I have renewed my interest in chess in the last few years. I've purchased several units including the DGT Revelation 2, the DGT Centaur, Millennium Phoenix (55cm) and also a regular DGT eBoard in walnut. I wanted to add some specific comments as to why I am enjoying the Phoenix more than all other choices.

Let me start by saying I am an amateur player that wishes to improve my game through both study as well as online play, over a real board. I would guess my rating is somewhere between 1600-1700 so not an expert by any means, in fact - barely an amateur. Here is where the Phoenix shines for me - the unit has the Hiarcs and Shredder engines with ELO/level adjustment (in some cases automatic!) and plays a human-like game. With the phoenix, I can use the Tasc R30 King engine emulation in analysis mode and move the pieces freely about the board, to which the engine instantly updates the evaluation. There is no need to press buttons to define a position and then move pieces in the correct order. I've found this to be unique among chess applications and especially eBoard compatible applications. I can work through a chess study book on the board freely, swapping positions and going through variations with barely any interaction of the computer other than to check evaluations periodically, to ensure that I am on course. If you are interested, please check out the manual for the Tasc R30 analysis mode which can be found on the internet.

Beyond the analysis/study mode, this Phoenix provides me the widest range of compatibility across applications. if I want to use BearChess, LucasChess, Fritz, or Hiarcs on the computer, I have no challenge in doing that with the caveat that I also own the ChessLink adapter. I simply attach the 4-pin cable to the ChessLink as needed. Same for using Chess.com on an android tablet - the experience is seamless albeit it no support for bots.

The board itself is a pleasure to use. Perhaps it is plastic/foil on the surface, but it is free of defects on the top surface, perfectly even, and most important - not distracting. The LEDs can be adjusted easily. The pieces are weighted *enough* and pleasant to use.

While I appreciated the DGT Revelation 2, I had quite a few issues that hampered the experience.. from LEDs that cannot be adjusted, poor compatibility with phone/computer applications, poor ergonomics (too far to reach, too high), and cosmetic issues such as uneven application of the varnish/polyurethane finish. Something as simple as saving the engine settings was not possible on the Revelation 2, but with the Phoenix this is as simple as clicking 2 buttons (load profile). While I want the Revelation in my collection, I *play* using the Phoenix.

No review would be complete without some minor quibbles.. Not in favor of the Phoenix, although not ruining the experience....:

The phoenix CPU unit fan is noticeable under normal play/study conditions. The board itself is slightly warped upwards in the center, so that the foam pads underneath the board do not touch the surface of the table. The need to have a ChessLink when the CPU unit already exists with connectivity is not so great - ideal to have it integrated in the future. The LEDs on the Phoenix board are different from the Supreme board due to the foil on the surface - more like shining a flashlight down a long hallway, so the red color is diffuse (unlikely to be noticed unless you do a side by side comparison with the Supreme board or Exclusive board). And finally - while the foil is perfectly even, it is plastic, and the edging of the foil is not completely uniform if you inspect closely. I refuse the Supreme board due to the surface not having protection - even a single piece falling over seemed to cause a dent/nick in the Supreme board surface, which was unacceptable.

In any event - I hope these comments may help others make informed decisions and I do not mean to disparage owners of any given products, this is simply my opinion. Attached is a picture of my playing environment. Note that when I play online chess, I simply swivel the board around as the table surface supports that.

Cheers,

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