Millennium Chess Genius Exclusive?

TL;DR I like mine, it offers a lot of versatility and capability, but it will depend on how you feel about wires.

I've had one since about 2018 and I'm still happy with it.  I was tired of playing on a computer screen but there weren't many practical options for me to play against people OTB, so I wanted to get an eBoard.  Ie had a few computer boards since the 1980's and '90's, but when I bought my CGE there weren't really that many options for eBoards that didn't feel like toys.  The choice was between DGT and Millennium CGE (The King Performance and the Supreme 55 weren't yet available).  I ended up going with the CGE for 3 reasons. The price was about 70% that of a DGT board, the smaller size  suited me better, and the CGE was a self sufficient unit.  It didn't need a PC to use so I could focus on the board and not have to look at a screen to see the opponent's move.

There are a lot of things I like about the CGE and there are a few niggles too, though none of them are deal breakers. I'm completely spoiled by the auto piece recognition.  It works really well and feels natural.  For example when capturing it doesn't matter in what order you pick up the pieces.  The auto recognition also makes setting up positions or puzzles a snap since the board will know what and where everything is. I also really like the 4 corner LED's. They sit flush with the board and are very unobtrusive when dark and when lit the red color feels very natural and makes it very clear which square is indicated.  Since I've had mine, Millennium have updated the firmware, and I can now control the brightness of the LED's, though to be honest I've never felt the need to change them.  Also, you can connect the board to your PC and download a PGN of your most recent game, as well as import some opening books from Millennium. I also like that the system is "modular" so you can add on or not as you need.

I  appreciate that Millennium have continued to update the system.  Since my purchase, they have added the ChessLink accessory, and the ability to play on Lichess and Chess.com (via ChessLink).  And with ChessLink I can  use HIARCS for iPad (my preferred AI opponent) as well as apps like White Pawn and Chess for Android and other with which I have no experience .  While nearly all of my games now involve using ChessLink, I like the fact that if I'm not tied to an app, so if my internet is down or Millennium decide to get out of the chess business, I can still use my unit.  In my experience the CGE "does what it says on the tin" and does it well.

As for the things I don't like, some of them are just personal opinions, and many will probably not bother others.  I'm a bit torn about how to describe the build quality as it's a bit of a paradox in that the board is very well built out of cheap feeling materials. My board is very well constructed in the sense that it's well joined and I can't find any fault with the squares or LED's, but I was surprised how light it was.  The pieces themselves aren't weighted and feel about 10% too small, but I must say they are very nicely made.  All the pieces are cleanly and sharply cut, and all the knights are identical, so I suspect they are made using a CNC machine.  The set does come with extra queens, but it does raise the question about underpromotion.  You can only underpromote if you've already lost one of the pieces in question.  The Genius Module (the native computer that comes with the CGE) is another area with room for improvement.  The unit itself if fine for what it is (if a bit "plasticy") but the form factor makes it a bit annoying to store and the LCD is surprisingly low resolution for this day and age, but this isn't really an issue for me anymore since I use Chesslink almost exclusively. Some of the design choices for the cables is another issue.  The board connects to the module via a 4 pin mini DIN cable, and the module connects to a PC via a printer type USB cable.  These seem like really outdated choices for a modern product, but I'm not a computer guy, so maybe there's a reason they couldn't use the more ubiquitous USB cable type.  Speaking of wires, this is something where my feelings have altered a bit over time.  When I bought my unit, I wasn't the least bit bothered by needing to plug it into a mains outlet and the need to run a cable from the board to the Genius module (or ChessLink) was not an issue.  This changed a bit when the option to play on LIchess became available.  The cables make it effectively impossible to "flip the board" quickly if you are assigned the black pieces when playing on Lichess or Chess.com.  You can work around this with the "Luxe Cabinet", but I feel it's overpriced for what it is. I ended up making my own using a serving tray, so now it's easy to rotate the board as needed (though this meant I had to buy the ChessVolt battery).

Overall, I think the CGE is a very nice unit, but with the advances in electronics in the last few years the lack of internal battery or bluetooth may make it feel dated for many users.  Sorry for the lengthy post, my editor is on vacation.

Thank you very very much for all that information. It looks a really good board but I've just got a feeling that Millennium may bring out another to compete with this one.

Nope. I’ve never had a problem with either the board or pieces.