do we have to pay money
Pog
i think..... we have to pay :/
I have spent many hours learning/wasting time with DGT. For those who are thinking of getting one, remember "a bad carpenter blames his tools." I like the DGT, but I hope no one buys one because of LiChess's cool software feature. I do think it's great that someone completed this project, and I hope some people get joy from it. I just hope that if you were considering a DGT board, you don't buy one because of this change. You probably should never have considered the DGT board in the first place. I might try it out, but I've gone down this rabbit hole before, and I have learned my lesson. Moving the pieces is a deal-breaker for me. My DGT boards are almost always in storage. This DGT + internet chess idea is nothing new. There were plug-ins to play on other chess sites almost 20 years ago, and Fritz software easily allows for playing against Fritz and other engines. The software would announce the move the computer plays, so you don't even have to look at your computer. It works pretty much perfectly, as described. But you would have to play the computer move with your hand. Playing against a real person is cooler, but you have to make sure you are playing a very slow time control. You will always be at a time disadvantage compared to your opponent who is clicking in his moves with a mouse. With the DGT clock, the clock displays the move.. this is cool in theory, but not any better than hearing the move. Overall, it's nothing like playing a real game because you have to move your opponent's pieces, plus there is always a chance that you move your e-pawn too slowly to e4, and it registers as e3... and then the software figures out shortly after it's e4.. or it doesn't. Or if you make a mistake playing your opponent's move, but correct it, the odds are that the software will figure it out, but not guaranteed. As someone else said, it's kind of like setting up a chess set in front of a computer... I've seen online tournaments where players are allowed to have a chess set in front of them, without being allowed to analyze... it's kind of awkward. Also, using DGT for move input in ChessBase and other software is fun at first, but overall not worth the table space. A lot of people (including myself) have this fantasy of inputting a bunch of moves on a DGT board and having it save into ChessBase or their own software. It kind of works, and it is also kind of glitchy. They have some interesting auto-logging features. I think part of the "fantasy" is to forget that you are using a computer, and feel like you are only playing on a board. I have never "escaped" the feeling of being in front of a computer. I imagine people who buy DGTs for this purpose also buy iPad Pro's with the apple pencil looking for the "analog" experience, or they are people who hope to read more books after buying an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, only to be disappointedthat the Apple Pencil rubbing against glass will always be different than pen on paper, and the paperwhite is just a cool looking PDF reader.
Setting up a DGT next to a computer is awkward: I have used GIANT tables of all shapes and sizes, with laptops, desktops, really tiny laptops (Microsoft Surface), big monitors, projectors, tiny keyboards, and basically every type of gadget possible. There's no a great way to place a monitor, mouse, keyboard, near a DGT without feeling stressed. It's a big chess board. You are eventually going to knock over captured pieces with your elbow. I have to also mention that DGT isn't great as a move recording device either. Any kind of slow movement of a piece, or taking back, reposition/adjusting, causes an error which the DGT plugin software tries to correct. You can often correct these errors, but it's distracting, and the possibility of error is always on the back of your mind. The DGT has some pretty clever drivers which compensate for user errors, or you can later correct the errors.
I think the DGT is good for one thing: displaying live chess games - matching what is on the board to the graphical user interface. This way an audience can see a perfect copy of what is happening on the board (the PGN history will probably be imperfect). Having a DGT, plus a camera on players, makes for great presentation. Also the quality of the hardware is pretty amazing. High quality wood, and if it wasn't for the few ports, you wouldn't guess that there is any machinery in it. I tried playing over the board blitz games with people, using the DGT clock, with the idea of having a log of the games played, plus time stamps. Cool in theory, - annoying in practice. Incomplete logs, and it just feels a bit awkward to know you are using such expensive equipment for blitz.
Players want to enjoy playing on a perfect wooden chess set and not feel like they are using technology, but this is an unrealistic fantasy. If you are playing against the computer, or playing a person over the internet with DGT, you will definitely feel like you are using a giant piece of annoying machinery. Overall, it's pretty cool technology, very smart and a cool toy, and way ahead of its time.
One of the greatest things about my DGT equipment is they came with these little suitcases that perfectly store the board, pieces and clock (because they really are best kept in storage most of the time!).
I hope no one is considering the purchase of a DGT for enhancing their own training with LiChess.
I would say this if the DGT cost $25 dollars.
I've never met a person who uses a DGT for practice games. Also, for what it's worth, I don't believe in any kind of computer that automatically-moves the pieces. This idea has been around for at least 30 years, and it's painful to watch the pieces move so slowly. Cool at first, but painful in practice. It is best to separate the analog and digital world. Avoid the hybrid.
Setting up a DGT next to a computer is awkward: I have used GIANT tables of all shapes and sizes, with laptops, desktops, really tiny laptops (Microsoft Surface), big monitors, projectors, tiny keyboards, and basically every type of gadget possible. There's no a great way to place a monitor, mouse, keyboard, near a DGT without feeling stressed. It's a big chess board. You are eventually going to knock over captured pieces with your elbow. I have to also mention that DGT isn't great as a move recording device either. Any kind of slow movement of a piece, or taking back, reposition/adjusting, causes an error which the DGT plugin software tries to correct. You can often correct these errors, but it's distracting, and the possibility of error is always on the back of your mind. The DGT has some pretty clever drivers which compensate for user errors, or you can later correct the errors.
I think the DGT is good for one thing: displaying live chess games - matching what is on the board to the graphical user interface. This way an audience can see a perfect copy of what is happening on the board (the PGN history will probably be imperfect). Having a DGT, plus a camera on players, makes for great presentation. Also the quality of the hardware is pretty amazing. High quality wood, and if it wasn't for the few ports, you wouldn't guess that there is any machinery in it. I tried playing over the board blitz games with people, using the DGT clock, with the idea of having a log of the games played, plus time stamps. Cool in theory, - annoying in practice. Incomplete logs, and it just feels a bit awkward to know you are using such expensive equipment for blitz.
Players want to enjoy playing on a perfect wooden chess set and not feel like they are using technology, but this is an unrealistic fantasy. If you are playing against the computer, or playing a person over the internet with DGT, you will definitely feel like you are using a giant piece of annoying machinery. Overall, it's pretty cool technology, very smart and a cool toy, and way ahead of its time.
One of the greatest things about my DGT equipment is they came with these little suitcases that perfectly store the board, pieces and clock (because they really are best kept in storage most of the time!).
I hope no one is considering the purchase of a DGT for enhancing their own training with LiChess.
I would say this if the DGT cost $25 dollars.
I've never met a person who uses a DGT for practice games. Also, for what it's worth, I don't believe in any kind of computer that automatically-moves the pieces. This idea has been around for at least 30 years, and it's painful to watch the pieces move so slowly. Cool at first, but painful in practice. It is best to separate the analog and digital world. Avoid the hybrid.
cool update. :-)
cool
Am I the only one who if I wanted to play on a real board would just play on the phone and transfer the moves onto the real board? It seems a lot more simple then this.
best update of lichess
Am I the only one who if I wanted to play on a real board would just play on the phone and transfer the moves onto the real board? It seems a lot more simple then this.
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