Chessnut Move Review
Summary: Prepared to be amazed by a literal self-playing chess opponent backed by a world class engine.
5
Chess-ceptional
With the holidays upon us: what do you gift to the person who seemingly: a) has everything, b) wants for nothing, or c) is impossible to shop for? Now, if any of these categories feature a current or aspiring fan of chess, you can thank Chessnut for creating the one gift to rule them all.
There’s literally no way to properly describe Chessnut Move without experiencing it first-hand. The knee-jerk reaction is to reference Harry Potter Wizard Chess (semi-ironic that GoChess just released a fantastic Harry Potter board)…but in real life.
The star of the show is the spectacular robotic movement of the Chessnut Move chess pieces, powered by what Chessnut details as “Advanced Full Piece Recognition (AFPR).” Thanks to AFPR, Chessnut Move is always aware of every piece’s physical location, whose turn it is, what movements are legally allowed, when an opponent is in check or checkmate, and how to reorient specific pieces to allow others freedom of movement to complete an action. Chessnut Move will also – in jaw-dropping fashion – automatically set up a chessboard prior to each new play session.
To be clear: this is cool but anything but a gimmick. Everything about Chessnut Move screams class and would pass the sniff test of any traditional player. To begin, build quality is stellar. The board is of substantial weight, being real wood and with a gorgeous finish all around. Pieces – while plastic in this edition – certainly don’t feel as such. They are solid, sport moderate detail, and feel natural in the hand during movements. The satisfying clunk of placing a piece is certainly here. Piece motors (which reside on each piece’s bottom) are well integrated into the overall form factor and are unnoticeable when moving a piece. The board is charged via an included USB‑C cable, and the pieces collectively on a tray via a second included USB‑C. Color‑coded lights indicate charge status.
Once you get past the wow factor – OK, you never really do! – Chessnut Move plays as well as it looks. Bluetooth integration with the Chessnut app is exceptional. It is thankfully and surprisingly super easy to dive right into playing once everything is charged. There are oodles of modes within the very robust app, an array of graduated difficulty levels to choose from, and you can even play online against another Chessnut opponent. (The Chessnut app fully integrates with Lichess and Chess.com.) Note: I suggest setting up these accounts on a traditional computer, as the app is a bit wonky in this activity.
Chessnut Move also integrates with all mainstream chess engines available, opening an array of game options for the truly chess‑committed. Thus, major kudos to Chessnut for not firewalling their board or app, instead purposefully empowering end users to maximize gameplay in any way they want. For ranked players, this is beyond welcome. Even for novice players like myself, the app is a pleasure to play against.
Pulling this thread further, every board‑based move in Chessnut is tracked and potentially announced (if the feature is enabled) by the Chessnut app in real time. Voice recognition controls (there are multiple languages to choose from) are yet another option to enhance the Chessnut Move experience.
Most importantly, Chessnut Move plays an awesome game of chess. Even on its easiest difficulty level, Chessnut AI (the game’s chess engine) doesn’t suffer fools. Don’t be seduced by the pizzazz, as Chessnut will make short work of careless mistakes. Watching the computer literally take your pieces off the board via mistakes or oversights can be soul‑crushing… albeit learning experiences. You can’t help but feel trolled as Chessnut occasionally re‑organizes captured pieces, brouhaha. Chessnut AI also has a nifty analysis tool within the app to assess in‑game performance, as well as chess move puzzles. I learned quite a bit during an analysis hot wash following a win against the AI.
Similarly, and thanks to Chessnut Move’s AFPR, Chessnut will highlight AI piece trajectory prior to execution, and return pieces to their original positions if a human player’s move is illegal. It will also appropriately reject certain moves while a piece is in check.
Chessnut Move is such an ambitious offering and works so well, criticisms are almost non‑existent. First, I would’ve preferred an easier board‑charging method – for instance, a removable lithium battery – as moving something so substantial to plug into a wall isn’t easy. Second, there aren’t visual feedback mechanisms on the board itself when changing sides or modes via its handful of buttons. Third, it would be nice to quickly execute, sans app (based on the previous game session), a human versus CPU session. (But it is important to remember the brains of Chessnut AI do come from said app.) Fourth, the Chessnut AI app isn’t always intuitive and can take some trial and error to properly use. There’s also no reset option for critical app settings, which is sorely needed. Fifth, kindly include two USB‑C chargers to match the cables! Sixth: it would be helpful to highlight (in the app or on the board) when pieces are in check or when checkmate has occurred. (Things just reset with no explanation)
Finally – and while it’s offered as an add-on, I would’ve killed to have the Chessnut Move storage bag included with purchase. As stated, this weighs a lot (around 20 pounds total), and it’s hard to store so many items properly. Without the bag, the Chessnut Move is left sitting in a box and is anything but portable.
Final Thoughts
At just over $600 USD, Chessnut Move is literally worth every penny and then some. The incredible technology behind its intelligent, robotic chess piece movements, accompanied by a world‑class Chessnut AI engine, combines to make this one of 2025’s best products. Thanks to its integration with top chess engines, tiered difficulty, and move analysis, there are years of enjoyment waiting to be unboxed. All three of my family members jumped right in. Just make sure to pick up the storage bag if you plan on regular or mobile use.
Unboxing Photos
Chessnut App Screenshots
About the Author
Paul Stuart A gamer for over 30 years with 400+ reviews across four sites literally spanning the globe, Paul Stuart has an unhealthy obsession with Assassins Creed, God of War, and all things Lord of the Rings.
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