Chessnut Air Chess eBoard | Finally, someone got it right! | Full Review

[@virtuafighter3]

This is a very good review. You know your stuff and have pressure tested this properly before uploading a review. Thank you. This does seem well priced vs the competition but nothing in chess equipment is cheap, I find.

[@hybricechess]

Thank you very much, I appreciate that :)

[@happyhornet1000]

Such a good review. Very clear and informative, covering every aspect of the device. If only all reviews were this good. Please bring us more on other AI boards.

[@hybricechess]

I’d love to, I’ve asked DCT for review items but nothing as yet. Keep you posted :)

[@tristanrujano]

I think the selling point is how fast it recognizes moves, so maybe adding a togglable delay in the app so you can slide pieces if you want, but still play bullet with speed.

[@hybricechess]

Certainly, however I'd say that when it works online with chess.com and lichess, the opponents turns are never particularly fast in response, so I don't know how well bullet chess would work.

[@MujoNovak]

Bullet where u move pieces for opponents...? yea right

[@jorgerios1616]

This is fantastic, only thing missing is a timer on the side or something.

[@rebekahboswell6430]

This was very asmr for me 😂 your voice is so nice!

[@fliptight]

do you think it would work well for playing another opponent in-person for blitz games? i wanted the option to record blitz games when i meet up with a friend in real life

[@manuelanton2620]

Great video, I bought the board for €171.55 (March 2023) and free shipping, and I received it in Spain in 6 days. I haven't seen anything like it at this price. It works exactly as you describe it in the video. I have the DGT Centaur and the Millennium Chess Pro, and I bought the Chessnut Air for the online game. I'm happy about the shopping.

[@MujoNovak]

put a link where did u get it for 171 eur

[@jeraldmcgowin4162]

Noob, I do not think so, by far and away the best review for any chess product I have seen.

[@RickMidds]

I appreciate your thorough review. I found it helpful in my search for a computerized chess board. 😉👍

[@hybricechess]

I'm glad I could help!

[@idrissio95]

Hello @rickmidds Finally it's your best choice ?

[@jeraldmcgowin4162]

what did you buy and did you consider chessup?

[@RickMidds]

@@jeraldmcgowin4162 I went with the ChessUp board and do not have any regrets.

[@gumtree7177]

Hi you can buy the senses and have holes drilled in a wood set. Then a wood set works.

[@hybricechess]

I have seen that, though I find £35 for the sensors plus another £30 for shipping to be a little steep.

[@katzenpapa]

Hope your chess channel grows. Regards from the U.S.!

[@hybricechess]

Thanks bud, I’ve really enjoyed yours. Maybe a game or two using ChessNut together could be interesting!

[@jeraldmcgowin4162]

Did you look at Chessup? Did you try it's learning mode, where it analyzed your games.

[@maartenarnou]

Good question! ChessUp looks very promising. No, I.m not affiliated at all

[@bernardthefourth]

That would be rad if it had magnets that moved the opponents pieces for you.

[@shubhamchawla9148]

There is one which does that.

[@biswarupdas1861]

@@shubhamchawla9148 Which board does that?

[@dea-animator1906]

​@@biswarupdas1861there are many now at least 2 I know

[@dor1ank842]

Square off chess board

[@EazzyRays]

But how whould the knight move past other pieces If it moves by itself?

[@steve9021oh]

Great review! Well done and very informative! Thank you! My OCD is going crazy watching you play AI. On the board your black, but on the app your white. AHH!!! 😆

[@hybricechess]

Hah, sorry - the camera was facing me so effectively mirrored :P didn't mean to trigger you

[@mikestubbs1708]

Very useful review here! Can you play a game of chess 960, I wonder without having to hook it up to the Internet? And if it uses Stockfish 13, do you know what the ELO rating happens to be please? Many thanks for this! At present, I find it pretty costly since I'm a 76-years old pensioner... but maybe if I wait a while...??!!

[@Saimen86]

How Long does the battery Last.

[@Jonalexher]

Just wondering, I'm planning on playing late at night. Can you mute the sound it makes when there's a check?

[@Lorfarius]

Great video, its been several months so have they released any updates that fixed any issues like the latency?

[@AlanJet5]

Would be good if they simply provided the RFID things to put on the bottom of your own pieces - I have a gorgeous weighted wooden set. It also strikes me that there is no real requirement for the squares to be able to detect exactly which piece is on them. The starting position shows where the pieces are, and simply detecting a piece being removed from a square and arriving at another square is enough to positively identify the piece and the move. So a simple capacitance sensor could detect piece or no piece. Just a thought.

[@hybricechess]

They do actually sell the RFIDs, you'd need to drill into your lovely pieces though - which worries me hah. I think the piece recognition is useful for modes like Chess 960, where it would have no idea what's starting where, hah.

[@MCoTEDDY]

There is tho. Piece recognition will always work better, there is no room for error and if you'd knock something over the board will easily show you where everything is supposed to be. Also promotion. Promotion without piece recognition only works via selecting which piece you want to promote to on the app taking you completely out of the experience of even using a board like this. While with real piece recognition you simply put down the queen and the board will recognize it.

[@MartynStanleyAuthor]

You should be able to set the delay to suit your play style.

[@hybricechess]

Great idea!

[@steverogan5508]

Thanx for great vid highlighting few good pointers. You said you had few issues with shipping! Like Denny I too have ordered one, 6 days ago and am concerned about shipping. How long did you have to wait for delivery in UK?

[@hybricechess]

The shipping was fine, in fairness I ordered before Xmas and there were some delays due to the holidays. If you’re in the UK the tracking doesn’t function until it hits UK shores so it looks like it’s lost for 1-2 weeks but as soon as the UK couriers received it, it was handled perfect.

[@steverogan5508]

@@hybricechess Thank you so much for your reply, that is so helpful. I am in UK and had to pay for shipping and not getting any updates, so good to know it doesn't work till gets to our shores. Also it does say cable included so that's good you confirm. Thanks again, enjoy your Chess. I'll look out for your next video 😊

[@neilwalker4686]

how long did it take to charge? I just received mine, still red light after ten hours

[@hybricechess]

I don't believe it ever turns green, thinking about it. Connect it to the app and see what % charge it's at.

[@neilwalker4686]

great, thank you very much. left it over night just in case. when i read your info i could of kicked myself. board is fantastic, not much in help guide leaflet. good job for youtube and google. i have subscribed to your channel. i play level 4 on chess air app, get beat but after analysis encouraged me to find better moves, my opening is improving.

[@seeh_chess]

seems you could play tournaments at lichess? and probably also puzzles?

[@ylfytsub]

Great video review, thank you for that. I like the display of the DGT Pegasus very much, too, but I wonder how it would perform outside. Same for the chessnut. I look forward to play outside on my teracce in the summer. Do you have any experience or assesment with that? Will the LEDs be bright enough to be visible in the sunlight?

[@hybricechess]

Sadly, I doubt they'd be bright enough in direct sunlight - that said,I haven't personally tested that. Recording the video with a light above the board sort of showed that it washes out the LED somewhat. Though, as you would usually have your phone/ipad etc nearby when playing, you could always look at that to be double sure.

[@ylfytsub]

@@hybricechess I remember vaguely that the chessnut is able to speak out the moves, too. This could solve my problem.

[@jeraldmcgowin4162]

@@ylfytsub it speaks?

[@ylfytsub]

@@jeraldmcgowin4162 Meanwhile I own the Air and Pro and both do not speak, but the White Pawn app does. I mixed that up.

[@dadaverse]

Fantastic and fair review.

[@fireballxl-5748]

I wish you would have reviewed in person, player vs player as with a friend in the kitchen. Does the board record the moves?

[@steverogan5508]

The packaging has changed from previous vids i've seen. Does it still include USB cable which is not shown in your boxing. Thanks.

[@hybricechess]

Ahh yes, it does include that, in my excitement I must have left it out hah, well spotted.

[@richardormsby1435]

Thanks for the video, very helpful. I noticed when I choose the option to play the computer, and I want to play black, the iPhone app behaves rather weirdly. In settings there is no option to "Flip Board.' There is only the option to "Flip Pieces" and then, or so it seems, you then have to turn your phone upside down in order to have the correct orientation for the black pieces, but the white pieces do not "flip" so they appear upside down compared to what one is used to seeing. And, of course, everything else on the iPhone screen is upside down (except for the black pieces). Am I missing something?

[@jeraldmcgowin4162]

could you explain this further?

[@richardormsby1435]

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve used it, but I’ll give this a shot. Keep in mind. of course, there is always the possibility that I missed something. But from what I remember, the problem was this. Say, e.g., I’m playing white and the screen looks as one would expect-white pieces at the bottom of the screen and black pieces at the top. It's normal. So, for whatever reason, I chose “flip pieces.” Now black pieces are at the bottom of the screen and white pieces are at the top. Fine, that’s what you would expect. But, as I recall, the black pieces-now my pieces, were upside down. So, with a willingness to be flexible, I simply turn my phone upside down. So now the black pieces have the correct orientation (right side up and nearest me), but the white pieces are upside down. And of course, everything else on your phone is upside down because, well, that’s how you’re holding your phone. All I remember is, at the time it, seemed screwy, and being ADD I went on to something else and haven’t used it in a while. I hope that’s clear.

[@AsrielKujo]

6:03 your reaction 💀

[@hybricechess]

I know, I was just mindlessly playing and moving pieces to prove a point but when I hung the queen I was still like….oh….hopefully nobody notices that 🤣

[@sadaftermoon]

how long did it take to deliver as i’m from the UK

[@terracraft6631]

Very interesting review! How long did it take for it to ship to the U.K? Just asking because I have ordered one.

[@hybricechess]

Thank you very much, it took about 2 weeks to arrive - which I thought was quite good from China.

[@dennystreet2454]

ive odered this toy for my birthday. ❤❤❤❤❤ thx for video

[@hybricechess]

Brilliant, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

[@dennystreet2454]

I have a question Sir. Alot of people compliant about chessnut battery issue. When the board is fully charged is the led green or red like most of the users have?

[@hybricechess]

It’s green when fully charged, red when below a certain threshold. It’s also worth saying is seems to deplete in chunks, the app says 100%, 66%, 33% then flat, for me. Maybe that’s just how the battery sensor works.

[@hailzooter]

How would you underpronote to a piece that is already on the board and you don't have an extra piece?

[@keithwheeler3049]

Did you have to pay any additional charges when you imported your Chessnut Air ? I’m in the UK and concerned that I may have to pay VAT etc on top of the £33 postage charge.

[@sebapiu]

did you end buying it? wondering the same

[@JohnDoe-zg2pk]

Did you run the bluetooth connection under Windows 10?

[@hybricechess]

Hi there, I ran it on Windows 11 without issues, I assume it would work similarly on Windows 10

[@jeraldmcgowin4162]

Are you going to do another review?

[@pancsaer2]

That board looks awesome.

[@tobelli]

Hi, can you show how you use chessnut air to analyze your games. What software (Lucas chess? Pgn Master?) do you use? How is your process? Etc

[@hybricechess]

Hi, do you mean extracting the moves to analyse in a different tool, or directly in ChessNut? Both are possible

[@tobelli]

@@hybricechess directly in chessnut is not possible as chessnut merely opens a link to Lichess. I mean playing through the moves on the actual chessnut air, phisically analysing the played game on the chessnut air with engine assistance. So yes, extracting the pgn to a third party app/software and using the board to analyze the game.

[@thomasrummel1374]

Can it play out a perceived set up

[@danbricedatascience6807]

Hi, yesterday, during my unboxing I got a strong bad smell, something chemical coming from the board or the plastic protecting it. I asked the question at several places, including the support, but here I see that you have exactly the same new boxing than I received. Seems different from the previous ones. Did you also found such strong bad smelling on your own ? Chessnut support say it's maybe the paint on the wood, so for the moment I wait to check if it disapears.

[@hybricechess]

I can’t say I noticed anything, but that may be the foam in the box?

[@danbricedatascience6807]

​@@hybricechess Hi, no, it was coming from the board itself and from the plastic protecting it that accumulated the wood varnish smell. After 36 hours, the smell is much less heady and noticeable when approaching the board. My wife told me that now it's softer; it smells like a piece of standard varnished wood furniture. I hope it will disappear in the following days. I even tried to play to check if I can support it, it seems ok, but I need more time to ensure it does not create a headache after a while. The board is nice to play; it's an excellent experience. I hope this smell issue will disappear quickly and that I can keep it.

[@alangee2200]

May I ask a really stupid question? I’m old and not brilliant with technology: if I’m having to use my mobile phone, will it put my phone bill through the roof ? 😱😱😱 Further, can it be used standalone without being ‘connected’ anywhere ?

[@hybricechess]

As long as your phone or device is connected to Wi-Fi, no this will not cost you anything to run. It can be used as a normal chess board of course but for most of the features it will require at least a Bluetooth connection (from the board to the phone)

[@madcow412]

Did you ever buy the pro?

[@Tx66]

Hi, I just purchased the ChessNut Air but when playing with either the Chessnut or the White Pawn app, I loose Bluetooth connectivity in the middle of the game at least once or twice a day (using an iPhone on OS 16). What's up with that? Is this faulty hardware?

[@hybricechess]

Hi there, I can’t speak for the manufacturer. I’d suggest trying it with a different device to rule out a phone issue. If it still happens then yes, it would suggest hardware fault and I’d contact ChessNut about a replacement.

[@Tx66]

@@hybricechess thanks for your reply! I’m using my iPad now and there it works fine, no more BT disconnects. It’s still very weird because no other BT devices disconnect with my iPhone…pretty stumped by this to be honest.

[@owenbowen2752]

How easy is the tutorial part of the board

[@chessnoob64]

Hey, great review! I own and made a review of the Chessnut Air board as well and I agree with all your points completely. The issue with sliding pieces is a little annoying, but you do get used to it. For safety, it's best to pick up and place pieces rather than sliding, unless it is to an immediately adjacent square. I made that mistake initially, but I don't anymore once your muscle memory becomes familiar with it. I don't own the DGT Pegasus, but do have the DGT Centaur, which is very similar, but slightly older and offline only. I do agree that the ring LED lighting much preferable, but there are some trade-offs. For instance, I'm not sure that it would be simple to have the piece-specific pickup sensor with the space used by the ring LED. In contrast, the DGT Pegasus/Centaur uses a simple induction sensor that identifies where a metallic object is on the square, and cannot identify specific pieces. The very rapid and accurate detection by the Chessnut Air is definitely better than on the DGT boards. If only we could have the best of both worlds!

[@hybricechess]

Thank you very much, I know you did and very much enjoyed your video too. If only we could have that, I agree :)

[@TheAwesomeadam25]

They should add a few spare queens to the set. Kinda ruins the whole idea when a major aspect of the game isn't available to use out of the box

[@magicja]

I would argue that novices have the most fun playing chess. Keep having fun!

[@cygnusustus]

Got it right? Hardly. I tried everything to get my ChessNut Air to work. But the software was horrible (would not allow entry of game details, incorrectly recorded resignations, did not save settings, no built-in export functionality and frequently only saved partial PGN files), the board sucked (kept losing connection to my phone or incorrectly recorded moves), and the pieces were cheap (lightweight plastic easily knocked over). I bought this to automatically record and save my games. In the end, my success rate was less than 25%. The company refused to refund my money. I now have a $300 trivet. Do not buy.

[@gautam9]

When the player lifts a piece does it give all the options by lighting up leds?

[@maartenarnou]

That's what the ChessUp board does

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

Man I want one of these new fancy e boards so badly. But they gotta get real with these prices. You can get a computer, ps5 , go kart , and more for what some of these cost. They would sell millions if they stopped gouging.

[@montagdp]

I don't think it's gouging at all. There's a lot of engineering that goes into these boards, and they're made by small companies that can't operate on tiny margins like Sony can with the PS5.

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

@@montagdp Yeah no way lol. It’s easy to look up what’s in this board. They are for sure over priced no matter how you look at it. It’s not an opinion it’s a fact.

[@montagdp]

@@SticksAandstonesBozo do you think that the cost of bringing a product to market is just the cost of its components?

[@thinboxdictator6720]

8:45 ok what if opponent does it tho

[@channelsixtyseven067]

_Finally, someone got it right!_ - Finally? ... DGT wooden E-boards have had piece recognition since the 1990s and approved for use in World Chess Championships in 1998.

[@hybricechess]

@@channelsixtyseven067 they have, but they don’t have user facing apps with integration for common platforms like chess.com. And DGTs implementation on the consumer side is way more unreliable and janky, the Pegasus and Centaurs are a good example of this.

[@joannalewis5279]

Given that even playing 15+10 time trouble is an issue these products do not interest me at all. If you were to play someone who was using a similar interface it would make sense, but once you get into rated blitz and rapid I'm pretty sure these things are just frustrating

[@abcmsaj]

Got a refund back from the failed SquareOff Kickstarter of their auto-moving board... going to put the money towards this, I reckon. Was either going to be Chessnut Air or the Pokemon chess board from the Pokemon Center! 😂

[@СельскийЗай]

Not online on linux!

[@kingsgambit7098]

I just can't get behind the idea of an e-board. Either I am playing on a very nice board against someone, or I am playing online digitally. I have been playing that way for a decade at minimum. I think it is a nice concept for beginners, but it doesn't work for me.

[@samthompson5316]

was really hoping it moved the peices for you :(. Understand why it doesnt knights would be terrible to resolve.... One day

[@rhynemusic]

thanks for the review!

[@hybricechess]

You’re very welcome :)

[@simonduran3145]

I bought a chessnut pro and it doesn't work at all . . .for me it was a big waste of money

[@ShetDefrentlyStudios]

Just some advice, if you put a sock on your microphone (or a pop filter), you can help prevent your P's and B's from being so terrible. If you have a clip on, idk, experiment around, i imagine someone makes tiny mic socks.

[@armius5210]

If you want, I can train you in chess without excepting anything.

[@hybricechess]

I may very well take you up on that :)

[@arriagatwo777]

I like the idea, I don't like the design of the knight

[@TheTimeProphet]

I was hoping to find a board where it moves the opponents pieces using magnets LOL

[@hybricechess]

They exist, they’re just very expensive. They also don’t function as nicely as you’d think, the knights moving is particularly awkward.

[@TheTimeProphet]

@@hybricechess Yeh I wondered how they would get the Knights to jump. I want one like in Star Wars with animated horses LOL

[@edwardebel1847]

"Open up the Chessnut application..." on what? Windows? Mac? Who thinks this way? There are two major computer platforms (at least) and as far as I can tell, for some reason, very few of these work on MACOS... And yes, one can install Parallels...for more money...with the additional expense of buying the Windows OS...and all the anti-virus needed for Windows. Am I missing something? Why is the chess community so Windows focused? Just wondering...time to start breathing again...

[@hybricechess]

Their app works on both and I recorded this on Mac, why don’t you chill out and have a glass of water…

[@ticklershpickler]

Lame. I thought it was an air table that moved the pieces

[@asheelow1256]

Wow

[@ciri151]

I don't think it's worth it if you're only going to play on your own. I can do the same thing with a normal board, I'd just have an extra step of moving my own piece digitally. Which isn't much effort on a touchscreen. I think digital boards would only be worth it if the pieces moved on their own.

[@ThatOneWeirdGal]

What is this game? It makes no sense.

[@kevinwellwrought2024]

The board is too small for real life chess.

[@hybricechess]

How so? Do you mean tournaments? Because it's certainly plenty big for two players to play in real life...

[@alextomas6295]

why havent you uploaded more videos? dont be afraid to subject people to your "novice gameplay"

[@hybricechess]

I really enjoyed learning and making this video, but as you say I am by no means 'good" and people on here can be very harsh, hah.

[@alextomas6295]

@@hybricechess aha you said it not me :o the video is insanely well made and miles ahead of most of the competition. you got what people want!

[@raysandridge]

Absolutely junk did not work from day 1 ,horrible tech support..cost me $30 to send back.. Do Not Get this...