Square Off Pro - A Review After 2½ Years

I've been rolling with my Square Pro for a solid 2½ years now, and it's been quite the peculiar chess companion. Picture this: an electronic chessboard that rolls up like a tournament mat, a true oddity in the world of chess gadgets. It's the kind of novelty that'll make even the most serious chess player raise an eyebrow – a bit like a penguin donning a top hat at a black-tie affair. Let's dive into this whimsical chess adventure, shall we?

Now, I'm not one to toss out recommendations willy-nilly, but if you're a chess enthusiast with a penchant for tech wizardry, the Square Pro might just tickle your fancy. I mean, who wouldn't enjoy a good old-fashioned face-to-face game where the board graciously saves all the notations for you? It's like having a secretary for your chess games – a rather useful one, if I may say so.

But, dear reader, every tale has its twists and turns, and this one is no different. Picture this: I open the box, eager to dive into this chessy wonderland, only to be met with an infuriating learning curve when dealing with the accompanying app. It's a bit like being handed a sword with a butter knife for a hilt – the board's a gem, but the app is, well, as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Now, some might say this whole setup seems a tad gimmicky, and I won't argue with them. But here's the thing – I'd much rather use my trusty desktop or phone for anything other than chess shenanigans. You see, attempting to play a rated game on Chess.com or Lichess.org with this board is like trying to teach a snail to tap dance. The board gets befuddled easily, the moves are slower than a tortoise in molasses, and flipping it around for a change of sides is about as graceful as a cat wearing tap shoes.

But here's where the Square Off Pro board's quirkiness shines like a disco ball in a dark room. I adore sauntering into a café or a bar, unfurling this flashy contraption, and challenging random souls to a duel of wits. It's like being a chess sorcerer, summoning opponents with the allure of novelty. The board's sheer flamboyance draws curious onlookers like moths to a flame.

Yet, my one vexation with this enchanting board is its reluctance to swap sides easily. You see, it insists that white must reign supreme on the first rank, and if you dare to start the game the other way around, well, you might as well be trying to catch lightning in a bottle. The app, in all its wisdom, doesn't allow a game to retreat once a move is made. So, I often find myself in the awkward position of having to resign, like a knight surrendering to a sneaky pawn. There's a tantalizing option that appears to let you continue on the backward board, but it's as elusive as a unicorn at a flea market. If anyone's figured out this arcane trick, do share your wisdom with the bewildered masses.

Oh, and here's a little quirk to add to the mix – when challenging someone, you're forced to pick a side, white or black, before the gauntlet is thrown. No spontaneous, random side assignment here, my friend. The whims of chance have no say in this matter.

So, in conclusion, the Square Off Pro board is a rollercoaster of fun, a dazzling, whimsical, and utterly unique experience in the world of chess. The app, well, it's best left in the realm of the absurd. It's a novelty, my dear reader, not a serious contender for the chess grandmaster throne. But isn't a little whimsy and novelty what keeps life interesting? Just remember, it's all in the spirit of the game, and in the end, it's the journey, not the destination, that truly matters. Happy chessing, my fellow adventurers! 🎩🐧

This review is very helpful. I had a similar issue before, but after the new firmware update, most of the issues got resolved, and it's quite stable now. You will need to request the same from their customer service because the firmware is in the beta phase.

Square is a good company with an innovative product. Unfortunately their team is not equipped to handle the amount of technical snags they have.

there customer service is non existent sent seven emails not one reply avoid like plague

I like the board very much, wouldn't give it back. For 15/10 games on chess.com it is perfect. Also to play face to face against friends and family.

Regarding Customer Support:

After 1 year it had a problem with one field, which couldn't detect any piece anymore.

The customer support was absolutely great! I got a completely new board within 2 weeks, delivered to Switzerland.

I got the board Christmas 2022. I liked the board. I had to return after a month. When you would be playing some lights on some of the squares would start to flash on and off for no reason. I got a hold of support. They sent me a update to fix it. The update would not load. I try it on two different internet systems.

Their support has imporved recently. I have been using the board for some time now. Recently their was some issues in connecting the board to chess.com. Their team got online and resolved it very soon. I hope things are getting better with them now.

One of the big issues with the SquareOff Pro is the app. They make it too “kiddie” like with the diamonds and jewels and smiley faces. As far as I know, there is not a way to turn that garbage off. I just want ti play chess and it does not do that very well, in my opinion.

I tried it again recently and it is just not a very good experience. At least in my opinion, it is not as good as the Chessnut/Chessup/DGT experience. Maybe because those platforms focus on the actual chess experience. 
Again, my opinion after using all of them to play online. 

I played or tried to play two games on my pro yesterday I first paired the board to the app created a challenge some one accepted and made their move or it was my move don't clearly remember but the board did not respond to the app. So I couldn't move a piece. The second game I was up material I made a move it registered and both clocks stopped and the opponent never moved or it continued to freeze.

I appreciate this honest review. It solidifies the decision on what to gift to two nieces who have recently shown interest in the royal game.

I don't know if it's the same as in squareoff swap. The functions are limited, the levels to play against the machine are few, there is no adaptive game, you cannot play against bots. For all these alternatives offered by any other board such as chessnut or chessup, squareoff wants you to pay a subscription. In my case I preferred to buy another board.

I have had the Square-off Pro on my desk for over a year now and I have never stored it away. I really enjoy playing on it because it is so intuitive and so realistic as if I play against a real opponent. Both the board and chessmen are tournament size and very well-made and very elegant to boot! I suggest if square-off company make also wooden staunton pieces possibly Fischer-Spassky ones for Square-off Pro and also add more options and functions to their app.

I've been always attracted by it, since i often play 15-10 or eevn 30-0 games against computers and bots, but I wonder if the slow movement is not an impeding thing, if you reach a stage where you have just seconds on the board, at the end of the game?

Not at all, as soon as your opponent makes a move it is reflected on the Square-off board. From my experience I have realised the best time control is anything above 20 minutes; also when the board battery is fully charged it works faster.

I bought it in February 2022, the board has many problems when playing with black pieces, but the worst thing is that the white pieces changed color to a very ugly yellow, I contacted customer service and they did not give me a response, I got tired of waiting for a response. I currently have the game in a corner, I don't recommend it and I'm sure the same thing has happened to many people.

@Fcoj2019 - I have not had the pieces turn color yet but echo your sentiments about the playing experience. I also purchased mine around that time (perhaps even a bit earlier.

I have had many problems playing games. I go back to it every few months to update the app and/or the firmware (which does not seem to have an update in a while), yet the playing experience on it is mediocre at its very best. My other e-boards (of which I have many) are much better playing experiences.

The app with all the cutesy little "diamonds" and such to entice little kids to play is not really what I want, when I asked how to turn it off, I never got a response.

I not only have the open one, but I have a brand new, never opened one in my closet - was going to gift to a friend across the country so we could play, but as bad as the product is, I did not want to subject him to the poor experience.

I have played hundreds of games on my Square-off Pro board and I have not had any serious issue so far. The chessmen have stayed the same white colour and the board has not aged at all. I have found playing on Square-off Pro very smooth and efficient. Beginning I did not know how to use of the features correctly and lost even a few games but I soon got the hang of everything and now it is the only smart board in my house which is always spread open on my desk. Also this board unlike many others is tournament standard size which gives you a realistic feeling of playing an OTB game. You can play on lichess or chess.com on Square-off app. Unlike other smart boards Square-off board is very easy to store away and price-wise it is almost half the price of many smart boards. Amazing board so far!

I bought the board when it first came out and have played over 150 games on it against bots and a friend who also has the SO Pro board. We play 30+10 games using the SO app and the experience has been very good... the video chat feature is a very nice touch for us to talk during the game. After the game, we upload the PGN to Chess dot com for analysis and game review over a Zoom call. I use the wooden pieces as an alternative to the plastic and they are basic but decent. The size of the board and portability are also great features vs other e-boards. My only concern is the lack of support and upgrades to the app since the last version was released in March 2024. Also, since SO has been bought by Miko Robotics, it is unclear how committed they will be to supporting it going forward.

Square Off Pro with wood pieces using the SO app & video chat

Did you make those wooden pieces? If you did, what did you use, how did you make them? 

Do you pay the subscription fee that they never mentioned when they first started but now require you to pay in order to use all the features? 

I bought the wood pieces from the Square Off site directly. In addition, I do pay the subscription in order to get full use of the features.