Photo: Square Off
I’ve run into some issues here and there where the board won’t register some of my movements and asks me to do the move again until it registers. This can be annoying when you’re watching the clock, as all online matches are timed, but it only happens a few times. The board is usually quite responsive, with beeps to indicate when you’ve made an unauthorized move (like when you move a pawn without realizing your king is in control). You can play by just looking at the board, or you can keep the app open throughout the game to see the virtual board and details about your opponents (and even message them).
Endgame
I won a game on Square Off Pro and things started going downhill from there. But it doesn’t really matter – I’m having a lot of fun. Sure, there were no players sitting across from me, but that didn’t stop my partner from overhearing me swearing and frantically shouting, “No, no, no, no, no, no!” And I have nothing but admiration when I lose. It was amazing to see how other people played the game and what moves they used to fool me.
I like to think like Writing notes at school can help with memorization, the physically moving pieces help me learn the game a bit better, but I can’t say for sure. I just find it much more enjoyable than clicking or finger tapping on the screen.
Square Off Pro isn’t just for gaming either. You can recreate matches from current tournaments and see how they play out on the board, or even analyze your own matches. Hooray, I can see all the stupid mistakes I made that led to my death. I’m not salty, I swear.
It’s much easier to transport than Square Off’s original chess set, but I wish it came with a more travel-friendly set. Now, you roll up the board, put it in a cylindrical fabric box, then put the pieces in two separate mesh bags. It would be great if I could store everything together in one set.
Also, it’s hard to find many bugs with Square Off Pro. I’ve been playing more chess lately, and that’s all I want.
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