FIRST LOOK: SenseRobot Chess Mini! 🤩♟️🤖
#chessrobot #senserobot
This is just a quick update... I started a new job in January and have been very busy, leaving little time for chess! I haven't abandoned my channel and blog, though, content will likely come at a lower frequency and perhaps, less verbose! 😅
On the hardware review side of things, I've come to a conclusion in my mind about the ChessUp 2 and just have to record the review. The SenseRobot Chess (the original big robot) review has been put on pause for the time being, until SenseRobot issues a firmware update in the second half of 2026 that includes Chessconnect support. I'm willing to believe that this will happen because they already support it in an internal beta firmware, and more importantly, the SenseRobot Chess Mini has this built in! 😊
I've been sent an early review unit of the SenseRobot Chess Mini and it just arrived today! I set it up and played a game when I arrived home from work (it was a nice surprise to see the parcel!) to ensure that it's working... it is! In fact, it works very well. Fittingly, my very first game was a Vienna Game, and the robot played down the Main Line, and then used the Bardeleben Variation, which is an anti-Vienna! 😲
For those of you who are fans of Chessconnect, I've confirmed that it works fantastically with the Chessconnect beta extension and Chess.com (including on-screen display of the board, clocks, and commentary if playing a bot!)! 😊👌 A full review will come.
SenseRobot initially launched this mini robot on Kickstarter and I assume it will later be sold directly on their website store. This looks like it'll be a very affordable chess robot option - check it out!
