Thoughts on the DGT chessboard

[sje]

Can the current version (v1.5, either Windows or OS/X) of the HIARCS Chess Explorer (HCE) connect to a DGT board?

From my brief perusal of the HCE help files, it appears the answer is "No".

I would like the answer to become "Yes", at least in the case of OS/X.

[sje]

I'm sending the order later today. Perhaps this means that a new version of the board will be announced next week.

These are the DGT Royal pieces. Note that the knight hasn't missed too many meals.

[Wardy]

I have the royal pieces with my board, I like them B-)

[sje]

Things I like about the DGT Royal set:

1. Sturdy king finial, less likely to break than other designs.
2. Queen coronet not too pointy.
3. Bishop mitre slice is diagonal and not the more fragile vertical.
4. Knight shows more effort was used than the simpler German knight.
5. Pawn height nearly the same as the rook height.
6. Dark rosewood is superior to ebonized wood.

Things I don't like:

1. Bishop head should be shaped more like a bulb than an egg.
2. Deep crenelation cuts on rook look fragile.
3. Strictly speaking, a Staunton rook should not have a collar.
4. Real ebony, despite the cost, is preferred over dark rosewood.
5. Price is an extra US$50 over the default DGT Timeless set.

DGT does offer an ebony set for about an extra US$200, but I don't like the styling used.

[sje]

I made it to the post office earlier today and got the order sent. So in a week or two, I'll have my little toy.

The order also included a copy of Fritz 13, so I'll have something to vigorously test the board. I hope that my cheap Windows 8 notebook will support all of the program's features.

http://www.chessbase-shop.com/en/products/fritz13_eng

[sje]

DGT offers its pieces sets separately with prices starting at about US$220 (Timeless) to US$420(?) (Ebony). Each set includes an extra pair of queens.

http://digitalgametechnology.com/site/i ... chess-sets

There are some third party vendors who offer DGT board compatible versions of piece sets, adding at least US$150 in price for the option.

The DGT Ebony piece set:


It's nice, but I don't like a vertical mitre cut which chops a bishop's finial. Whenever I first see a particular wood set, the question I ask is "Which part will be the first to break?" and here it's the bishop's top.

[sje]

The board and accessories are now on their way, heading backward on the Oregon Trail. Will the shipment arrive in a timely manner? Will everything be present? Will it all work?

Stay tuned for the next installment in the saga.

[paulhuk]

Well I'm staying tuned. I remember the excitement when I bought my old DGT board from Eric Hallsworth years ago and its worked faultlessly so far. I do agree that its not as smooth and immediate as setting up and playing an ARB. It takes some arranging and space but once dialed in you do have such flexibility with fantastic free programs. I use the free version of Rybka, Stockfish and a Hiarcs 13 purchase. And the tournament size board is wonderful. If you want to consider a more ARB option then there is always the Pico project. You can look at the details here http://jromang.github.com/Stockfish/ Personally I would recommend the more powerful ODROID. Anyway, I do wish you well with your new toy. Just enjoy it for the time being.

Regards,

Paul H

[sje]

My DGT board is slowly finding its way to me at the breathtaking average speed of about 10 m/s.

Here's a video from Jonas Žnidaršič with PicoChess on a RaspPi and the DGT board: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP_LpxUORVg

In the above video, a DGT XL clock is used for a display. At present I have neither a RaspPi nor an XL clock.

The response time of the DGT board is limited by the raster scan rate which is four frames per second for the USB version and six frames per second on the Bluetooth version. Unlike most DGT board users, the main use for me will be setting up positions and not playing games; it will be the primary input source for my own program Symbolic.

[ricard60]

I was doing a Match between a Mysticum Houdini 1.5a against Picochess first with a Rikomagic and then with a dual core Odroid X. Probably the strongest match between 2 dedicated chess machines up to now.

http://foro.meca-web.es/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=108

But both matches have to be stopped because there is a bug on picochess. We are waiting for next versión of picochess to continue with this.

World dedicated chess championship regards
Ricardo

[Bryan Whitby]

Hi Ricardo

I've been following your match against Picochess on the MECA forum and also seen your Mysticum chess board on the Blaubaers forum too. Building your own chess computer with Houdini must be very satisfying.

Last year I build a chess computer using the Raspberry PI running Stockfish 3.
You could class it as a dedicated chess computer because when it booted up it went straight into the Stockfish program and nothing else. It wasn't 100% stable but sometimes I managed to complete the odd game or two.

I suspect you know about 'Solus Chess' software that my friend Berger from Barcelona produced. This is a really nice bit of coding and enables anyone with a bit of DIY skills to be able to build their own full size autosensory board.
Although initially designed to connect to a Windows PC/tablet, it is also possible to connect to any Android and Apple tablet/phone with the correct chess software installed.
Here's some photos of my 'Solus Chess' board connected to a variety of tablets.
http://usbchessboard.yolasite.com

Regards
Bryan

[ricard60]

Hi Ricardo

I've been following your match against Picochess on the MECA forum and also seen your Mysticum chess board on the Blaubaers forum too. Building your own chess computer with Houdini must be very satisfying.

Last year I build a chess computer using the Raspberry PI running Stockfish 3.
You could class it as a dedicated chess computer because when it booted up it went straight into the Stockfish program and nothing else. It wasn't 100% stable but sometimes I managed to complete the odd game or two.

I suspect you know about 'Solus Chess' software that my friend Berger from Barcelona produced. This is a really nice bit of coding and enables anyone with a bit of DIY skills to be able to build their own full size autosensory board.
Although initially designed to connect to a Windows PC/tablet, it is also possible to connect to any Android and Apple tablet/phone with the correct chess software installed.
Here's some photos of my 'Solus Chess' board connected to a variety of tablets.
http://usbchessboard.yolasite.com

Regards
Bryan

Hi Bryan.

For some reason i can not load the page of the link you post.

[sje]

DGT Timeless chessmen (least expensive; supplied by default with a DGT board):

I like the king, queen, and bishop. The rook is okay. The knight is not very impressive, and the pawn is too short.

[sje]

DGT Classic chessmen ("ebonized" black pieces):



I like the styling almost as much as I like the DGT Royal styling. The Classic set is only slightly more expensive than the default Timeless set. This would be a good deal for some, but my preference is not to use ebonized chessmen.

[sje]

DGT Venus chessmen ("ebonized" black pieces):



You have to give marks to the designer of this set for its consistency of style. The knight is remarkable because it's so unremarkable. And the set would be good for confusing a human opponent. But again, ebonized pieces are not for me.