ChessUp (Walnut)

This Chessup electronic smart game board is a useful teaching instrument that helps people learn chess in a fun and dynamic way. I am a chess motivator and teacher for our private school’s chess club and have found that my students benefit from the visual light-up square features that the chessboard offers to beginners as well as intermediate players to be extremely useful and engaging. The only downside of this board that I can see is the inability to take back accidental error moves once the computer thinks a player has made a move, which is unfortunate if someone drops a piece by accident, which happens more often than not because the pieces are not much weighted and tend to be on the slippery side. If taking back moves without the Chessup app is a possibility then I do not know of it, and if that is the case then it is not yet self-intuitive (I legit could not fix the accidents that my students made, like castling while leading with the rook). In one instance my student reported that he had mistakenly put the King and Queen on the wrong squares and found this out because his AI opponent’s King was able to travel across the board. Apparently the game itself cannot tell which pieces are which; it only can detect if there is indeed a piece present on that square and keeps track of what that piece is supposed to be from the start of the game. Software updates and the ability to link up with popular chess websites like Lichess and Chess.com are a welcomed addition. Overall, I found the AI opponents and hints add both extra challenges and additional confidence to each game that typical over-the-board games lack, while still offering an in-person physical feel without the typical eye-strain from constantly staring at a monitor or tablet touch screen. With the visual hint assistance (Green moves for best moves, Blue for good moves, and Red for bad moves) to help people new to the game enjoy it where they would likely never even have tried in the first place, it is sure to paint a positive experience with the “wow-factor” that comes from the initial colorful visual appeal. This is a unique example of how new cutting edge technology can still be practical and can be used to heighten an old game’s overall experience. I am sure that we can all agree that such methods are needed to cultivate new ideas and bring about more awareness through exposure in order to improve the hobby.

Alles ok, wie erwartet

The Chessup Walnut is an amazing chess computer. It is great as a stand alone machine but when used with the app on the phone (using bluetooth) it is much better. It's great to play people all over the world on Chessdotcom or Lichess using an actual board instead of on a tablet. With the app there are lots of lessons for all abilities and I was very impressed with the ones I have done up to now. (Easy to follow with the lights and the voice). This was great value, a similar machine would cost at least three times as much I think. The playing surface is 12 inches square which is ideal for me. I am very pleased with it.

I love my ChessUp board! It's easy to connect, they constantly add new lessons to the app, it's just fantastic! Totally changed the way I play online chess. Very rarely I write reviews, but this product certainy deserves it.

Very good