Chessnut Air Review

I finally ordered one and just received it (I'm an iOS user). So far I'm impressed by the board reactivity, and the ease of use of it, as well as by the lack of bugs of the iOS app (so far didn't see any...) Even if the board is small, there is no lost space, so it's very easy to transport.

I was leaning towards this board (after hearing about the bugs of the Square Off Pro), but I'm a bit concerned about the limited capacity of the battery ("up to 10 hours"), and that you can't replace the battery (right?).

The battery is a complete non-issue in practice. 10 hours is 10 x 30 min games of rapid that last the full duration. And if you are playing a really long game and the low battery light turns on, almost certainly the game will have finished before the device powers down. Or if you're really worried, just plug it in (or, use a portable battery --> USB-C) during the game.

The device uses a lithium polymer battery. These can be recharged from flat to full for 300-500 cycles.

The reality is that the battery will most likely last beyond the use-life duration of the device. And even if the battery has failed, you could just use a portable battery and plug it into the USB-C charging port.

Hi, I just bought the board and was just wondering whether there's a possibility for the board to tell you when your opponent resigns or do I have to keep looking up at my screen?

If you are playing on chess.com, then you should hear the checkmate/resignation sound effects from the app?

The board itself simply shows whether the pieces are on the correct squares so won't indicate whether the opponent has resigned.

I received my Chessnut Air two days ago but have been unable to get Bluetooth working. I keep getting 'incorrect pin or passkey' all the time on my phone. It doesn't even say whether that is a passkey in the board or if it's to do with my phone. It's driving me nuts. Anyone else had this problem?

Do not try to pair the board like you do usual Bluetooth devices.

Turn location on and give all the permissions to the Chessnut app.

Make sure to click the Bluetooth icon in the app while the blue light is blinking on the side of the board. You will get a popup to select the connection. This is for Android.

Yes, the board uses BT LE so it doesn't pair the way you might expect for regular BT devices. In the app press the BT icon.

The advantage is that you can use any phone or tablet with the app installed and will not be limited to a single specific device to use with the board.

Hi guys, any android user who's had success playing via Lichess on the chessnut app? I seem to be having a challenge of moves not indicating on the board. The LEDs won't just light up. However, the board seems to be performing normally on whitepawn and chess.com

I am very dissappointed by the chessnut Air. The indicator LED is not bright enough for using it outside, even when Not in direct sunlight. There is No way to increase the brightness in Software.

Well, I recorded outside, in the Australian summer.

I've about ten older chesscomputer from Mephisto and Novag and a ChessUp board and a Square Off Neo. None is really usable outside because of dim LEDs. Only the DGT Pegasus and Centaur are better in bright light conditions.

I own the DGT Centaur. Although I like the ring LED, I don't agree that it is better in sunlight.

Regards.

I own the DGT Centaur, the square off pro and the chessnut air. It depends on how much sunlight we are talking about. While the square off pro and centaur's lights are brighter and larger than the Chessnut Air's, under direct sunlight it's a pain to play on any of them.

Then get yourself under the shade before you get sunstroke and enjoy your action

Weird game today on the Air on Chess.com... All going ok, no-one near checkmate then suddenly the game stopped. Neither of us aborted, the game disappeared from the phone screen and changed to the Chess.com home page. Bluetooth was still connected. When I refreshed Chess.com it had given the win to my opponent but no reason... no abort.. and the Game review said it was a tense game and I came out on top. Any ideas what might have happened?

Anyone have a current link for the discord server?

What storage /carry bag is everyone using. 
I live in UK and they want £32 just for postage !

I got the "official" carry bag when it launched, don't think I have ever used it though.

Maybe something like this would work for you:

https://www.amazon.com/Backpack-Expandable-Weekender-Resistant-Lightweight/dp/B07P1SFHK3/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=extra+wide+backpack&qid=1686916045&sr=8-6

I use the bag from the DGT Pegasus for the Chessnut Air. It fits perfectly. I sold the Pegasus but kept the bag. Otherwise look for a laptop bag.