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Years ago I had a Radio Shack Electronic chess board. Time moved on.
I’m thinking I would like to possibly get another electronic chess board.
There are quite a few options and many bargains on EBay.
Does anyone have an electronic chess board? What brand? How do you like it?
Any suggestions ?
Thanks.
I have been looking around and it has been an eye opener.
This. From Milton Bradley in 1983 ! Game plays itself
And this: From Square Off. Game moves its own pieces. And you can play with someone from around the world.
The Milton Bradley is 40 year old technology. Hard to find. And pricey.
The Square Off is current and readily available.
Since I am a lazy bum, the thought of not having to reach across the board and remove an opponent's piece seems inviting. It is pricey, as well. For sky high prices I need to look in to quality a little bit more. But the thought of being able to sit here, in my house, and play against anyone of you here sounds like a good solution to the "no one plays chess around here" problem.
Looking for opinions.
Quoted from BrianBannon:I have two of the Fidelity Phantom computers, one normal and one eyeball, they are identical to the Milton Bradley design with a stronger playing program. You would be better served by NOT buying these to play on. They do work and are cool for a time, but the unit is big, the pieces are small, it is noisy, and does break. Don't forget, it is 1980s technology and parts are hard to find. The pieces are specially designed for these units, so if you lose one you just can't grab another piece and have it work. I just looked on ebay and a Phantom sold recently for $52, why so cheap? No pieces. I have fixed both of mine a couple of times over the years. It is really more of a conversation piece than a good playing partner.
I don't own a Square Off if only because most of the robotic designs built into chess computers have not held up well over time. Novag tried it a couple of times with the Novag 2 Robot and Robot Adversary, both with robot arms-bad idea. Finding one of those still working is like finding a NIB Addams Family, it just doesn't happen anymore. Excalibur tried it with the Mirage and it is just a cheaper Phantom made in China with plenty of issues. Phantom probably is the best of the bunch and it is not trouble free by a long shot. Time will tell on the Square Off, ask the owners in a few years to find out how it has held up. It looks really cool, no doubt.
Here are a few cheap suggestions that will get your feet wet without breaking the bank, all used and available on ebay:
Fidelity Excellence--cheap and strong enough for most players, around $50
Fidelity Designer Series--cheap and reliable, $50-100
Radio Shack has a number of models that would work fine and unless you are over 1500 USCF they have lots of strength for you-$25 and up
Novag--any of the Constellation models, plus the Emerald, Zircon, Aquamarine, more expensive but worth it.
Buy a cheap chess computer and see how you like it. Then buy another one if you like it a lot, just like pinball machines only they are cheaper and don't take up as much space.
This is great information. Thank you for sharing. I'll find something on Ebay and save some money.
I did find a you tube vid where a guy removes the top of a Square Off board and shows what is inside. It is a tractor feed system so locating drive belts if one breaks could be a problem. The other item that could be a problem is the circuit board. Would one even be able to buy a replacement CB?
Enjoy the video.
Quoted from BrianBannon:I have two of the Fidelity Phantom computers, one normal and one eyeball, they are identical to the Milton Bradley design with a stronger playing program. You would be better served by NOT buying these to play on. They do work and are cool for a time, but the unit is big, the pieces are small, it is noisy, and does break. Don't forget, it is 1980s technology and parts are hard to find. The pieces are specially designed for these units, so if you lose one you just can't grab another piece and have it work. I just looked on ebay and a Phantom sold recently for $52, why so cheap? No pieces. I have fixed both of mine a couple of times over the years. It is really more of a conversation piece than a good playing partner.
I don't own a Square Off if only because most of the robotic designs built into chess computers have not held up well over time. Novag tried it a couple of times with the Novag 2 Robot and Robot Adversary, both with robot arms-bad idea. Finding one of those still working is like finding a NIB Addams Family, it just doesn't happen anymore. Excalibur tried it with the Mirage and it is just a cheaper Phantom made in China with plenty of issues. Phantom probably is the best of the bunch and it is not trouble free by a long shot. Time will tell on the Square Off, ask the owners in a few years to find out how it has held up. It looks really cool, no doubt.
Here are a few cheap suggestions that will get your feet wet without breaking the bank, all used and available on ebay:
Fidelity Excellence--cheap and strong enough for most players, around $50
Fidelity Designer Series--cheap and reliable, $50-100
Radio Shack has a number of models that would work fine and unless you are over 1500 USCF they have lots of strength for you-$25 and up
Novag--any of the Constellation models, plus the Emerald, Zircon, Aquamarine, more expensive but worth it.
Buy a cheap chess computer and see how you like it. Then buy another one if you like it a lot, just like pinball machines only they are cheaper and don't take up as much space.
I got this Saitek Kasparov model for $30.00 shipped. I went with this type since it has the little red lights that indicate which piece is to move and to where it is supposed to move. These little light seem more solid than one with an LED display.
I imagine whatever software is powering it will be good enough to kick me all over the board.
Still, those boards with the self-moving pieces do look tempting.
What I noticed when shopping Ebay is how many vintage electronic chess boards were for sale that did not have any pieces, or had missing pieces. A few sellers placed some cleverly worded ads in an attempt to hide the fact that there were missing pieces with what they were selling. The pieces are special and cannot be replaced with any old piece.
Quoted from Dent00:I can easy see how the young lady was obsessed with learning chess and purchasing a set. I had a similar trait at one time. But I never had to use tranquilizers. That seems rather odd, like OCD odd.
She is/was a figment of the author's imagination. Watching those chess pieces come down from the ceiling was a nice movie touch, IMO.
The same author also wrote a book that became a movie that starred Paul Newman. "The Hustler" in 1961 .
Quoted from Dent00:I saw a news story recently that Netflix estimates that 62 million people watched at least 2 minutes of the Queens Gambit Series.
The result was apparently an increase in the purchase of chess sets and such.
I have to admit that I started looking for my old copy of Modern Chess Openings (13th addition) and when I could not find it, I asked for it as a Christmas gift.
I can believe it. It was a compelling movie. A lot of people are probably going to be disappointed and will store their chess material under the bed next to their Fender Stratocaster.
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I had one of those small portable Radio Shack boards. I was counting the years and realized I gave it to a friend's kid somewhere around 1990-1991. Some 30 years ago. I just bought that Kasparov board a few days back. All because of that movie.
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