“I just unpacked a new chess up 2 board and is not working. Really frustrated because it was supposed to be a birthday gift for my dad. While the side screen works perfectly fine the board itself is not working. The LEDs are not turning on. Updating the software or resetting the board does not help. Keeping 1 star until they find a way to solve the issue.”
“I rarely leave reviews, but I’m really loving my new ChessUp 2 board. Easily one of the best purchases I’ve made under $400 in a long time. I looked seriously at a few other “smart” boards, but I’m very glad I went with the ChessUp 2. The experience has been great so far, and they seem to be actively rolling out updates and new features.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve played several 15+10 games on Chess.com and a few 30+20s on Lichess, plus a few over-the-board games with a friend. I haven’t tried the built-in lessons yet, but I’ve used it to set up endgame positions (the “board editor” feature is quick and automatically recognizes the pieces), with “move feedback” turned on. I’ve also used it against bots to drill openings.
If they ever release wooden pieces, I’d buy them in a heartbeat. A couple of small things could be improved. For example, when an opponent promotes a pawn, the board doesn’t alert you to which piece they chose, and when resuming a paused local game OTB, the clock doesn’t restart automatically. A couple of the OTB games png files didn’t sync to the app, but it may have been user error. Minor issues overall, but worth noting.
Overall, I’m really happy with it and can highly recommend it to anyone considering a smart board.”
“UPS lost my shipment. I contact Bryght Labs and they promptly checked into this with UPS. Since UPS was having trouble finding my package, Bryght Labs shipped me out a new ine, which I received promptly. The customer service was EXCEPTIONAL.”
“the chessup 2 board has exceeded my expectations! my last electronic board sounded great on paper but was slow, noisy and glitchy… the chessup 2 board is none of those things. there is never piece recognition issues and the board works great with chess.com and lichess.. the included free lessons are also amazing! i hope they expand to provide premium chessable type stuff for their lessons…. my literal only complaint at the moment is that getting matches on chess.com takes too long sometimes and i think its because of the board and somehow chess.com deprioritizing thr matchup - lichess is quicker…. but still, matches are stable and the board really works amazing”
“Phenomenal customer service. I was hesitant about the Kickstarter having been burned but was swayed by the awesome product idea. The Kickstarter campaign was fantastic with constant updates and basically on point delivery.
The service has been exceptional after reds as well. I did have an issue with my board a few months in where some of the lights stopped working and all it took was one email to get them to send out a new board free of charge.
I would highly recommend it.”
“I had a minor surgery but needed to stay in bed for a few weeks. That was a good moment to improve, or better say, start really learning to play chess. With this board, I would not constantly be on my phone. So that was the plan.
And I am enjoying it immensely—puzzles I still do on the phone, but playing against bots I do on the board.
Chess.com, when I am seriously working on my ELO, and the ChessUp AI engine, when I allow myself to restore my blunders.
Small tip. I would like to see the opponents' moves on the screen as well. When playing in the full sun, the lights on the board are not strong enough.”
“I've had my Chessup 2 board for about a month now and I've enjoyed every second pf it with only very minor problems.
Pros:
- Judging by pictures prior to purchase, I expected the board to feel a little cheap but this is not the case. It feels premium and thats great.
- Setup, lessons, built-in AI. These are all flawless and work great. The assistance is great for playing a chess novice to create the feeling of an even playing field, although balance is hard to find.
- Chess.com and Lichess integration work well and playing OTB with someone online is fantastic but this does lead to my one minor con.
Cons:
-Occassionally, on starting a game on Chess.com or Lichess (both bots and humans) the board will hang on "Starting Soon". This is very easily solved by switching off and on again and takes about 20 seconds, so a fairly minor gripe.
Overall still a 9.5/10 purchase and doubled down with buying the extra promotion pieces later too.”
“A+++ customer service. I love my board. It's great to get off my phone chess app and play on a real board. It works really well, and my friends love playing it as well.”
“I love the board, the bots, and the ability to play with other "humans". I love accessing the Chess.com website. However, coaching is missing on the ChessUp 2 board when using Chess.com. I still want to be coached from time to time.
The iPad version needs to be upgraded to the full screen, not a copy of the iPhone. Come on, developers. Do not be lazy.”
“Here is my review, translated from French by Gemini :
Aesthetics
• Although inferior to standards (5 cm minimum), the size of the chessboard is sufficient: 3.8 cm side square for each square.
• The black pieces are not very visible on black squares.
• The king and queen are difficult to distinguish (no crown on the queen).
• Battery charging is indicated by a flashing red light if OK, and a solid red light if KO (not OK): this is somewhat contrary to what is usually seen.
Robustness
• Detection problems with the pieces during first use, which require calibration to be performed.
• The system is not perfect, and it is sometimes necessary to redo the movement of a piece for the game to take it into account.
• Particularly around the H4 square. When this fails, you can use the save/resume game option.
• More rarely, there may be a total blockage, in which case you have to perform a power off/on.
• The pieces are specific; the game must be used separately from a classic set to avoid mixing them, as classic pieces will not work on it.
Attractiveness
• The game attracts young people, both experienced and novices.
• The most experienced players find an opponent that responds quickly.
• Beginners find a tool that guides them.
Online Play
• On Chess.com as well as on Lichess, guest connection is not possible.
• It is only possible to start a new game on these platforms, not to start an exercise or resume a deferred game.
• On Chess.com as well as on Lichess, it is possible to view the game simultaneously on the computer.
• Failing on time is easier than when playing on the computer: The time counting starts as soon as the opponent has played, without waiting:
o for the transfer time from the site to the board (sometimes several seconds)
o for the movement of your pieces that you perform on the board.
Play with the Application
• With the phone application used jointly, it is possible:
o To specify a type of opening used for playing against the machine: however, the movements are not necessarily followed.
o To follow lessons (in English) synchronized with the movements on the board.
Exercises
• Possible to load a position and start the game from there: OK.”
“My board was broken and i sent it back to them to get it fixed. It was free of charge and they got it back to me very fast. Thanks for the board and all the help Bryght Labs!”
