How do you see the future of electronic chess boards?

[Mincho Georgiev]

This is a quite interesting subject to me and it's very close to my personal reasons to start computer chess programming.
I've start playing with crafty on my wood board with the sound package and it was great! I needed some output, so for my personal needs I've developed a visual mode for crafty that was very close to sargon III's text representation of the played moves. It was great for blind training.
That is how I started. Tracy knows it btw, I've communicated with him back then.
Today with the great DGT boards and clocks in stock, one have a plenty of options. You can watch the clock for the computer move. You can hear the move announcements also if you want to. The only cons that comes in mind is their price, which is quite significant.

[Kempelen]

The only cons that comes in mind is their price, which is quite significant.

I will also add they could sell smaller boards also. The actual size is nice, but depending in one taste could be better. For me a smaller one would fit my desk better.

[hgm]

They also sell 10x10 boards. But I don't know if these can recognize Chess pieces.

[Mincho Georgiev]

The only cons that comes in mind is their price, which is quite significant.

I will also add they could sell smaller boards also. The actual size is nice, but depending in one taste could be better. For me a smaller one would fit my desk better.

Yes. Unfortunately I've only seen full-tournament size.

[IanO]

Hi Fermin

it seems the future is bleak regarding dedicated chess computers(boards) from the old time established companies
Novag ,Saitek/Mephisto have all baiscally left the business and are no longer selling anything new

there is one company..Phoenix technologies that does remain active selling dedicated chess boards and modules incorporating modern day PC engines and emulations of older programs
recent releases were Shredder 12 and Hiarcs 13.3 for their Revelation board and modules
Rev-Shredder has been rated 2725 by the SSDF
early testing seems to indicate that Rev H13.3 will be rated close to 2800 elo ..
in addition this company will soon be releasing an electronic board in conjunction with DGT which will have engines hardwired into the board and also piece recognition technology

you can read more here:

http://www.phoenixcs.nl/index.php

Best Regards
Steve

I am not a DGT fan. The RFID pieces are nice, and solve quite a few problems that I (and others) had as we built our own electronic boards in the 70's and 80's. But it has one glaring omission. You can't see, on the board, the move the computer wants to make.

There is one design I've pondered that I'm surprised has never been realized, neither commercial nor prototype: an autosensory plastic faux-marble board. If the squares were thin and translucent, then underlighting with LEDs would illuminate the entire square as an indicator, yet would not mar the surface with an unsightly LED dome or corner hole.

I do agree with HG that the best solution is a web-cam. But it certainly is not the "easiest" solution. One might encode pieces with a non-visible bar code, and use an overhead device to watch the board to detect moves, but then there is the problem of making moves for the computer. The old "phantom" idea was the slickest, the novag robot was OK. Both are Rube Goldbergish in complexity and reliability.

I proposed mentoring a CS/EE undergraduate Capstone project this year on this very topic! There were no takers, alas. Other student groups have done projects like this in the past decade, however. The problem of visual board recognition is now in the realm of a smartphone app. (Have you seen the types of recognition now performed by a mere toy, the Nintendo 3DS? Astonishing!)

As to move indication on a standard tournament board, I dream of an actuated laser pointer. Should only require a two axis stepper or servo on the same mount as the camera used for board recognition.

Ian

[CRoberson]

The question is what is the market? If it is a personal/portable chess opponent/analyst, then the tablet PC's and smartphones are perfect in the sense of strength and portability. You don't get much more portable than inside something you already carry. For some (possibly few), the market is a beautiful board with an opponent/analyst for the home. I think the first market is larger.

However, I have several friends that don't play without a real board. They are not fond of the looking back and forth. For me, the Citrine solves that problem. I never have to look at the screen and only use the board, but I can use any PC opponent I like or allow the PC to record the game.

[Steve B]

There is one design I've pondered that I'm surprised has never been realized, neither commercial nor prototype: an autosensory plastic faux-marble board. If the squares were thin and translucent, then underlighting with LEDs would illuminate the entire square as an indicator, yet would not mar the surface with an unsightly LED dome or corner hole.

Ian

Actually there was a board somewhat like that released for sale
it was sold by Scisys(a Company owned by none other then David Levy of ICGA fame)
called Sensor Chess...the LEDS were actually under the board surface which was transparent .the LEDS did not protrude over the surface
the LED's did not illuminate the entire square ..only the corner.. but it did have a nice "exotic" .. almost "psychedelic "effect
in this photo you can see the faint outlines of the LEDS in the lower left hand corner of each square:
http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... _chess.jpg


LSD Regards
Steve

[Graham Banks]

Actually there was a board somewhat like that released for sale
it was sold by Scisys(a Company owned by none other then David Levy of ICGA fame)
called Sensor Chess...the LEDS were actually under the board surface which was transparent .the LEDS did not protrude over the surface
the LED's did not illuminate the entire square ..only the corner.. but it did have a nice "exotic" .. almost "psychedelic "effect
you can see the faint outlines of the LEDS in the lower left hand corner of each square:

http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... _chess.jpg

LSD Regards
Steve

Do you have one of these in your vast collection or are you reluctant to say on the grounds that Fern will covet it?

[Steve B]

Actually there was a board somewhat like that released for sale
it was sold by Scisys(a Company owned by none other then David Levy of ICGA fame)
called Sensor Chess...the LEDS were actually under the board surface which was transparent .the LEDS did not protrude over the surface
the LED's did not illuminate the entire square ..only the corner.. but it did have a nice "exotic" .. almost "psychedelic "effect
you can see the faint outlines of the LEDS in the lower left hand corner of each square:

http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... _chess.jpg

LSD Regards
Steve

Do you have one of these in your vast collection or are you reluctant to say on the grounds that Fern will covet it?

Actually i do
but the photo in my collection wasn't as clear to make out the Recessed Led's as the one in the Chess computer wiki

Mine:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@N ... 0922172552


Good Catch Regards
Steve

[vb4]

Hi Steve,

Aren't you forgetting one very important chess dedicated machine ?? <s>

Les