If you are comfortable using your pictured board and piece set than many would say an electronic board will not significantly improve the playing experience for you.
does a electronic board make sense?
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No e-board is going to come close to the physical experience of what you have now, but there are reasons to take the plunge. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to how inconvenienced you are by having to look away from the board for your opponents move. Personally, I appreciate being able to just focus on the board while playing on an e-board, it just feels more natural. I’ve been using an e-board since 2018, and I wouldn’t want to be without one now.
As for what model, there are quite a few options. I’ve been tempted by the EVO, and have come close to purchasing one a few times, but the reality of OS obsolescence stops me. While this is also true for phone apps, at this point I think there are enough 3rd party apps available that this is less of an issue. I’d probably stay away from self moving boards at this time unless you have a personal reason for needing one. I don’t think the technology is there yet, though it’s definitely improving.
As for me, I have a Millennium Chess Genius Exclusive with the ChessLink accessory, a Chessnut Go travel board, and a DGT Pegasus. The Millennium and Chessnut boards have been very reliable, but the DGT has had some problems locking up or not registering moves. It’s unfortunate, because if the DGT were as reliable as my Millennium, it would be my preferred board since I can use my own wood pieces with it. If I were starting out today, the brands I would consider are Chessnut, Millennium, and Certabo. Each brand offers a variety of styles and sizes, so you should be able to find something that meets your needs.
I played as you play for several years before the e-boards became more mainstream.
The main advantage of a full e-board is being able to concentrate fully on the board instead of having to pay attention to a screen for the move of your opponent and going back to the screen to make your move. That can really interrupt your thought process. In addition, in time scramble, the second or two you waste moving between the screen/the board/the screen can cause you to flag. I normally do not play such tight time controls, I do 30|30 or 45}45 minimum.
When I play, I play with my board connected to a site (usually the other one), start the game, offer greetings and good luck, then do not look at the screen for the rest of the game (until I am ready to resign ... sigh.)
I make my move, it gets transmitted to the site, my opponent makes their move, and it gets transmitted to the board for me to move the piece.
Allows me to look at the board continuously and not divide my attention.
My current favorite is the Chessup 2, just very easy to see the moves - would love different pieces for it but probably not going to happen; also love me Chessnut Pro (the premium pieces are lovely to play with), then my Chessnut Air. I will be breaking out the Go in two weeks while on holiday, have not used that much.
Unfortunately, as @Boydcarts says about the Pegasus, it is a bit glitchy, so it has been relegated to the shelf and since the acquisition of the Chessup 2 the OG Chessup is also collecting bunnies.
As for the Evo, depending on where you play the most, be aware of an issue with at least the other site where you could get flagged for assistance and banned. Chessnut says they are working with them to correct the issue, but in the meantime, mine has become a very, very expensive paperweight. They posted something in Reddit a little bit ago and someone asked when a real solution was coming but I have not seen an answer yet.
Thank you indeed to @JBabkes, @Rsava, and @Boydcarts for your dedication—these are all very valid points you've raised, especially:
"The main advantage of a full e-board is being able to concentrate fully on the board instead of having to pay attention to a screen for the move of your opponent and going back to the screen to make your move. That can really interrupt your thought process."
And:
"Chessnut players get banned on Lichess for cheating as the API is not officially registered with the site."
I want to avoid software hassles and other complications of any kind, so... That said, after weighing the pros and cons, I'm quite happy with my gigantic board/iPad setup for now, and I'll stick with it.
A major downside of all alternatives except the ChessUp 2 is that they require a smartphone—no other board on the market connects directly to WiFi, which is a dealbreaker for many due to security reasons beyond this discussion. This is crucial for me to keep the phone completely out of the equation (e.g., no Bluetooth dependency).
Even the ChessUp 2, despite its high-level features, has a childish software approach; the interface feels far from professional.
A major downside of all alternatives except the ChessUp 2 is that they require a smartphone—no other board on the market connects directly to WiFi, which is a dealbreaker for many due to security reasons beyond this discussion. This is crucial for me to keep the phone completely out of the equation (e.g., no Bluetooth dependency).
For a premium price there is the Millennium Mephisto Phoenix chess computer which, after adding the chess connect app, connects through wifi. However I think the main purpose of the Mephisto Phoenix chess computer is access to a variety of engines offline.
Raymond,
I did the same thing - utilizing a tournament sized wooden chess set while playing standard games on the ICC. Now, the main board I currently play on is the Chessnut Go - mostly via the USB connection to LucasChess on my Fedora Linux box (no MS for me). Also, the Go is great for portability, in addition to having it on my desk and under plastic when setup / in games (my anti-cat device). If I was to get something new, it would either be the Chessnut Pro (with premium pieces, then Noj pieces once available) or the Millennium T2 setup.
Cheers
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I have an excellent vintage chess set made from real walnut wood, including the pieces. The board features authentic inlay work (intarsia) and is entirely handcrafted—such quality simply isn’t available on the market today.
Combined with an iPad, it’s so far been an ideal solution for me (1274 ELO). I’m wondering, and I’d love to hear from the Chess.com community: does an electronic chess board actually offer significantly more advantages than my current setup?
Assuming cost is not an issue for me, the essential question is: does something like a Chessnut Evo or Phantom chess board truly make sense for me?
