DGT Centaur - Chess Computer, All Age, Grey, 28.4 X 23 X 8.5 centimeters

I like it as it is very easy to use and futuristic and great quality also i like the weight of it and it is value for money

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.

I bought this as a birthday gift for my partner as he is currently obsessed with chess. I thought it was a bit steep in price however after playing it myself, I can see that the price was well worth it! It is extremely challenging for the both of us, even on the easiest setting. Whilst frustrating that we keep losing (haha), it is very addictive. Highly recommend.

#1.LOOKS - personally, I love the looks of the set . modern yet not gaudy . #2. FUNCTION-Works way better than the squareoff, don't ask me how I know. 3. Use - very user friendly. - has many options like take back , play by positions, hint, analysis, change computers move , sound and brightness levels . - friendly mode , challenging, and expert . - ELO of 3000 supposedly in expert . 4. Comes with user manual, 2 year warranty, and extra queens for promotion. ADDRESSING the so called out negatives. 1. Some complaints stem from the esthetics . - the bottom is open.. - Has anyone ever questioned an egg being round? Those little domes on the base are individually stronger than you could imagine. I also believe that the designer may have also had the cooling feature in mind . Some sets have a temperature monitor because the set can overheat . This may have totally eliminated that issue. - Also some folks don't like the black and white squares.. - Well this is something you'd have to live with, as well as the size and construction of the pieces . - Personally, I think the pieces feel solid and look respectable. Malfunction (??) .. never had any myself. - Some had an issue with the castling and en-passant moves . All I can say is read the manual. You're not doing it right. The brain of this thing is Amazing. It genuinely plays like a human opponent. But trust me, it will whip you silly when you mess up. I've left the hint mode on and after making my mental move decision , I glance down to see what it suggests. Then I move accordingly. This allows it to be a training feature . There's many other ways to enjoy this set , and I've not had a single user issue. All in all , I can only tell you how I feel. If you have a need for internet use , and online games , then this won't be a good fit. But , remember this - No connectivity issues. No plug into an outlet issues. No extra costs involved like in some sets , where you have no internal battery and have to use your cell phone to hook it to another app . Some sets , you must purchase a wifi adapter , that's crazy. And last but not least, after charging her up , (took about 4 hours ), I've played about 8 games already , and shut it off and on over a 4 day period, and it's still showing over half full on the battery indicator. - But you can also play with it plugged in and charging too. I just wouldn't do it after it's fully charged, since battery cycle life is something to watch out for. BOTTOM LINE - I'm giving it 5 stars . If you do your research ahead of time and know what you're looking for in a set , then you should be 100% as happy as I am .

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!