Quote from GokuK on April 16, 2023, 1:21 pm

Hi chess friends,

After my first month, I feel like sharing my experience with the Certabo board. I have graded the different components from A to E, A being highest grade.

Board hardware: A+
I ordered the Lucien Brown 45cm board as I don't want to keep a larger board on my desk all the time.
Excellent craftsmanship and quality wood. This is a solid panel, it is heavy in a good way. Piece recognition is great.
I love the USB detachable power cable, there is less fidgeting to connect the board. As the interface is magnetic, there is no wear and tear. The board is a great selling point and seems to be an eboard that will last a long time.

Chesspieces: C+
I chose the chesspieces with the integrated chips installed from factory.
The pieces are nice, the form is a bit simple. I take off a point because I think the finish is IMO a grade-point lower than the board itself. The lacquer on the pieces isn't always even, with a few visible drips and drops. Also most pieces have a bit excess glue that could have been wiped when glueing the felt. And maybe the felt could be of a thicker quality.
Let me stress that I'm in no way unhappy about the pieces, only quality wise they fall a point short compared to the board.

PC Software: B+
The software is a bit rough around the edges. In my mind, it leans towards Android quality more than Apple quality. Being an Android user myself, that is my preference. I vastly prefer function over appearance. I like to have options to tinker and add engines and opening books as I wish, even though I need to learn where to find them and how to install them. I don't mind a bit clumsiness in the UI. And I do love to be able to run the pc software on Linux, rather than Windows or Mac. This could easily be an A- or A grade component as Certabo continues to develop and improve. For me this is also a great selling point as it is.

Chess computer including Davinci Software: A+
I love the Davinci Extreme chess computer. It is versatile, it is completely modular and it integrates with the board very well. Again, the user needs to do some extra work to get everything working well. I haven't had the time to get lichess running through the Davinci yet, as I haven't had the time to do the research. The online part just didn't run right out of the box, probably because I need to enter userid and password for lichess etc. In my particular case, I use secure passwords for internet activities, and it is a bit of a hassle to input my 60+ characters' password on the Davinci through the sofware keyboard. I still have to try to get that right. I'm not sure how to get the chess.com interface running, so at the moment I play online chess through the pc, and offline with the Davinci.
The offline functionality works fine, and it includes the Maia engines that I like. I would like to have an even easier engine than Maia1100 though, as I'm just a beginner at chess and the Maia1100 is rated at elo-1500 on lichess. The Maia1100 is a bit too strong for me, and I struggle a bit to understand why I lose in some positions. I'm sure I can find an easier opponent, but I need to invest some time to find out how/which/what.

Also great about the Davinci Extreme is that there is no integrated battery, as this is often the first part that needs replacement after just a couple of years. Failures after intensive use in just a couple of months are no great exception. Next, should the sd-card fail at some time, it can be replaced by the user. All in all I love the sustainability score of the Davinci.

Integral package for learning Chess: A
For me this chess setup by Certabo is the optimal choice to learn playing chess. Other boards are more expensive and less modular. All in all the productline from Certabo offers a more durable and sustainable owner experience than major brands like DGT or Millennium.
As for modularity, if ever the Davinci Extreme reaches End-of-Life,  I can probably just replace it with another Raspberry Pie. Compare that to the super expensive Mephisto Phoenix chess computer that cost over 1100 Euro's. The latter being dedicated hardware, and cannot be updated or expanded by the user.
The same goes for the chess sets. I love the stickers that enable me to in the future pick a chess set that I like and integrate them on my eboard. I play both from the pc and the Davinci, and whole package just works very well.

Accessoiries: A
I didn't buy many accessories, but I did get the M size carrying bag. The quality is great, just as the board. I haven't actually used it to carry the board, as the board is stationed on my desk all the time. But I imagine I may use it to bring the board on vacation. And otherwise it is nice to have a great option to store.
Additionally, I love that the cables used for this setup aren't proprietary in any way. All cables can be replaced with standard cables that you may have around the house already.

Support: A++
I found the support via mail and the forum vastly superior to my expectations. No problems in this department, only praise. And this goes for both company and user participation.