The Chessnut Companion is a chess clock that runs Android. That makes it a computer you can install Chessconnect on – and from then on it is no longer limited to Chessnut boards and two chess sites. Everything below is specific to this device; in every other respect it behaves like the Chessconnect Android app on any phone or tablet.

Installing

The Companion comes with Google Play. Search for Chessconnect, install it, and open it. There is nothing special to do afterwards.

Choosing your board

Open the settings, pick your board from the list, and choose Bluetooth or USB. Chessconnect remembers that choice, so the next start connects on its own.

DGT boards over USB. The Companion can act as a USB host. A DGT Bluetooth e-Board – the one with a battery – works straight off the USB-C port. Older DGT USB e-Boards without a battery are only recognised through a USB hub. An unpowered hub is enough; this is not a question of power supply.

DGT boards over Bluetooth. DGT e-Boards use Bluetooth Classic rather than Bluetooth LE. Pair the board in the Android settings first, then it shows up in the Chessconnect device list.

The clock on the screen

Chessconnect takes the time control from the chess site and shows both times the way a tournament clock does, side by side on the wide display. One tap on the clock button fills the screen, the next puts the clock beside the game, the next hides it; the choice is remembered. The motorised rocker follows the clock either way – on every site and with every board, not just with a Chessnut board. If the Companion stands the other way round at the board, the swap button mirrors both the clock and the rocker.

Sending moves by pressing the clock

Switch on „Press clock to transmit moves“ in the options and the Companion behaves like a tournament clock: make your move on the board, press the rocker, and the move goes to the chess site. Until you press, nothing is transmitted.

The display

Chess sites are not built for 480 pixels of height. Chessconnect hides the system bars, widens the layout viewport, and allows pinch zoom, which is what makes the sites usable on this screen at all.

Sound

Your opponent’s moves can be announced out loud in eight languages, or answered with a beep or a knock on wood. Chessconnect also warns you about a misplaced piece, a piece the board does not detect, and a low piece battery.