DGT Centaur Chess Computer with 40 x 40cm Sensor Board, LED Move Indicators, Weighted Pieces, E-Paper Display, and Rechargeable Battery

I enjoy playing chess, but can rarely find someone else to play with. Playing chess on a computer or a video game console is a perfectly viable option, but I greatly prefer playing on an actual board with real pieces I can move: it simply helps me visualize and understand the game better, plus I just like the tactile sensation of playing a game in a physical way. I have played with other AI chess sets before, but up until now each one has given me various reasons to complain. Not so with this set, which exceeded my expectations in every possible way. First of all, the quality of this set is SUPERB: the materials, the craftsmanship, everything. Plastic chess sets most certainly don't need to be thought of as cheap, as the pieces of this set are exceptionally molded, feel good in the hands, and are very sturdy. The board, likewise, is attractive and sturdily made; this isn't a set you want to slam your pieces down on by any means, but, then again, if that's how you play we ought to have a discussion about chess etiquette. Most importantly, the AI communicates with the human player in two complementary and easy to understand ways: each individual square lights up to indicate the computer's intended moves, which is by far the most intuitive means of AI communication I've seen yet in an electronic chess set, and the e-ink screen, despite its small size, is crystal-clear (if you've ever read an Amazon Kindle, you know exactly what I mean) and easy to understand. The board recognizes the placement of the pieces without any issue, and, unlike every other electronic chess set I've played, absolutely zero force is needed to indicate movement to the AI: simply lift a piece and place it on its destination and the AI knows what you're doing. The board does not distinguish between individual pieces, merely the presence or absence of a piece on any given square, so it is important to make sure you set up the pieces and move them correctly. (In case of any confusion, the screen always displays a diagram of the current game state.) Of course, even the best-made set in the world is meaningless without a decent AI opponent, and this does not disappoint in any way. At easier difficulty levels the AI is somewhat forgiving, but still plays a game with a focus on beating you, and at harder levels it's tough as nails and will give you a real battle of wits and stamina. In other words, this AI is of benefit to novices, as you have no choice but to concentrate and learn strategy as you go, move by move, and it's also of benefit to experienced players who enjoy a real challenge. I can't recommend this set highly enough for anyone who enjoys playing chess against an AI opponent and is happy to play with real pieces instead of staring at a computer screen. At the price point this set is certainly a financial investment, but one that is going to provide countless enjoyment.

UPDATE 4/26/21: As mentioned in the original review, I tried the foil disc method with my House of Staunton Zagreb '59 set, and it worked like a charm (I used the 25mm aluminum foil discs sold by Demon Tweeks, see photo). The Centaur had no trouble recognizing the pieces, and in minutes we were playing with no difficulty (see photos). The computer chose a Robatsch Defense, pretty interesting! Happier than a clam at high tide to be playing real games with my favorite set! 100 percent satisfied with my DGT Centaur! * * * * * * * * * * Like a lot of chess players I have gotten used to studying the game on my computer, and playing games against various chess-playing engines on my computer as well. Sometimes, though, you just want to play a game on a regulation-size board with full-size pieces, so after doing some research I took the plunge and purchased the DGT Centaur. The product shipped promptly and arrived on schedule. The packaging is appealing, and everything you need is included (three different adapters for the AC charging module, too!). Manuals are provided in several languages, so this is a product which should appeal to players worldwide. The board came charged already (nice), so I was able to have my first game minutes after opening the box. Setting the board up is easy (read the manual first, though, you'll be glad you did). The menus are easy to understand and operate, with only a few simple buttons to push to get the results you want. I was pleasantly surprised with the regulation-size Staunton plastic pieces, which are as nice as most of the plastic sets you see at over-the-board tournaments (although not quite so heavily weighted). I will experiment with using my House of Staunton Zagreb '59 set soon, and will update this review once I have results to report. The board hardly weighs anything, and the paper white display window is a nice feature. There are a variety of options for what information is displayed, so most players should find it easy to configure the display to their taste. The lights that indicate moves are easy to see, and unlike some other reviewers I can't see the rings except when they light up to indicate a move. I much prefer the lighted circles Centaur uses to the tiny LEDs you see on other electronic boards. At the end of the day, the most important aspect of a device like this is how well it plays chess. For my first game I set Centaur to Friendly, and still got a good game. I tried the Tarrasch Defense, and won a long game (I was playing on the Game/90 setting) after the machine made a couple of inaccuracies in a complex middlegame. Centaur will not resign a position, so even after achieving a decisive material advantage I had to play it out to checkmate, which is good practice. Of course if you don't wish to do that you can end the game at any point using the display menu. This is a chess-playing partner, with no bells or whistles like saving/exporting games or interfacing with other devices. Pawn promotion and castling were handled correctly, and if you read the manual you should not have any difficulty with en passant captures if those come up in a game. I intend to get a carrying bag next, to protect the board from bumps and bruises when it is not in use. The bottom line: The Centaur is exactly what I wanted, a playing partner ready at a moment's notice when I feel like a game using real pieces on a real board. We improve as much by playing as we do by staring at books or computer screens, so I expect Centaur will be quite helpful in my training as I prepare for the return of in-person tournaments. Highly recommended!

My experience with the Ceteur product wasn't great. I expected it to perform well since it’s a DGT product, but unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. The board started to glitch when moving the pieces quickly, making it impossible to play at a fast pace. After using it for a few days, the Raspberry Pi board kept scanning and wouldn’t stop. I tried resetting it, but nothing worked. I contacted the seller, and while they offered a refund, they didn’t have the product in stock anymore. I really think DGT should work on better testing before launching products like this.

I bought the DGT centaur to practice with at home because my chess club is only open twice a week and it's really hard for me to find people willing to play slower time controls on the Internet. USB or the included wall adapter can charge it. I recommend ordering the extra set of plastic pieces sold separately by the seller co-trade for $20 if you ever want to promote your pawns to a Knight Rook Queen or Bishop it's going to be an issue for you when you don't have them. The centaur is a better chess computer than some of the cheaper ones sold on Amazon that are designed for complete beginners and have limited elo. You don't have to install any apps on a computer or smart phone to use it and it requires no Internet connection.

Lo llevo usando un par de días. Me encanta. Respuesta rápida y clara a través de las luces. Lo que menos me gusta, las piezas de plástico. Sorprende un poco que no puedes elegir el nivel, sino que se supone que lo va adaptando el computador, pero la experiencia de juego es muy buena y es verdad que se va adaptando a tu nivel. Al principio yo no ganaba nada y, poco a poco, he ido ganando. Recomendable. Actualización. Lo llevo usando dos meses y es fantástico. Cuanto más lo uso, más me gusta. La experiencia de juego es increíble.

I am almost a beginner - learnt the rules when I was a kid but hardly played at all. I bought this about 6 months ago when I retired. I played about 10 games and lost them all so gave up. I then started using chess.com to do some basic lessons, do some puzzles and play some games against the computer. I can now consistently beat 850 rated computer “players” and this week I beat a 1000 rated computer player. So today I tried the Centaur again and I WON! My conclusion is that this is a great product but not for absolute beginners. It does not seem to have the ability to adjust down to a very low basic level. But now I love it! I have had no problems at all with the quality of the board, pieces or technology.

My first impression was that Centaur was bigger than expected - even though I had measured it size against a chess set before I made the purchase. It is unusual underneath (transparent showing the lights) - the opening sequence must be impressive on a glass table! All this is fine, but a slight drawback is that the pieces easily slip across the surface when the board is moved. The pieces are nicely sized but are lighter than weighted wooden pieces of the same height - though I do not consider this a significant problem. There is a small lcd display to the side of the board which is too small for my eyes at standard sized text. It is possible to make the text bigger but very little is displayed as a result. I would like the lcd display to be bigger (though it would make the device wider). It would ideally be twice the length and breadth. Having said all the above its easy to make the moves and to follow / make the moves the computer indicates - this is excellent. It is so much more pleasant than playing on a tablet or computer - I find it much easier to ‘see’ moves on a real board. I should mention that the LCD provides a view of the board so if the board is knocked its easy to replace the pieces. Clock times and a list of moves made are also shown, though as the latter only shows a few moves scrolling is necessary. Menu options allow hints to be displayed, playing black, selecting one of three levels, setting up a position and various display, sound, light and language options. It is possible to take back moves though there is no take back mode you just have to reverse the move sequence using the move list if necessary. Not ideal if you need to go back a long way. The Centaur has no connectivity so it can not be used to play games on the internet or against chess engines apart from the inbuilt Stockfish 9 engine. Of course Stockfish is one of the world’s strongest chess engines. On the Centaur the Stockfish engine reputedly delivers above 3000 ELO which means it’s good enough to win matches against the best players in the world. It has 3 levels ‘Expert’ which delivers the full power of the machine and two levels based on its in game assessment of your play. The ‘Friendly’ level might be about 200 ELO points below the player’s level while the ‘Challenge’ level might be 200 points above. This is based on my estimate of scoring 75% against the former and 25% against the latter. I have not played enough games to be sure of this for the challenge mode as I normally play at the friendly mode to get an enjoyable game with a good chance of winning! A point made in other reviews that I would agree with is that it would be better if in addition the Centaur had inbuilt levels say at 100 ELO point intervals. As always when a chess engine is ‘slugged’ to reduce its standard of play the moves it plays at times are strange (very poor) most noticeably in the end game. Having said that I never complained when a human opponent made a loosing move!