Millennium King Performance vs Chessnut Pro vs ?

[adamsdp]

I am looking at either the Chestnut Pro or Millennium King Performance. I plan to use it mostly to play against a computer and have a preference for a wood look. I currently use an Ipad with Hiarcs and move the pieces on the board after looking at the Ipad screen. I like the bigger board of the Chestnut pro but wonder about connectivity issues and longevity of sensors in pieces. I have read good things about the King Performance and leaning towards going that way. Not sure if the nostalgia factor is playing a part in my leanings as I had a RadioShack computer in the 1980s that I was fond of. I mainly play blitz games online and looking to add depth by playing longer games. I could keep using the Ipad/Hiarcs with a physical board which works fine but for some reason I feel a desire to try a dedicated electronic chess board. Any pros and cons of these choices or others will be greatly appreciated!

[adamsdp]

Hi,

I don't own a King Performance but that board has great reputation. I'd expect it to be reliable. As far as the program is concerned, The King by Johann De Koning is a must have.

Regarding online play, an autoresponsive board may be a better choice, especially for blitz. I use a Millennium Exclusive to play online in 5+5, moving opponent's pieces on the board takes 3-5 seconds, so don't expect to have a chance at faster time controls.

But if you intend to play slower games, The King Performance seems to me a solid choice. Chessnut might be less reliable in the long run.

Hope this helps,

Laurent

Thank you for the helpful information. Good to know about the King and makes me more motivated to get one. How do you like the size of the Exclusive? It looks to be about the same size and the King Performance.

Dave

[Bryan Whitby]

Hi Dave
I’m selling my King Performance if you live in the UK for £125.
PM me if you are interested,
Regards
Bryan

[adamsdp]

Well, the main and huge difference is the Exclusive being autoresponsive. Its main drawback : it's more expensive, especially if you want The King version (either with The King Element or with the Chess Classics Element). On the secondary market, you may find The King Performance around 250€, while the Millennium Exclusive would be 400€ or more.

The Exclusive is in a 40x40 format, smaller than tournament size. In my opinion, upgrading to tournament size may offer more comfort during the game, but requires more space for the storage. Also, the 40x40 format allows the option of playing casually on a couch or armchair. Tournament size board are a bit too heavy for this. I have both Millennium Exclusive and Tournament 55 boards, and use the first the most.

Laurent

Thanks again for the advice. Did you consider the DGT Centaur or have any thoughts on it versus the King Performance?

[Bryan Whitby]

Offer of my King Performance now withdrawn.

[GuyM82]

Hello,

There is another advantage that I find interesting for the DGT Centaur :

When playing against him, it is entirely possible to ignore the move he suggests and play any other move for him.
The Centaur records and validates the new move without any problem.
It's very interesting for doing exercises.
I have other computers that refuse this procedure and I don't know if the King Performance accepts it.

Guytou

[adamsdp]

Hello,

There is another advantage that I find interesting for the DGT Centaur :

When playing against him, it is entirely possible to ignore the move he suggests and play any other move for him.
The Centaur records and validates the new move without any problem.
It's very interesting for doing exercises.
I have other computers that refuse this procedure and I don't know if the King Performance accepts it.

Guytou

I watched a youtube video that says the King Performance will accept alternative moves as well. It takes a few more steps where I think the Centaur you merely move the last moved piece to the new square and the Centaur will play the alternative from there.

Dave

[GuyM82]

Hello,

I don't know about the King Performance.
However, on page 5 of the manual (English part), it says the following for Centaur:

"You can always decide to ignore the indicated move that Centaur wants to play and make a different move for Centaur instead. Centaur will automatically detect any other move you make and play will continue with that move."

This way of playing works perfectly. In fact, it's a great way to familiarize yourself with certain openings.

Guytou

[Bpking]

I have the Millennium Competition. To make the computer select an alternative move you go into options and click Next Best move. Very easy.

[Bpking]

I have both the Millennium Competition and the Chessnut Evo. For online play the Chessnut boards are far superior. I still like my Competition board for playing against the King and browsing the built in Hiarcs opening database. The king has 'personality' settings and you can play against certain opening families. For example, you can choose the white pieces to always play the Queen's Gambit. I use the Evo to play against Chesscom bots which is also fun but limited without the premium subscription.

[Fran66]

Hello,

I don't know about the King Performance.
However, on page 5 of the manual (English part), it says the following for Centaur:

"You can always decide to ignore the indicated move that Centaur wants to play and make a different move for Centaur instead. Centaur will automatically detect any other move you make and play will continue with that move."

This way of playing works perfectly. In fact, it's a great way to familiarize yourself with certain openings.

Guytou

I agree, that's wonderful.

Best regards!