ChessUp 2 – Community Ideas and Improvements (User-Driven Thread)

[Cornfed]

So, where do you propose this to be used?

[JustSlow]

The key distinction for this feature is that it would not apply to competitive play but can and should absolutely work with Chessups own bot modes or the board editor.

The system on Chessup2 already supports hinting, move legality or engine feedback when facing built in AI’s, this is where a Dynamic Tactical Motif Recognition layer could slot right in. Identifying forks, pins, or skewers as part of the learning experience.

In board editor mode it would be even more flexible, users could manually load positions and see immediate tactical mapping, turning editor into a visual teaching lab.

Since motifs and tactics are relative to ones elo or skill level the feature should be adaptive to dynamically classify which pattern to display based on the bot rating selected. Lower levels might surface foundational themes (forks,pins) while higher level reveal complex multi sequence phase tactics or latent combinations.

Even in player vs player this remains viable, the board could deliver non intrusive, clear and clean alerts such as “Fork incoming” or “Getting warmer towards a discovered attack.” It would act as an awareness layer rather than an assistance engine, sharpening perception without dictating moves.

And if the team at Bryght Labs ever chose to implement this on the ChessUp 2 board then integrating or aligning with Lichess and ChessTempo’s taxonomies, accuracy would scale exponentially. Those datasets already tag millions of portions by Tactical theme. A proprietary or hybrid database could then ensure precision across all rating tiers.

The result will be a data grounded, Elo adaptive sandbox environment.

How is this ??

@Jeff

[Cornfed]

I would not use it, but that largely sounds fine…but I would think terribly difficult to realize.

[Ivara96]

@Ivara96

Future-Generation Note (ChessUp 3 Possibility) – applies only if a true ChessUp 3 board is ever released. Modular Upgrade Path: allow ChessUp 2 owners to upgrade their existing boards to ChessUp 3 hardware using official upgrade kits (similar to Prusa’s MK3 → MK4 system). Keeps existing boards alive while adding new sensors, faster chips, or improved LEDs.
If ChessUp 2 instead becomes an “Infinity Board” that receives continuous firmware and accessory updates, this suggestion can be skipped – the focus would stay on software and add-on evolution instead.
(Posted by Ivara96 – Next-Century Modular Vision)

Added this new idea to the main post

Future-Generation Note (ChessUp 3 Possibility) — covers a modular upgrade path for current ChessUp 2 owners if a true ChessUp 3 ever appears (like Prusa’s MK-upgrade kits).

If ChessUp 2 instead becomes the “Infinity Board,” this one can be skipped.

Feedback welcome!

[Ivara96]

@Ivara96

Tournament Board Behavior Mode (TV-Style Synchronization) – enable ChessUp to behave like the professional sensor boards used in official tournaments and live championship broadcasts (such as FIDE or Chess.com events). The board would synchronize instantly with digital platforms — detecting piece movement in real time, validating moves automatically, and updating online broadcasts seamlessly. Ideal for clubs, streamers, or event organizers who want their ChessUp board to perform like a tournament broadcast board while keeping its signature LED feedback.

Added this new idea to the main post A Tournament Board Behavior Mode that lets ChessUp act like the professional boards used in live TV and championship broadcasts.

Would anyone else like to see ChessUp behave like the TV tournament boards — auto-detecting moves and syncing instantly with live broadcasts or streams?

[hardc0r3y]

There should be sound. Got gifted a board today, opened up, and first thing I was shocked to realize is that there are no sound notifications. Playing this in my sun filled living room, I can hardly see the lights (even set to high), so it’s easy to miss that it’s my turn. Sound notifications seems like a no brainer.

[Ivara96]

I agree 100% with you — it really should!

Sound notifications make total sense and would improve the board a lot, especially when playing in bright rooms where the LEDs are harder to see.

Even a small tone or optional “your move” sound would help keep track of turns without having to stare at the board all the time.

Hopefully Bryght Labs adds this in a future firmware update — it’s such a simple feature that would make a huge difference for many of us.

[Ivara96]

@Ivara96

• Sound Notification System – add optional audio cues to ChessUp 2 for turn changes, move confirmations, and other in-game alerts.
  This would be especially useful in bright rooms where LED indicators are harder to see.
  Even a short tone or optional “your move” voice cue would help players keep track of turns without needing to constantly look at the board.
  The feature could include volume control and an on/off toggle in the settings, and in the future could expand to Bluetooth speaker or app-linked sound output.
  It would make the board more accessible and improve overall gameplay awareness.

Added this new idea to the main post
Huge thanks to @hardc0r3y for suggesting the Sound Notification System — it’s a simple but powerful quality-of-life feature that could make ChessUp 2 more intuitive and user-friendly for everyone.

[Ivara96]

@Ivara96

ChessKid Integration – allow ChessUp to connect with ChessKid accounts so children, schools, and clubs can play official ChessKid tournaments or online matches directly through their board.
This would make ChessUp ideal for younger players and school chess programs already using ChessKid.
Integration could sync progress, track games, and help parents or teachers monitor student performance — turning ChessUp into the perfect educational chess board for beginners.

Added this new idea to the main post

Huge thanks to everyone in the ChessKid Integration thread for inspiring this one —
ChessKid Integration would let children, schools, and clubs connect their ChessUp boards to ChessKid accounts for tournaments or online matches.
It’s a great step toward making ChessUp perfect for younger players and school chess programs already using ChessKid!

ChessKid Integration Discussion

[Gratefuldave54]

If you use chessconnect app you can set it so a sound is made after each move.

[Ivara96]

Thanks for mentioning that!
I didn’t realize ChessConnect already has that option — that’s awesome.
It’d still be great if ChessUp 2 could do something similar natively through the board or app, so players don’t need to switch platforms just for sound cues.

Maybe @Jeff and @Richard could consider linking it to the board’s firmware later on?

[chattingh]

Are you planning Lichess tournament feature to play Lichess tournaments?

[Ivara96]

Good question, @chattingh

A Lichess Tournament Mode would fit naturally with several ideas already on the community roadmap — especially the Tournament Board Behavior Mode (TV-Style Synchronization) and Lichess Integration concepts listed in the main post.

Right now, ChessUp connects to Lichess for regular online games, but not official tournaments yet.
Once the team finishes stabilizing the current integration and real-time sync, adding tournament support (Swiss, Arena, or club events) would be a logical next step.

I’ve noted your comment under the tournament feature section so Jeff and Richard can see there’s continued interest in it.

[Ivara96]

New update: A Wikipedia draft for ChessUp has now been officially submitted for review!
You can read the announcement and discussion here ChessUp Wikipedia Page — Draft Submitted for Review

The goal is to make ChessUp more discoverable worldwide
The draft itself is already on Wikipedia and currently pending review (which may take up to two months).
Anyone who wants to help refine or add reliable sources is welcome to contribute while it’s under review.

[Mat]

I’m a little late to the show, but one of the best parts of the board to me is that there is no speaker.

My goodness, I do not need a cheesy sound for things.

[stacktic]

Hi,

Here is my list of little ideas which don’t seems too complicated to implement but could be really useful:

• Adding a children mode or a “bot only” mode to avoid kids starting an online game without realizing they wouldn’t be able to finish it which may end up with an account banned for stalling/rage quitting.
• Adding transcript for the lessons, that would make them translatable without having to record the whole lesson in another language.
• Getting the actual datetime of the games through wifi/bluetooth instead of sync datetime when possible.
• PGN export improvement, it’s hard to analyze a game without information about the assistant level and config (limit). The bot level and game number would be nice too. Also making sure each game as its own export name by using the game id could be nice.
• Making sure the games are on the server before deleting from the board.

Edit:

• Adding a quiz a the end of the lessons or a mode with puzzles

Edit2:

• Adding the possibility to have a set of users so that when starting a game we can select who is playing whether it is against a bot or on 1vs1. The phone app can then filter games history per player. It would be nice to have this in the pgn export too.

[Mikesc]

Greetings,

An absolute wonderful site. I am very impressed with Chessup 2. I’m wanting to play blitz chess (5 5) on chess.com. I simply want a bigger board and pieces along with the ability to minimize the square lighting. I’ve seen some YouTube videos of people playing online with the board, and I think the size of the board and pieces would be an issue.

I’m curious if there is a plan for a bigger board design in the future? Perhaps a slightly smaller version of an DGT board with the same display. Otherwise, this product is a home run. Thank you.

[stacktic]

Regarding the possibility to select the player/player name when starting, I don’t really understand how it works right now, what does the selector “I am playing” actually does/means, it looks like it may be rotating the screen and is used to display win/lost in the app which is correct only for the “I am playing” person.

This selector makes me feel like “the board is mine and I will play all the games” which don’t really makes sense when it’s a family board and more than one person can sync the games from the board/servers.

[Engi]

@Ivara96

Solo Light Mode (0 – 6 Assistance Scale) – both players can independently select any level from 0 – 6: Level 0 = no LEDs at all for dark-board play, while Levels 1 – 6 match the current assistance tiers (Selected Piece → Best Move). Perfect for coaching, handicap, or mixed-skill games — each player chooses their own help level without affecting the other.

This idea is already implemented, right? Each player can select their level of assistance independently. Or does this have a different meaning? Maybe we can mark it ?

[Gzubik]

Is there any plan to add an option to Lichess that hides the ranking during gameplay? I have Zen Mode enabled in Lichess, but the ranking still appears. I only see the option to hide the ranking during gameplay via the ChessUp app.