Monroi chess manager

Hi guys. Do you think that the monroi chess manager is worth the 359 dollars? It looks pretty useful. The good thing about it is that I'll never have to wonder what i wrote or worry about notating incorrectly. Also, I wouldn't have to spend a long time putting the games into my computer. Please post your opinions :) 

I'm old school... I've been recording even my offhand skittles games by hand every since I was a kid.  So to me, $359 is an absolute ripoff for what this does.  Pencils cost just a few pennies.

But I realize we're in a digital age now.  I also realize that many players have a hard time recording their moves correctly, neatly, without effort, etc.  (I can record effortlessly, in my sleep, in both descriptive or algebraic notation.)  If this device makes recording the game easier for someone, and allows them to concentrate on the game instead, then that can only be a good thing.

If the price comes down I'd consider purchasing one.  I just don't think it's worth anywhere near $359.00.  I'd rather spend that money on a set or books or magazines or something else.

The one reason I would buy it you already touched upon... I wouldn't have to re-enter my games later.  But it wouldn't save me any time over-the-board.  I can record my move with my pencil just as fast as you can record it with the MonRoi, by clicking the pieces on the screen and then on the square the pieces are moving to.

There is a device out there that was recently certified that is less than half the price called "PlyCounter."  Look into that.

I hadn't heard of this before. 

I found the link.  Interesting alternative for anyone else like me who thinks the MonRoi is overpriced.

A very brief comparison of the two devices.

Still about $100 more than I'd be willing to pay, but I do like the layout of the web site. Very clean layout, you know who the company founder is, has user guide, tech specs, etc. Nice!

Not a big fan of these devices - think they encourage people to be lazy and not learn to notate the moves properly - which actually can be a big part of developing board visualisation. It isn't even that hard to learn. With the inputting into computer thing - personally I think it's good practice to go over all your games after you play them - why not do that whilst inputting them. The time per move thing is nice but ultimately unnecessary in the main - and people can easily make a note of when they had a large think, how much time left after every 5 etc. if they want to.

Overall I think it's just an unnecessary use of technology, and I learnt to play chess on the internet.

That's my blog!  But anyway, I do think that the PlyCounter would be a better option for the chess player on a regular budget. I have seen the Monroi a couple times in scholastic tournaments. It would probably help me, since there have been a number of games in which I have played well- and then realized I messed up about 20 moves before. The Monroi website hasn't seemed to be updated in a while... as the price shows.

Maybe it will soon!