Square Off PRO

I bought the Square Off Pro back in 2023, and honestly, it’s been one of my favorite tech purchases. The fact that it rolls up and is super portable is a huge plus. I’ve taken it outside, to friends’ places, and it always gets attention. The board lights up to show you moves, and the AI adjusts to your skill level, which is great whether you’re just starting out or already pretty solid at chess. What I really liked was how easy it was to connect to my chess.com account and play against people online right from the board. The app that comes with it is packed with features—different difficulty levels, game analysis, puzzles, and even weekly challenges. The subscription was worth it too, especially for the game breakdowns and being able to track my progress. It’s not just a cool gadget—it actually helped me improve my game. If you’re into chess and want something that blends tech with the classic feel of a real board, this is a solid pick.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars) Review: I recently purchased the Square Off Pro Electronic Chess Board for both myself and my kids, and I must say, it has completely transformed our chess-playing experience! This innovative and sleek chess board is a true game-changer, and I highly recommend it to all chess enthusiasts, from beginners to seasoned players. First and foremost, the craftsmanship of the Square Off Pro is outstanding. The board is made with high-quality materials that exude durability and elegance. The attention to detail in the construction is evident, providing a smooth and satisfying playing surface. It feels as though you are playing on a traditional wooden chess board, but with a touch of modern technology. The most remarkable feature of this electronic chess board is undoubtedly the automated movement of the chess pieces. With the Square Off Pro, you can play against AI opponents or even challenge friends and family remotely through the app. Witnessing the pieces magically move on their own accord is simply mesmerizing. It adds a whole new level of excitement and immersion to the game, making it feel like you are playing against a real-life opponent, even when you're alone. Setting up the Square Off Pro is a breeze. The app is user-friendly and connects seamlessly to the board via Bluetooth. The ability to choose different difficulty levels allows beginners to learn and improve their skills gradually, while seasoned players can engage in thrilling battles against challenging AI opponents. The board also has a useful hint system, which can guide players towards better moves and strategies, enhancing the learning experience. The Square Off Pro is not only a fantastic chess board but also a beautiful piece of decor. When not in use, it serves as an eye-catching centerpiece on our coffee table, attracting the attention and curiosity of our guests. It is evident that this chess board was designed with both aesthetics and functionality in mind. Lastly, I must mention the exceptional customer service provided by the Square Off team. They were quick to respond to my queries and went above and beyond to ensure my satisfaction. Their commitment to customer support is truly commendable and adds an extra layer of trust and reliability to the product. In conclusion, the Square Off Pro Electronic Chess Board is an absolute gem that has enriched our chess-playing experience in countless ways. Its exquisite design, automated movement, and seamless app integration make it a must-have for chess enthusiasts of all ages. Whether you are a beginner looking to learn or a seasoned player seeking a unique challenge, this electronic chess board is the perfect companion. I wholeheartedly give it five stars and can't recommend it enough!

I wanted to like this board so much. It is great in theory and I was beyond excited to try it out but right off the bat, l realized there are better boards for less out there. I admit, the size is great and the fact that it’s rollable is pretty dang cool but.. let’s be real. After all the bells and whistles, you will find that the responsiveness of the pieces to the board is terrible and once you misplace a piece or start a game with a piece where it shouldn’t belong, you will need a great deal of patience and luck trying to fix it. Come to think of it, I don’t know how many times I was kicked out of a game or had to resign because of how terribly the board reacted to me accidentally knocking a piece over. The app is garbage as well. It doesn’t work good and it feels so held back compared to other apps provided by competitors and third-party developers. I just feel like for the amount of money you would spend on this, you could find something better and less expensive out there (millennium eONE or Chessnut). I wish this wasn’t the case. TLDR: Save your money, run far away from this board.

Well built and looks very cool. Had occasional software issues: - sometimes looses phone connection and you can't restore it. So, you are loosing match if you are playing online. - sometimes might highlight wrong spots. Just weird light effects. - sometimes looses the state of the game and you need to repeat that move several times to let it catch up Support Team wasn't helpful at all. After half a year board stopped pairing. Still trying to resolve it with with Support Team - no luck. ----- Update: Finally got in contact with support Team. Got a new board. This one behaves as expected. Occasionally might not catch the move. But nothing critical. Still awesome product!

I have been using the Square Off Pro board since it was initially released, and have been playing weekly remote games against a friend that has same the same board for the past 2 years. Although the Pro does not have piece recognition, it is still a great experience to play on and and the key features for me are are the tournament size (2 inch squares) and portability. I also use it to play against the Miko AI and to review games using the "Chess PGN Master" app. Since Miko acquired Square Off, their customer service has been very responsive and they seem to be committed to supporting the product. I hope that Miko will continue to make enhancements to the Chess app going forward.

As a long time rated tournament chess player, I applaud Square-Off Pro for their excellent product. Classic Staunton design pieces, in correct proportions to board with 2" squares. Color palette of board + pieces is soft on the eyes, as it should be. Downloadable App (Android for me) worked from the first attempt. Played successfully against the Square-Off "AI" and online using my preferred site LiChess (sorry ICC). The board consistently presented my opponent's moves and my moves. It does take some adjustment to remember you have to also make your opponent's indicated move on the board. I agree with those who say the LiChess functionality is lacking. You don't have the variety of options to issue specific time-control challenges and offers like you do using a browser. But since it's software, I'm anticipating they will increase the functionality of the app over time.

*Updated Review* I am sad to say that I had to return this board. This was not Amazon’s fault, but Squareoff’s. After the first few uses, I began to notice several glitches: 1) Battery life did not charge past 58%. 2) Board actually shocks me when I pick it up 3) The integration with Chess.com took an extremely long time to find opponents 4) The board would disconnect mid game through integration with Lichess with no way to continue the game The customer service was extremely unhelpful. While their chat personnel responds pretty quickly, I suspect they’re not actually Squareoff employees as they don’t know anything about the product and merely put in a ticket. Their actual support people are further unhelpful. They literally just passed the buck. Regarding chess.com they said chess.com was having issues and that chess.com is fixing it. Yet when I play on chess.com there is not the slowness issue. Regarding the battery life they said it’s an app problem that would be fixed. No ETA. They then closed my ticket and asked if I was satisfied with their answers. No, I’m not. Not only did they pass the buck on the two answers they did answer, they left multiple inquiries unanswered! I’ve returned this product and will not be using Squareoff in the future. For those of you who want a board that is economic, efficient, superior in quality, and has good customer service - I recommend Chessnut Air. The Chessnut Air is superior in every way. *Original* I recently got into chess. As a busy father, I don't have a ton of time to go to chess clubs and play people OTB. The best way to get in a lot of games is through Chess.com. However, I also am not a fan of playing on my laptop/iPad. I work on a screen all day and am not a big video gamer. The feel of a nice board is what I want! I also have friends who come over or I meet with that I like to pick up a game or two. I first thought that the self-moving Grand Kingdom Set was what I wanted. While I liked that set quite a bit, I ended up returning it and got the Pro. And I absolutely LOVE the pro! It is the perfect solution. I get the feel of playing someone OTB and yet with the convenience of playing people all over the world through SquareOff players, as well as its integration with Chess.com and Lichess. I can immediately review my games on Chess.com and analyze my play. The Pros: 1) The board itself is great! The led indicating moves is nice and bright. The board is made with a nice looking soft rubber material that feels like quality. The battery life is decent. 2) The pieces are a good size, sturdy, and weighted. I absolutely love to cool white color, rather than the more yellow one. It goes with the grays on the board. 3) Integration works well. I've heard some complaints about the application but I've had good experiences with it so far. 4) Being able to record moves while playing with a friend face to face is fantastic. It's so awesome to be able to enjoy face to face OTB games with friends and then be able analyze afterwards The Cons: 1) This biggest con is the inability to choose White or Black when playing on Chess.com/Lichess. I know that's probably an API issue, but it is a big nuisance. When I've tried to flip the board (when I got black but sitting on white's side) there ends up being a connection issue. So I have to set it up in an area where I can quickly maneuver over to the right side and play. 2) Connecting to Chess.com and finding players can be a bit slower. It's not the worse, but definitely slower. 3) Sometimes, the first move on white isn't shown. This happens rarely, but is definitely something that happens. If you get paired with someone who is White, you may not see their first move and lose some time. Just move their piece to where it's indicated on the app and the game resumes fine. Overall, I found this a fantastic buy and am extremely happy with it! I love the size (smaller end tournament size) and the look. I recommend it.

This board has a lot of promise. The board itself seems to be good quality so far. The cell-phone based software needs some work, fortunately since it is cell-phone based, the software can be easily updated: - The board's connection to bluetooth is quick and painless with no pairing required. - Unfortunately the board LACKS DRIVERS to connect it to Universal Chess Interface (UCI) standard software programs. - Each square has a light on both sides that light up to indicate pieces and moves. - The software on the cell-phone can be set to emit a sound when the computer moves and when it registers your move. - Occasionally there is a significant lag between the software moving, and the lights indicating which piece to move. I have observed lags of up to 30 seconds. Unfortunately, if you move the piece again because you think the move did not register, you create a chain of lags that can take several minutes to clear, if at all. - The board has an LED that shows green when when the pieces are correctly placed and shows red when the pieces are incorrectly placed. - Only occasionaly does the software show you a picture on the cell-phone of which piece is misplaced and flashes the light of the square on which it belongs. Otherwise the red LED indicating the board is in the wrong position stays on and you are stuck. - Even when you resort to using the graphic of the board on the cell-phone screen to correctly set the pieces on the board, the board LED does not turn green. - Starting positions CANNOT be set by physically putting the pieces on the board. Instead, the graphical representation of the board on the cell-phone screen must be used to do so. - The listing of moves is not accessible on the cell-phone while the game is in progress, only after the game is over. - The software is downloadable from google play and apple. It does NOT seem to be available on F-Droid. ===== UPDATE - April 19, 2022 ===== - The software is MISSING the capability to simply record moves between two human beings playing chess on the board. - The software glitches are likely due the board's physical board's inability to identify which piece is on a particular square. SUMMARY - If you have not bought this board, then it may be a good idea to wait for a version of the board that CAN IDENTIFY the particular piece on a square.