Competition MIL831

I purchased this for my son, who is a former class A tournament player in the US Chess Federation. He loves this chess computer. He reports that it fully customizable for players of all skill levels, ranging from beginners to international masters.

I LOVE the fact that this computer works great for my kids who range from just learning pieces through competent players as well as myself (master level player)! The options for the computer playing according to the level of the player playing it is fantastic as one of my 'pet peeves' of playing computers years ago was that it just didnt' feel the same as playing a human that makes errors - and the type of mistakes computers made were so bad they felt inhuman...this product changes that for me! Love also that I can connect and play on lichess - having that option makes this like a 2-in-1 versatile product as I like to play against others online, yet value having the physical board instead of screen only. Look, feel, size I find quite comfortable. Also love the fact you can store your games, though would like to see a setting that allows all games played to be stored so that when my kids play I can then see exactly what they did without them having to think about saving the game afterwards. :) Drawbacks: menu screen is quite small though fairly intuitive. ChessHouse linking all the manuals directly on the product page is another thumbs up!! Thanks for making those so easily accessible. I do wish it came with a standard USB cable connection as it's an extra step to get the adapter to connect to my computer...that USB would be more valuable to me than the international power options - which I get make sense when selling this product internationally - just would be nice to be able to connect to the computer without going out for the adapter... you get what I'm saying. All in all - LOVE this product so far!!

I set the level at 1450 and when I began beating it about every third game, I upped it to 1600...and it became considerably harder, quite discouraging in fact, until I began to win the occasional game. It has a very "human" feeling, as it appears to adapt to your playing style. This forces me to vary my style, particularly in the opening game; a different experience, a better experience, than what I was used to with the now ancient Phantom Force engine. Well worth the $$

Great gift for my son and self to play and learn chess. Will eventually try the online part.

I don't like instructions in another language,was not in English!!!

Lets get the shortcomings out of the way first: 1. Proprietary power plug, which means you can't be on the go with a universal USB-C battery bank. Instead you must purchase a very expensive battery bank (Chess Volt 69.90) from them directly. 2. "Chess Link Module" (M822 99.90) is basically a Bluetooth dongle that allows you to download the app to your phone (Android & Apple compatible) and then allows you to play against anyone who has everything online as well. My honest gut opinion is that Bluetooth should have been built in or at least allow USB-C connection to either mobile devices from the chess board or PC and then play online. Or have a second USB-C port and allow for any old compliant Bluetooth dongle to be connected. Also develop an app that allows video chat or video conferencing while playing. It connects only to chess.com and keeps track of all your scores and games. So no casual games with say family just for fun while chatting away. With the battery bank also being propriety and expensive I feel the overall cost of everything is prohibitive to the normal chess player. USB-C battery bank are dime a dozen now and pretty much every household has one these days. It would not have hurt to have a step up converter built in to allow for a simple USB-C battery bank to power this board. With that being said, I really love this chess set. It is sturdy, came well boxed, and offers a variety of challenging levels. The engine inside the board is the new "The King COMPETITION" which contains the legendary chess program "The King by Johan de Koning". The "King software" is also adaptive with levels & Chess960 engine as well. It is a lot to take in I know. Pieces feel good in the hand, and the LEDS on the board are vibrant and crisp, allowing you to easily see where the opponent's pieces go. Spooky at first, but it works. Board is plastic, but feels sturdy. LCD is easy to read at a glance and figuring everything out is pretty straight forward. Daughter and I have learned quite a bit of moves playing with this set. I miss living in NYC. I miss playing chess with random people in Washington Square Park. I never won, was never good at it, but I truly enjoyed the company. I almost tear up thinking about it. I miss the humble people of New York. This chess set won't replace any of that, because there are no conversations of rent control, grass roots movements, a pain to get up a 30 floor walk up or the projects, but it will allow you to have an opponent, where people do not get together generally to play chess. Highly giftable. Great for anyone learning to play chess competitively, or needs an opponent at a whims notice. Great for those who have everything too.

This has been a WONDERFUL and FUN experience. The design of this board is sleek and aesthetically pleasing. It’s sturdy and well designed with high quality chess pieces. It has good weight to it but, still easy to handle, making it portable. It has an IMPRESSIVE pressure sensitivity sensor. You can adjust the difficulty level to meet your needs. The built in LED screen is easy to read and easy to follow. It’s great for beginners or experts alike and can be played with online players or against the computer. Overall I am EXTREMELY happy with this device. I encourage you to check it out.

Although the chess set looks great, there are no instructions on how the settings actually work for the cryptic UI which is something from the 1980s. Also, unless you always like to be plugged into an AC adapter, there is no way to play without purchasing a battery which is sold as an expensive accessory. Buy the Centaur instead.