is Regium a fraud?

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fairytalelion

Feb 23, 2020

#21

notveryclever would be a little more appropriate.

WizardLaboratory

Feb 23, 2020

#22

I don’t think it is a fraud. My read is that it comes from genuine chess-loving engineers who have limited entrepreneurial experience and made some representation mistakes in their enthusiasm.

If the video is “real,” I still doubt that it works as well as they show. I can almost guarantee it is more buggy than that.

I have dabbled with some similar designs in my garage years ago with the same goals. I felt sure someone would create a coil grid chess board eventually. It is what I hoped the Square Off would be when it was first announced. I am glad they are at least talking about turning the concept into a product. Piece ID and eliminating the mechanical XY positioner open up a lot of possibilities. They are basically shooting for a faster, quieter, sleeker, tournament-size version of the Square Off board with some neat additional features. If not Regium, someone else needs to produce it. It is certainly possible from a technological perspective. Whether the final result will be affordable or whether Regium will get enough early investment funds to perform the necessary design iterations to make it a market success are unclear.

Regium hit me up. Got some ideas for you.

mattconn24

Feb 23, 2020

#23

Everyone please read the linked forum below. There are many good issues brought up about this not being a fraud. Also, read the news posts from chess.com. Be informed before you fork over your money.

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/regium-automatic-chess-e-board?page=1

baddogno

Feb 24, 2020

#24

Chess 24 just pulled the plug on Regium's sponsorship...

In light of recent public discussions about Regium Chess, and a failure to receive necessary assurances in private, it has been decided to stop the company's sponsorship of the chess24 Banter Blitz Cup. chess24 does not endorse (and has never endorsed) Regium's products.

DeadBishop72

Feb 24, 2020

#25

I’ve been skeptical about this thing. It seemed like a potentially cool product, initially, but I was curious to see how it handled knights jumping over pieces, or even bishops moving between pieces. I don’t recall seeing any moves from the video that required one or more pieces getting out of the way of another piece that was moving, so I have serious doubts.

CASTLEmaine4X

Feb 25, 2020

#26

It sounds a fantastic concept for oppositions pieces to move themselves.
I tried to subscribe but that doesn’t work when you press submit.

Guess we will all have to wait a couple of hours for the so called launch of this product.

Any more thoughts anyone.

EZY1981

Feb 25, 2020

#27

Has anyone seen the boards acl or plugged in ? Anyone seen any hardware on the Board ?

fairytalelion

Feb 25, 2020

#28

Yuh huh. What other tool can they scam people with? A chip that get implant by surgical procedure straight into the Brain and tell you the best move in less than 0.2 sec? Or is that available already? And people would do so. And then fide have to introduce compulsory Brain scan for tournament play.

Caesar49bc

Feb 25, 2020

#29

There doesn't seem to be enough interest in the kickstarter campaign. It's only 72%, funded out of a $50,000 campaign.

Looking at the youtube video, I suspect the pieces that auto move are digitally rendered. Highly suspect that every move, the computer controlled pieces never have any other pieces in the way when moving.

Also, considereing how much it costs to develop, and the expected price tag of the final product, a $50,000 investment campaign seems like a scam to stay under the radar.

jwsunshine

Feb 25, 2020

#30

It just passed $50k ... still seems very fishy that it would meet the goal after all the discussion here and on lichess about it having so many unverified claims. Also, isn't $50k very low for a manufacturing product?

chesshouse

Feb 25, 2020

#31

$50k is a very low goal for this sort of project. That's easy to meet on just the people who aren't aware that it's a scam. If it was valid and not fake, it's likely it would reach $1M+ easily in 1 day.

fastpaul

Feb 25, 2020

#32

everyone should report this to kickstart er

nighteyes1234

Feb 25, 2020

#33

fastpaul wrote:

everyone should report this to kickstart er

Right...lets not have any personal responsibility. I'll tell the neighborhood thief to stop stealing...I should be able to have my iphone and a envelope of cash in plain view. Can i report it to facebook too?

LondonDungeon

Feb 25, 2020

#34

chesshouse wrote:

Wow! So know you think someone can raiseba million dollars in one day for this project. Obviously someone has been bought to make a comment like that.

Caesar49bc

Feb 25, 2020

#35

I think a funding campaign of at least $250,000 would have made it look legit, but if it's a scam, then $250,000 would be look at with much more scrutiny.

If they have a working prototype, then the $250,000 would look like a legitimate amount needed to find an overseas manufacturer to pump out the units.

$50,000 looks more like just enough cash to perhaps get a final design and a couple display units, and perhaps use that to drum up more interest from an electronics show. But if that's their goal, then they should find an individual to bankroll the development phase and save the kickstarter campaign for when they're ready to roll out the red carpet and get the necessary manufacturing lined up.

ComsumedbyChess

Mar 17, 2020

#36

The latest attempt of Regium to con chess players out of their money
Kickstart closed them and they just open a "new crowdfunding" campaign...Except its not a crowdfunding platform they made it look like it comes from a crowdrunding by adding the sub-domain crowdfunding to their main domain.. Now money goes right into their account.

They also added on their homepage, a fake kickstart successful funding in their "previous Japan fund raising"

Beyond suspicious, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, walks like a duck...it's a duck

Caesar49bc

Mar 17, 2020

#37

Out of curiosity, I looked at their website.

The top photo looks like a standard laminated board from House of staunton ( the "deluxe" eboard)

And the "classic" eboard set photo... the board is definately a maple and walnut Drueke chessboard.

Elroch

Mar 17, 2020

#38

Looks like full-blown fraud from some of the conclusions in this article: https://www.chess.com/news/view/update-on-regium-chess

sebrem

Jun 30, 2020

#39

jwsunshine a écrit :

Chess.com is a company founded by chess lovers. Like you, we get excited at the prospect of bold, revolutionary innovations that will help chess evolve.
Recently, Chess.com was approached by REGIUM Chess who wished to sponsor one of our events, the Speed Chess Championship Final. With that sponsorship came a mailer which many of you received just two days ago.
In that mailer, Chess.com communicated the claims made by REGIUM Chess on their official site and publications. Chess.com also made it clear that while we are happy to partner with new and exciting products like the ones advertised by REGIUM, we are not involved in, and as such do not endorse, the fundraising efforts or manufacturing processes of these products and have no connection to the ownership of these products.
During the ongoing process of due diligence that is required when partnering with a third-party product, we have not been able to verify some of the claims made by REGIUM. Some of these claims have been researched in coordination with our colleagues from other chess sites around the world, while others have been researched independently by Chess.com. The claims Chess.com has been unable to to verify are in relation to both the products being marketed by REGIUM as well as representatives of the company.
We hope to see an excellent product emerge from REGIUM's upcoming Kickstarter campaign. At the same time, we encourage all of our amazing users to do their own due diligence and use their best judgement when verifying or validating claims related to any campaign, product or company, including REGIUM.
We believe that sending this message is consistent with Chess.com's values because we truly care about doing what is in the best interests our members.
Thank you for being part of the Chess.com family and we hope you have a great weekend!

Yes I understand... But one of the reason I got involved with them it's because of your corporation with them... In my point of view if it'S a scam... I hope you'll take responsibility!

LizardOil

Jun 30, 2020

#40

"Yes I understand... But one of the reason I got involved with them it's because of your corporation with them... In my point of view if it'S a scam... I hope you'll take responsibility! "

@sebrem the consensus is it a scam that targeted individuals hoping for a product, chess site companies that got duped into a spammer sponsor, professional players that never got prize money, etc..