I just bought one of these. Nice computer for chess! I have an old Drueke #35 set that I put the aluminum stickers on the bottoms and use those on my Centaur. I haven't even taken the pieces that came with it out of the sealed bags. It works great. My next modification will be to print out some transparencies with squares that look like wood and attach them to the surface. I have already tested it without pasting anything and it works fine. It's gonna be epic! Thanks for the video.
@@Clara_Page I bought the DGT Centaurus and I am very happy with it. The real decider for me was that it was the only one available in South Africa and importing anything is a nightmare at the moment. I use it for playing against , analysis and solving problems. A lot of people complain about the plastic pieces but I really like them . The contrast between the board and pieces is great and it is very quick and easy to setup a position. The e-ink display is very clear and easy to read. What is really great is the battery lasts for ages and you do not need to connect it to anything to play or analyse. I haven't used any other set since I got it.
@@stephenleach3110 sounds amazing, I'll save up for one once my seasonal job starts up :) I think they're about £300 over here... My xbsx or PS5 can wait till the next year lol
I can't believe you left us hanging like that! I was just trying to work out the race to promote one of those pawns and then the video ended. How am I going to sleep? 😂 Did you play Nc3+ next?
Like Simon said, if your a good clubplayer or better, lets say 1700+, the endgame weakness gets annoying. Friendly is too strong for absolute beginners that just learned how the pieces move but ideal for 1100 to 1600. Above 1600 I would go for challenging mode, you wont win as much but Centaur plays a much more consistent game and you still get chances. I'm 1800 and challenging is perfect for me. And don't forget to use expert to train converting won positions and endgames.
Wow! That was fun to watch. Right down to the wire! I'm trying to choose between this board or a Millennium Genius Exclusive. I like that the Millennium has the possibility of online, computer, or tablet/phone connection. It's the only thing I have against the DGT Centaur. It's about half the price of the Millennium though. I really don't care about the moving feature of the Square Off boards. I find it a little annoying. I don't like the boards that require pressing to enter moves. I think I really like the piece recognition of the Millennium. Tough decision. Thanks for the vid! Peace...Guy
Had the same decision to make, and finally settled on the Centaur. The price and the fact that it's battery powered did it for me. Playing on it is really great. Recognition flawless so far. Might try this tape trick to use wooden peaces... Good luck.
Hey Jakob. Just an update. Since this comment I posted, I've found the Certabo chess system. Piece recognition along with the clever used of a Raspberry Pi 4 Linux micro computer. After conversing with the owner of the company, Pietro, I've purchased one of his electronic chess boards and a RPi chess computer. What I really liked was his use of Open Source Linux and Github code repository environment. I have quite a bit of experience with the RPi, as I've had a RPi 3B for a couple of years to lean Linux, some programing, and networking, and Github, I used while developing my racing drone builds and flight programs, and my Loop diabetes automated T1D insulin delivery system used with and through my iPhone and Apple Watch. So, I think, the Certabo is a good fit for me. However, not inexpensive as the package was around $700 USD board and computer. Pietro gave my a Linux command line entry that will allow me to navigate into the normal Linux RPi OS so to "play" with the chess interface. Very cool! Anyway, I thought you might find this a little bit interesting. Peace...Guy
I think they will be fine as long as they are well made with no sharp edges on the bottom. You just move the pieces - there's no need to press down on squares as required my a lot of computer chess boards. I hope you'll report back to tell us how well they work. Good luck!
Anyone know if this can be done with a regular DGT Bluetooth board? I did a test substituting a pawn with a US coin and it never registered a move on my DGT Pi. I tried a quarter, penny, nickel and a dime but with no luck.
Aren't the original pieces recognized on the board by their individual values? If so, how can the computer differentiate them now that they all have a 1p coin stuck underneath them?
The board has 64 induction sensors below it. That's why the metal coin works (and non-metallic materials won't). If you know how induction stoves work, this board works on the same principle. The metal coin changes the induced current, thus telling the computer that there's a piece on that square. Now, the computer doesn't know what piece you placed there. It only knows what piece should be there (either in the standard setup or your own custom setup input through the menu). It's your responsibility to make sure the correct piece is placed there. Apparently it's not a weight sensor as I originally thought. I think it makes more sense to use induction since analog weight sensors can become erratic, but digital induction sensors are binary (on or off). Of course, while you can place any piece, the computer trusts you to place the correct piece. It can't enforce you to do so.
@@adtc Yes, there are usually two ways to recognize the presence or not of chess pieces on a chess board, either by Reed switches that detect magnets on the bottom of those pieces, or by induction like you describe here. Although at this price point, I was perhaps expecting the board to be have the technology to individually recognize pieces.
He wrapped a coin in aluminum foil and took the felt off the chess piece and super glued the aluminum foil covered coin on the bottom of the chess piece and it worked??
Almost right. You don't actually need aluminium foil. Step 1 - Remove the felt from the chess pieces. Step 2 - Superglue a coin to the base of each chess piece. Step 3 - Play Chess!. Optional Step 4 - If you want the bottom of the chess pieces to look a bit more attractive, stick an aluminium foil disc on to the coin.
I know you're asking Simon, but I just thought I'd add my thoughts. The bottom doesn't bother me. I never really see it, unless I'm transporting it somewhere. I'm not sure why some are claiming that it's "bad". I think it was just a design choice, but I am not at all bothered by it.
It's actually a great design choice. The shape of the domes underneath each square gives the board strength preventing flex in the thin board. Esthetics is a personal thing, I like it.
I customized my Centaur months ago with self-adhesive aluminium radiator tape cut in 3cm round circles and put it straight on the felt. It works perfectly.
Carrinthe, I did this with something called "Metal Tape" which I am sure is the same thing, basically a thick aluminum foil with a backed adhesive, it works great and now I can use my favorite triple weighted pieces on my new Centaur! Thanks for the great input.
