports Chess.com and Lichess.

Durable Materials: High quality materials that aren't easily damaged.

Allows Assistance: Bots can be played with assistance.

High-tech recognition: Board will instantly recognize a piece and its movement, even to a very light touch.

Very few technical glitches: Overall, almost no glitches.

Board Updates: Board receives regular software updates and patches.

Numerous app features: App contains learning tools and courses.

Enjoyable play experience: Fun and easy to play on.

Cons

High Price Point: The board and pieces cost around $400, excluding monthly discounts. Extra pieces for promotion cost $50 (8 pieces), while checkers cost around $40.

Not ideal for Blitz or Bullet: Moving your opponent's piece and removing captured pieces takes time, while on Chess.com, it's instantaneous.

Not Good For Time Scrambles: Move quickly, because if you are caught in a time scramble, chances are you will lose.

Accounts Must be Switched Via the App: In order to change the Chess.com account for the board, you must change it through the app. (an option to change it through the board should be available via a software update in a few months.).

Occasional Technical Problems: There are rarely some issues when finding a match on Chess.com

Conclusion

I hope this review was helpful. Whether you're considering buying one, or just wanted to learn about this new tech, I hope you enjoyed this post, and as always, thank you for reading!