Chessnut Air Review

@keithearls - Just used my Air for two games this past week, using the Chessconnect extension (thread found in this sub forum, developed by Chess[]com member @joernupbde) and it performed flawlessly.

The only time I looked at the screen was to start the game and to either say good game or offer a draw. The entire time I only looked at the board. One game was 43 moves, the other was 53 moves.

I use mine regularly for my rapid games on both chess.com and Lichess with chessconnect. I rarely have any issues, and when I do, just clicking the "connect" button on the webpage again is usually enough to fix it.

You should check out the Chessnut Backers Group and the Chessnut Users Groups on Facebook. There are some users that have had problems with the Chessnut boards and pieces.

I purchased my Air+ back in January 2024, it came with a 1 year warranty.

I have had problems with one of my Black Bishops not always being recognized on some squares and sometimes it would disappear from a square when a piece next to it was moved.

Last week I contacted the Chessnut support e-mail and they requested videos showing the problem. They looked at my videos and diagnosed the problem as a weak sensor in the Black Bishop and they are sending me a new Black Bishop for my Air+. It should arrive to me in about 10 to 15 days.

From my experience I can tell you that if you do have a problem with their product, the Chessnut support person I worked with was easy to work with and appeared to genuinely want to make it right.

I concur with all of the messages above. I have a Chessnut air, pro and go. All three are working perfectly, the number of disconnects I've had are not worth mentioning at all. Chessconnect works great if you use a computer or Android tablet with kiwi browser. And the chessnut app works fine as well.

I don't have any other e boards, so it's difficult to really compare, but I have read enough horror stories about some other brands. However, nothing but praise from me about chessnut products!

The only issue I've ever had was also with a bad sensor. Chessnut customer service was very supportive and sent me a replacement as well. I found they were quite quick to respond and very kind.

Thanks for the feedback on Chessnut Air. Is it possible to play against the chess computer without connecting it to a device?

No, you do need a mobile device or laptop to connect to the Chessnut Air in order to play against the computer.

If you are looking for a chessboard that doesn't need any external devices, look up either the Chessnut Evo or the Chessup 2, which have an integrated touchscreen that allows you to play against bots (although I think you always need to be wifi connected with that board).

Great thanks a lot! The price is very high! Is there anything less expensive but similar?

As far as I know, the Chessnut Go is the cheapest e-board. It's a bit smaller, but that does have some advantages. It has all the functionality of the bigger boards and also has magnetic pieces.

The Go is smaller/cheaper but it's also not a standalone.

I have the Evo and yes, while it was expensive, I really appreciate having the dedicated android tablet attached. I have it loaded up with all of the usual suspects (White Pawn, Chessis, etc.) and it just works.

Asney pieces on Amazon UK closer to $35-40 (£ 27 GBP) ☹️

Is there a way to move pieces back when analyzing a game on lichess?

This is what I found on Google search "Scrolling up with the mouse wheel also goes back a move. So does pressing the 'left' key. Are either of those sufficient?"

See if it helps.

I am trying to find differences in move assist / hint features between the Chessnut EVO, Air and Chessup 2.

A friend of mine has the EVO and when you lift up the piece the board shows what moves are good and bad with that piece. You can also push a button on screen th get a hint for which piece to move with.
The Chessup 2 has the same move assist function but does it have the hint function as well?

And does the Air have any of those functions?

Also: I think none of these functions on any of the boards work when in Lichess or Chess.com?

Good to know the Air has it as well, thank you!
Yes, I was interested to use in bot play only.

Beware though. The air doesn't really give you hints. If you use it to connect to Chess.com, all it really is is a chessboard that shows enemy moves and can be used to transmit yours to the computer. Any hints that you want to get will be the ones that chess.com (or whatever platform you're using to play) is showing you on your mobile device or laptop that's connected to the board.

If you're looking for a chess board with built-in computer that shows you mid game which moves are good, and which aren't, the evo or chess-up 2 are your best bet.

Hmm, that's not what I look for then.
I was hoping there would be LED light-up on the Air indicating which moves are good or bad like the Chessup but with a wooden board.

I'm afraid that doesn't exist (yet?)...

Chess-up 2 or Evo are the only ones that do this, to my knowledge.