How I bought a DGT board, and then sold it off, and why you should NOT buy one yet

Check out this long running thread...The second generation are faster and cheaper, but several years behind original delivery estimate.  Supposedly getting ready for production now and shipping soon.

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/square-off-chess-set

@franzcobra I think Squareoff is a bit gimmicky and unnecessary.  I think it's over engineering.

I think moving a piece for my remote opponent is fine.  Voice notification is nice, however, I think the pulsing light on a DGT Pegasus or DGT Centaur board is a great balance of usability vs cost (wait until the internal mechanics of a SquareOff fails).

I think the pulsing light is a great user experience.  I hear complaints about the build quality but lets hope that improves.  It's no longer piece recognition (it's move recognition).  Lets hope the DGT software improves in quality (including support for more platforms... particularly macOS and iOS).

Thank you for your reply.

Let's see when Pegasus will be released if it will matches my needs. Hope so! Want to play online with a board to get used to otb game.

I have the Square Off Pro, the rollable board that Chesshouse has in stock. 

The app is a bit clumsy. If you want a hint you have to use "diamond points" that you refresh by--wait for it--buying them, as if you were playing a video game. This is a major turn off for me after buying the board.

But--it does seem to do what it claims to do. I connected to both chess.com and to Lichess and played a few test 10 minute games. It seemed to work. The only thing is, you can't select which side you want to play--it's random. That's not all that helpful if you are wanting to work on play from one side.

The interface to Lichess allows you to play against the stockfish engine. Chess.com is live play only. When I asked Square off about this, they told me Chess.com does not allow them access to their bots.

All in all, it's an ok system. You do move your own pieces, like Millennium or DGT centaur. It does light up on the board, which is convenient. 

To the OP's point: 

For you, the DGT Smart Board does not do what you want it to do.

But, it WILL do what it promises to do, and it will do it very well. The Pi Chess clock is robust and it is easy to use, especially with the feature that allows you to easily and quickly change functions by placing the spare queens on squares of the board. It's amazing tech.

I hooked up a $14 pair of powered speakers and I bought the version of the board with notation. The Pi calls out the moves. The games have been fun and enjoyable. I have a wooden set of pieces and they are lovely.

Do I wish it did everything, like interface with Chess.com and Lichess robustly and with the same flawless performance that it does with the clock. Sure. That would be nice. 

The DGT Centaur is a kind of entry level version of the Pi with the smart board. It's fun and super easy to use. I have a feeling the Pegasus will be the same way.

The fact that it is taking this long to reach market tells me perfecting the app for interface with the online platforms is more complicated than we think it is. 

A word in defense of the Millenium system. It was designed to be modular. I have the Genius Exclusive. If I want the big 55 board, I can use all the pieces I have already bought--the chesslink, the battery-- and don't have to buy them again. I happen to see this as a plus. And play on Lichess.com is flawless. It just works.

Finally, the Square Off Pro does everything you are asking for: it has built in Bluetooth, battery. It plays with Chess.com and Lichess. The app is still a bit wobbly, but that will improve. You might want to look at that board.

What is Play?

Chess.com has to chess functions on this site for play chess. One is "Play" and the other is "Live Chess". They are phasing out the Live Chess feature that supported DGT boards. So I hope they will carry it over once they remove Live Chess

Looks like they offer overlapping. capabilities.

How so?

@bjornhagen Under the Chess.com Play menu there is "Play" and "Live Chess". You mentioned one of these is being discontinued (Live Chess). I can't see any articles about that or a description how they differ (but you pointed out that DGT boards only work under Live Chess). This difference in functionality suggests to me it's more than just a UI thing and that Play may be their strategic direction (for whatever reason... i.e. they need to pick one to focus development effort).

As for overlapping functions... looks like I can play other or join a tournament in both.

Here are the options for "Live Chess".

Here are the options for Play.

I see DGT support in the setup options of both.

It is availible in both, yes. But it doesnt work in "Play" for some reason, dont know why. Im not sure what the differences are and why they are ditching "Live Chess"

It is the same story as with the boards. DGT can't get their act together. Simple.

It is the same story as with the boards. DGT can't get their act together. Simple.

The same DGT board that works fine on lichess doesn't work here. It is the implementation that is faulty.

Forget about Pegasus or any other half baked rubbish from DGT. Check this out!!

https://youtu.be/Hlym8mIut-w

Chess.com now has a Pegasus User Group for those who are interested in Pegasus-only helpful info. All P owners are early adopters of this new board. Check it out and join at:

https://www.chess.com/club/dgt-pegasus-user-group