How to connect electronic chess board?

@qqqqqqqq1 unfortunately "just write some js extensions" is way beyond my technical Ken! Is this the sort of thing that someone else would have done that they could share with me? If so, how would I find them?

@qqqqqqqq1 "just write some js extensions" is a dangerous field, because cheat detection on lichess is not server side only! See github.com/pychess/pychess/issues/1332#issuecomment-388478724

@gbtami I guess I was wrong! Still, I doubt they would ban you for it.

The question that is not answered is why is the only app that's allowed access to the protected api's one that fleeces you for money? How much kickbacks is Lichess getting from this? FOr shame!

I second Acid Ape on Android.. with the caveat that I haven't had the chance to set it up completely. I installed the $8.99 "grandmaster" version of the app (paid app is needed to connect e-boards of different kinds, including DGT) and it looks great. Clean interface and very comprehensive. Many features.. importing engines, database access - and it apparently allows you to play games at FICS, ICC or Lichess directly from the app.

I was able to pair my DGT board via bluetooth to my Android with no problem. Acid Ape recognized the paired device but said I needed drivers for the board.. which I then discovered were.. (drumroll) an extra $60 from the Google Play store. I have no issue with that (except my account gift card is tapped.. so I need add funds to it before I can fully test the app). I just thought I'd post something now because everything looks solid and the app has great reviews.

re: the topic of this thread.. I don't know of a paired DGT board can be used for online games or if they are isolated features. I will try everything out and post a follow up. Acid Ape on Android is easily the smallest form factor of any DGT option I have seen and it even looks nicer than the programs that come with the DGT board! Crossing my fingers.

(any other shared experiences with Acid Ape are appreciated...)

Just setup it near you without connecting to any electronic device and mirror moves by hand since the game is slow, you lazy a.. (there is this word but then I decided not to print it because moderators are usually people without sence of humor, but don't tell them that)

This is absolutely disgraceful! First Lichess touts itself constantly that it's free and open source with no premium features. Yet here we go, if you want to play on a dgt board you're going to have to shell it out. And don't tell me it's not lichess it's the Acid Ape, because why then is Acid Ape the ONLY app lichess allows to do this function? This is clear collusion to extort money from you. Shame on Lichess.
And where do I even start with an app that gets you to buy it for $9 BEFORE it tells you you need to fork over another $60 in hidden fees before it will even work for this purpose.

"....fork over another $60 in hidden fees before it will even work for this purpose."

Correction... before I get the opportunity to see if it works. :D

I don't think this functionality is necessarily exclusive to Acid Ape. It doesn't seem to me that there's been any special coordination between the Lichess team and Acid Ape to ensure it's possible, or exclusive to Acid Ape; they've just added features to their app in addition to Lichess compatibility. It's not even clear to me that Acid Ape has any official right to use the API it does use, or if they simply reverse engineered it and the Lichess developers aren't bothered enough to block their access since they (presumably) aren't enabling cheating.

If you really want DGT support, it seems to me the best way to get it would be to contribute code to the *official* Lichess mobile app, or to pay a programmer to develop the code for such a feature.

Also relevant:
www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/7fnc3b/i_started_lichessorg_as_a_hobby_side_project_ama/dqdeh4c/

@President_DonaldDuck here is the old conversation from lichess #devs channell:

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
@thibault Hi ...its about "real board"

thibault12/05/2018
Hi there
so here's the thing
as you may know, online chess cheating is a thing
we care about games being played fairly, so we use everything we can to detect cheat
that means serverside detection, and clientside detection
for this reason we no longer accept new clients, because they bypass half of our detection measures
the BOT API works around that

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
thats clear...and understandable..
but is there a way ? Why is for example acid there.... what they doing, what we cant do ourselves too?

thibault12/05/2018
as I just said "we no longer accept new clients".
acidape appeared many years ago, while we still did accept new clients
it would have been a dick move of us to cut their access to lichess
fortunately, there is still a way to play on lichess programatically, the BOT API.
it's made exactly for that purpose.
and it's a quite simple and elegant API at that.

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
are unrated games possible?

thibault12/05/2018
yes
even rated

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
no...i meant, if i have a user account, and ask for unrated partners...using the real pieces!

thibault12/05/2018
yes, but you must use a BOT account.
since effectively a robot (i.e. your code) is piloting the account.
The fact that there is in fact a human on the other side of your code is not our concern. And we couldn't verify it!

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
so...to Mil ...i can say..."hey, there are OLD clients", but this is nolonger possible....users need to create a complete NEW account (bot)

thibault12/05/2018
yes

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
what about, i have at least 2 then? ...my real one , and this bot one
isnt that also not possible?!?

thibault12/05/2018
I don't understand the question

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
for example me...i have an user account "LocutusOfPenguin"....so, if i want to play NOW with real pieces, i need to create a bot one....=> one person has 2 accounts.
i think, y dont like this 2 for 1

thibault12/05/2018
indeed, that is fine
it's ok to have 2 accounts
especially if one is a bot

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
so these users need to forget there old ratings....and start again....thats all, they have to accept..yes?

thibault12/05/2018
yes
we can't let untrusted code play on existing user accounts

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
what about, i talk to veloce...about bringing this official one, together with the board hw? ..see my issue mentioned

thibault12/05/2018
veloce doesn't have anything to say about that

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
sorry...in yr eMail to M y mentioning a "client dev" y forward these eMails to...and this OLD(!) issue, he said its fine to create a fork
sorry, to ask AGAIN, i mena
i only try to find out, what i can tell them.....they supprised right now, cause there is also a DGT client.

thibault12/05/2018
who is "them" and who are you

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
them = millenium me = a (poor) dev, trying to help them getting their hw to lichess
the last is a joke

thibault12/05/2018
are you from russia?

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
it would be very interesting for people ....to play ONLINE with real pieces
no..germany
against people....not against software

thibault12/05/2018
does millenium have an API to play on another chess server?

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
there chess-link (hw) allows to connect their board over BT to mobiles...but they missing alot of sw right now
there is some ...like "chess for android" ...
this api is freely available (on request)
and they ask me, to help getting people to play on lichess.
thats my "job"

thibault12/05/2018
ok well I hope you didn't make them any promise you can't hold

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
therefore i said "they supprised" , cause they think..its 1) very attractive for lichess and 2) getting alot of people using real pieces...im such guy too..i dont like to use mouse, even thats quicker...and i dont cheat :-)...i KNOW, im not all
so, im very happy to clear things with y....so, now i know, what i can OFFER them...or , what lichess is doing and what not.
i only hope, its for all .... DGT is a competitor to them...so, if dgt is allowed, and M not ...it would be not good

thibault12/05/2018
it's not about DGT or M.
It's all the same to me. Both must use the BOT API.

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
i know ...and i understand y.
but for them, there are apps...i need to tell them, they got so far cause they old, with old rules.

thibault12/05/2018
bot accounts can play against real people, casual and rated games
lichess.org/blog/WvDNticAAMu_mHKP/welcome-lichess-bots
lichess.org
Welcome Lichess Bots
A new way to play chess
Lichess Bots are for:
Connected physical boards

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
dont mind me....i can explain it.
but i dont know, what the users thinking ...i would find it a pity to begin again ..if i play 10000 games already...and i dont intend to cheat.
but as said, i can understand the reasoning!

thibault12/05/2018
I'm sorry the situation isn't better. Cheating is just too big a problem. We must take measures.

LocutusOfPenguin12/05/2018
thanks!

thibault12/05/2018
good luck