Square off Pro?

SOLD

So sorry if this is too spammy, but I have a gently used Square Off PRO up for auction on Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225239663478

Auction ends on Sunday, November 13th, 2022. I'll also delete this post after the auction ends.

There is Christmas discount offer running on Square Off products. Square Pro is available for 199 USD.

https://squareoffnow.com/product/pro

Hi,

Does anyone know if, in the case two people — having both chess.com or lichess accounts — :

. can be connected to the same square off pro board and having a game?

I mean that if they’re playing a live game face to face on the same square off pro board, their game is displayed on chess.com or lichess, can be followed by other users, analysed later etc.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

What's the proper way to castle with the square off pro?

Move the King over 2 squares first, then the rook 

Yes, you can broadcast your games live for others to view or even videocall with your family and friends while you're playing.

not a book, but this is a good start to get an idea of what are the 'tactics' in chess

https://chesstempo.com/tactical-motifs

https://chesstempo.com/positional-motifs

Thank you

@beltram42

You're welcome  

i am thinking of buying the square off pro but i dont know one thing that i think is important. does it have magnets or anything to keep the pieces on. with it advertising to be a portable board i would think it has magnets for playing outside in the wind but am not certain.

also i would like to know just any important bits of information like how the AI is like, any major problems, ETC

I regret buying my square off pro. I have the DGT centaur and just ordered the chessnut air.

What I don't like about the square off:

1) It has an issue recognizing moves 2-3 times per 30 mins game. There is a procedure you can do  to try and correct it on youtube by picking up the pieces and replacing them but that doenst always work. Same problem when you knock over a piece accidentally. And the time you spend doing that coupled with the distraction from the game is very frustrating!   This alone is a deal breaker for me, I need it to work like its supposed to.

2) Because its rollable, you cant pick it up and turn the board around with the pieces on it when it tells you whether you are  black or white.

3) The app is way too hard on the battery of my iphone. It literally zaps a full battery for  1 single 30 min game.

I should be receiving the chessnut air this week, let me try it for a week and I could give you an honest comparison.

It doesn't have magnets and while the pieces are heavy enough not to tip over because of a light breeze, its not a completely flat surface which  makes the pieces sit slightly unstably on the board. 

thank you for helping out do tell me if the chessnut air is better or worse

Actually, the DGT Pegasus does run fine as well, it's a little larger than the CA (square size: 40mm) and "natively" supported by Chess dotcom. And yet, the new DGT Chess app for Android/iOS works flawlessly on Lichess. Ciao  

thank you for help but i am not really looking for a chess board for chess.com/lichess. i am more interested in something that has a good ai and maybe even is a bit more portable which is why i am leaning towards the square off pro

Thanks @Kromok2, I have the SOP but am disappointed I can't play bots with it on either site. Does the Pegasus allow you to play vs bots/computer on Chess dotcom or Lichess?

Hi, I have both electronic boards, the Square off pro znd the Dgt Pegasus. With the new app DGT 2.01 beta, all is ok. U can play vs the computer in Lichess ( with the Dgt app) and directly in Chess.com. The two electronic run very well. U can also use the  free app, White Pawn, Chess for Android and Chess Dojo. Enjoy !

i sort of more thinking a biult in ai which the square off pro has

You mean you can play without the SOP app ?  Completely offline ? As with the DGT Centaur or the ChessUp ?  

@beanmaster20

If you're just looking to play solo vs the ai then the square off pro would be ok for you since losing time while you try to fix the pieces enough for SOP to recognize what move you wish to make isn't a problem like it is in a 30min online game where rating points are at stake.

Keep in mind though that:

1) the DGT centaur while more expensive and less portable ready is much better play vs the ai since when it makes a move you can simply ignore it and make any move you wish for it to play instead and it will seamlessly continue from there. For example, say you're white and want practice your italian game vs the ai. When you play e4, no matter what the ai chooses against you, you could  force it to play e5. With the SOP if you try to do the same it will give you an error message. If you dont mind carrying the board around like a  big pizza box then I'd go with the Centaur.

2) While the SOP is a roll up board, it works best when you leave it unrolled, flat. Rolling it up all the time creates an unstable surface which interferes with how the pieces sit on the board which increases glitches.

I should have my chessnut air in a few days and will be in a good position to compare all the boards.

That's good information RN37, thank you! Do you know if the centaur will connect and "Play vs Computer" on lichess? (A regular game, not like the one you describe in item 1 above.) You are spot on with item 2 and the SOP, sadly. I look forward to reading what you have to say about the chessnut air in comparison, and whether it works against bots on Chess.com or computer on lichess.