Chessnut EVO Review | Bot match, Chess.com gameplay, Chessable integration + more!

It's giving video reviewing is my passion.
Hi y'all! I was fortunate to receive a prototype of the EVO, a smart electronic chessboard, from ‪@Chessnutech‬ to do a review. As I am not a content creator nor a product reviewer, please bear with the clunkiness of editing and content. If there is something I missed in this review, please feel free to ask and I'll try my best to answer!
TL;DW - I really enjoy this product, but it's not perfect. If you are somebody who is willing to spend the money on a premium product and interested in merging the tactile OTB chess experience with the ease of finding matches online through lichess or chess.com, you will love the EVO. The functionality and responsiveness is great, I've had relatively few issues while playing live games online. In my opinion, the attached screen fundamentally changes the experience from a product like the Air or Pro- it's simply easier and more streamlined to use. On the other hand, if you are considering this product for its marketed ability to act as a smart-AI trainer to improve your chess skills, I think you will find yourself disappointed. While the Chessable integration is FANTASTIC (for me personally this would be a huge factor in buying this), the actual training and AI features of the board itself feel lackluster. I do not think, in its current state with the features it has now, the EVO could act as a standalone "coach" or trainer for somebody looking to improve their chess. I only mention this because Chessnut markets this pretty heavily as a smart-AI training board, but to me I think there are several things they need to add before I would agree.
Use code “CAMERON” at checkout or enter through the link below for a discount on your purchase!
www.chessnutech.com/cameron
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0:00 Introduction (skippable)
2:07 Packaging
3:09 Build Quality
5:51 Chessboard settings
8:03 Bot match
10:55 Record (history) function
11:53 Online match
16:30 Puzzles and daily/correspondence games
18:35 Clock (OTB) match
21:00 Chessable integration
24:15 Other features
27:38 Final thoughts
#chess #chessable #chessnut #eboard #productreview

[@mikekelly9921]

Excellent review. You explained the features well. I am a backer of the product and have heard of some glitches with the initial production but most seem to have been resolved. I have yet to receive my evo but am so looking forward to getting my hands on it

[@cameronginochiochess]

Thank you, Mike! Appreciate the kind words. First time putting together something like this. If you get a chance come back and let me know what you think of the EVO when you finally get your hands on it! Super fun product, I’m sure you will enjoy it.

[@Steeve26]

Really informative video. Might pick one of these up myself 👍

[@cameronginochiochess]

Really glad you found it helpful, thank you!!

[@mikecorrigan5166]

Thx for the review. Helped me make the decision to buy.

[@cameronginochiochess]

So glad to hear it, Mike! Feel free to take advantage of my coupon code, it’s good for 17% off for a limited time (through 1/6) which is more than the standard site discounts! Cheers

[@foldemort8335]

Great video bro!

[@cameronginochiochess]

Thank you!!

[@JohnoScott]

Thanks for the great review

[@cameronginochiochess]

Appreciate the comment, glad it was helpful!

[@evansviller]

Just got my EVO and love it!

[@cameronginochiochess]

Hell ya!! It’s a great board and learning tool!

[@danieljeffries6430]

This was a Excellent review I've been working on my chess game and wanted to see what could be a Good Tool thus is a Must Have 👍 Thanks

[@cameronginochiochess]

Appreciate it, Daniel. Glad you found it helpful and I agree, the EVO is a great tool for those that want to learn and improve their game

[@danieljeffries6430]

@@cameronginochiochess Also The Chessnut Pro IS that a Good Tool Too?

[@cameronginochiochess]

@@danieljeffries6430 the Pro is great (and my go-to e-board right now) but in my opinion it is less of a learning tool because it doesn’t have the ability to connect with Chessable like the EVO. It’s great for getting a tournament style OTB experience, but less so for learning

[@TheChessGiant]

I like the different angles

[@cameronginochiochess]

Thank you!

[@elektronikundretrospiele685]

Hi, very nice review. What happens if a move was not recognized correctly. As you showed, one can make the move on the screen. Is the board still working correct and recognize the follow-up moves or do you have to play the whole rest of the game on the screen?

[@cameronginochiochess]

Thank you! In my experience as long as you catch the board up to the current position, you can continue with the board even if you make a move on screen.

[@justinbey8172]

I will be getting one tomorrow

[@cameronginochiochess]

Hell ya!

[@wallmachine8780]

one of the best review videos I've seen of any type of review! Anyone got info if the glitches of the board not registering the pieces is fixed?

[@cameronginochiochess]

Wow, very high praise! Thank you. Are you referring to a problem that I speak about in the video or something else? I’ve definitely seen mixed feedback from others who have received their EVO, which is a shame because the unit I have works quite well. I think in a lot of cases it can be as simple as using the default pieces/board on your respective platform or turning off/on the Chessnut Vision app, but I have seen people report more extreme issues.

[@wallmachine8780]

@@cameronginochiochess the format is very good. Yeah, the issue mentioned in the video at 14:50 I've been watching all the vids I can find and most are 6month ago reviews and they mention the same thing, don't really see reviews from last few weeks like yours. I had a read of the manual and it does suggest to reset to default as well. I've ordered the product but seems there is a long wait based on the kickstarter/reddit posts :(

[@baksteen123]

If you play black and flip the board around, will the LED screen content correct and flip itself over?

[@cameronginochiochess]

You can manually flip the screen, but it’s not automatic.

[@mornepetersen7003]

I just received my evo and it seems like the board has a slight concave shape when looking at it feom the side, almost like the center bottom of the board hang lower than the sides, is this normal?

[@cameronginochiochess]

That’s very odd, I do not notice that on my board. Have you tried sending a pic to their customer service?

[@vornamenachname4387]

Hi! You showed, that it works with Chessable. Can you please say me, does it have a speaker, so that I can also watch my Chessable Videos?

[@cameronginochiochess]

It does have a speaker! I’ve even watched twitch on it lol

[@vornamenachname4387]

@@cameronginochiochessThank you for your fast answer!! 😃

[@utubepunk]

Is there a budget board out there that's compatible with the two major websites?

[@cameronginochiochess]

I’m not sure if this counts as budget but the Chessnut Air would be the cheapest on the market, to my knowledge, that has that functionality. On sale you can get it for around $160-180 USD. Other options out there like the Bryghtlabs Chessup or SquareOff Pro all come in closer to $300. I just did a quick Amazon look and came across the Millenium eONE that claims compatibility with chesscom and lichess but I don’t know anything about it at all, it’s $190

[@utubepunk]

@@cameronginochiochess Rewriting since KZbin crashed on me... Thank you so much for the detailed reply. When looking at the reviews here, it's hard to get a bird's eye view of what's out there & their respective price points. I would say $200 and less qualifies as budget since this is such a niche market. I'll check out those 2 options. Btw, I enjoy your videos. They're well paced & just long enough. I also appreciate the transparency when you disclose a company sent you a product to review. Most times, they ask for it back. If so... or heck, if not, I recommend you disclose that as well. Such disclaimers go a long way. Anyway, thanks again! 🙏

[@Kamadev888]

Thanks for the review! It's very good. I've heard reports that it sometimes doesn't turn on, doesn't register moves, and other niggles, that made using the machine so difficult that people wanted to send it back. Have you noticed any such issues (or heard of similar ones)? Thanks!

[@loewe-lamm]

I ordered one, will this also be s prototype??

[@cameronginochiochess]

Nope! They are shipping out actual production boards now I believe. This was sent to me before final production was ready.

[@loewe-lamm]

@@cameronginochiochess thank you, my board will be shipped next week via air shipping, should be here before christmas 🙂 do you think its save via air shipping, maybe the package will be handled like shit and will be thrown around :(

[@cameronginochiochess]

@@loewe-lamm it’s packaged very, very well. Even if the box is thrown I think the board will be quite safe! Don’t worry and if you get a chance come back and let me know what you think of it!!

[@zapflod]

Conflicted, either wait for the Chessup 2 or buy this one now… decisions, decisions

[@zapflod]

Update, went for the Evo and the Air +

[@tristandeboer]

Can you give a hint as to how you installed the Chessable app?

[@cameronginochiochess]

Yes, you just need to download an APK downloader app such as APKPure and then use that to download the chessable app.

[@t0dd000]

The pieces. I thought the weight was okay considering their size. But man, they are very skittery.

[@cameronginochiochess]

I came around on the pieces honestly. Did not like them at first but I understand why they went with a futuristic aesthetic. It’s not my jam personally but for the EVO in particular I think it makes sense.

[@user-wz7er7kn9y]

Technically the review is sposored and paid for by chessnut they sent u a free board right? Review was good hopfully unbiased

[@cameronginochiochess]

Yes, I made sure to disclose that this unit was sent to me by Chessnut and I tried of course to be unbiased. I definitely have some criticisms of the board but overall it’s quite an enjoyable product

[@user-wz7er7kn9y]

@@cameronginochiochess in the video u couldn't flip screen while in Chessable, however if u flip it prior to opening the app I assume that would work for a lefty?

[@cameronginochiochess]

@@user-wz7er7kn9yI just tried and it flipped back over when I opened the Chessable app. I’ll have to do some digging to figure out why it won’t stay rotated in the app.

[@user-wz7er7kn9y]

@@cameronginochiochess no worries hopefully I have mine soon and can test too :)

[@jasecastle9173]

Audio sounds really echoey, try a different mike. Hafd to tolerate this audio on my phlne. Just a heads up.

[@cameronginochiochess]

Hey thanks for the feedback! Since this video I have drastically improved my audio lol

[@jasecastle9173]

@@cameronginochiochess I,ll check them out and maybe subscribe thanks.

[@LordOrsted]

If you are not a content creator nor a product reviewer, why did Chessnut send you a prototype?

[@ok-hd4so]

thats what im curious about too . fishy

[@LordOrsted]

@cameronginochio Could we have some answers please? You have replied to other comments after this one was written, so don’t pretend that you haven’t checked the comments section yet.

[@cameronginochiochess]

Appreciate the questions! I address why I have a prototype first thing in the video: I posted a written review of my Chessnut Air on Reddit earlier this year, simply to help anybody else out who might be thinking of buying it because I liked the product and couldn't find a ton of reviews when I was doing my own research. Chessnut appreciated that I did that and reached out to me a couple months ago asking if I'd be willing to receive a sample of the EVO to post another review, either written or video. Of course I jumped at the opportunity as I was highly intrigued by their new product. Nothing nefarious about it, I'm grateful for the opportunity and probably was equally as confused as you both when they approached me. I tried to do my best to provide an unbiased and thorough review of the product as a result.

[@t0dd000]

​​@@LordOrstedWow. I guess are something else. Especially considering he answered that exact question right out of the gate. Still ... Why the hostility? And still no apology a month later. So classy.

[@XhizorBE]

@@LordOrsted dude you have serious issues, work at your social skills asap. Also don't speak in thirth form you only speak for your self. So next time don't speak for several people as a indvidual

[@94markt]

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