ChessUp 2 - Electronic Chess Board by Bryght Labs - Built-in WiFi, Chess Engine - Includes Chess Set TouchSense Pieces - Light Up Smart Chess Board - with AI, Lessons, Wireless Play & Companion App

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.

I’m teaching my 6 yr old granddaughter how to play chess. This is the ideal board for everyone from novice to experienced players. Easy to use; easy to learn.

Excellent product! Made Christmas memories ❤️

Works wonderfully well. There are chess pieces to move just like on a regular chess board. One can set the game to whatever difficulty level is desired. Board lights up if a move is not allowed. My 13 year old grandson loves it. I am very pleased.

I love playing chess on the Chess.com app on my phone. I just got ChessUp 2 and it is exactly what I was hoping for and more. It lets me play other people through the internet with a real board

I really like the overall experience. At times it can be a little difficult for the board to clearly read the pieces, but I love that it connects to Chess.com. It’s a great way to play chess and continue improving at the game.

$400 chess board is ridiculous… but fun. Includes extra Queen of each color. Can play very fast. Fun with friends. Can play with AI offline. Seamless integration with Chess.com

I was very excited to get this chess set to play against online opponents. It does pretty well but the board sometimes does not register that the pieces have been moved, so you have to put the piece back in its original square and move it again. This eats up some time and makes it tough to play faster time controls. My bigger issue with the board is how much wasted potential there is. You would think this could be the PERFECT tool for studying, but it seems completely underdeveloped for that purpose. The learning modules are through the app and are videos. There are already a million video resources for chess, and the lessons are generic and don't make good use of the smart board. When playing a bot on the board, you can't take a move back. The eval bar is sometimes finnicky and will not update immediately. These are a few of the issues. Overall, the board is pretty good for playing online. It's not much good for anything else. It feels more like a high-end toy made by tech bros than something designed for chess enthusiasts. Of course, at the price point, it is mostly people who care about chess who will be buying this, so it is a real missed opportunity.