It is not standard to have to plug it in to turn it on.
Make sure you are pressing the correct button. When looking at the side panel it is the button on the left, lined up with the 6th rank. You have to hold it until the green light comes on, takes about 4 full seconds. If you let go while the red light is still on it will not turn on. It is a dual function button, being used for both power and to turn BT back on if it does not get connected to the app in a timely manner, so it must be held down until the board is completely on.
I have not had it misread any of my moves in well over 6 months, while using the Chessnut app. There is a browser extension for Chrome (only) that connects the board to chess.com (I think it is called Chessconnect) that misread a move twice a little bit ago but the official app has been solid for quite a while.
Make sure the firmware is updated.
First, I fully charged it up — but when I tried to turn it on, nothing happened. It wouldn’t turn on after several attempts (and different power button hold times). I plugged it back in thinking it was dead, and it turned right on. The app and the solid green light confirmed that the battery was charged. After several tests, I found that I have to plug in my board to get it to turn on — every time. After it is on, I can unplug it and it stays on. Is this standard?
I have also run into a few bugs while playing — like the board misreading my moves and such. While it doesn’t happen frequently, as everyone here knows, it takes just one bad move to turn a winning position into a losing one.
Otherwise, it is a pretty cool board. I am just not sure if it is worth the investment with all the problems I am having — so I figured it would be worth seeing if anyone has any tips. Thank you in advance!