Play chess: online and computer chess on real boards in the test

Regardless of whether you are just learning chess, return to it after a long time or play tournaments as a professional: online chess has changed the image of the sport of thought in recent years. At lichess.org and chess.com you will find tens of thousands of chess friends at any time of the day or night to play a blitz game in five minutes against an equal opponent at the push of a button. And since computers have dominated the royal game, chess engines like Stockfish have been indispensable tools for analyzing games and correcting your own weaknesses.

However, computerization robs chess of its charm. Staring at screens and pushing mice isn’t half as fun as moving real wooden pieces on a real chessboard. Appearance of DGT and Millennium: With the e-Board series and the Supreme Tournament 55, the two manufacturers offer high-quality chess pieces and boards at prices between 280 and almost 900 euros, which can be connected to a computer or smartphone via USB or Bluetooth.

Sensors under the board surface recognize the positions of the figures equipped with passive electronic components and transmit them to the computer. Thanks to electrical oscillating circuits (DGT) and an RFID system (Millennium), the figures are individually recognized and can be moved naturally without having to press any fields.