Electronic Chess Boards¶
If you have an electronic chessboard (E-Board), chances are you can connect it to PGN Master.
The following e-boards are currently supported:
Certabo (Classic Bluetooth, BLE and USB)
Chessnut e-boards (Air, Pro, Go, Move)
DGT Classic Bluetooth
DGT USB (only some devices)
DGT Pegasus
iChessOne
Millennium Chesslink BLE (Millennium eOne, Exclusive, Performance)
Square Off Pro
Special Features¶
With an e-board, you can simply move the pieces on the board to input moves. Always begin in a synced state, meaning the position on the e-board matches the position in PGN Master. You can go backwards in the current variation by undoing the moves on the e-board in reverse order.
Autoplay¶
If you are using autoplay and the e-board has LED indicators, the app will show on the board which pieces need to be moved. See this video for an example.
Guess the Move¶
If you make a wrong move on the e-board in Guess-the-move mode, a tone will sound and the LED indicators will show that you need to undo the incorrect move.
Edit Start Position (Position Setup)¶
If the e-board has piece recognition, you can simply place the pieces on the board and the app will automatically reflect the position. See this example video.
If the e-board does not support piece recognition, set up the position in the app and then place the pieces on the e-board accordingly.
Continuous Engine Analysis
If the e-board supports piece recognition, you can enable the engine from the action menu. When enabled and the position is valid, the engine display shows the evaluation of the current position. This is useful when studying endgames.
Chessnut Move: Automatic Piece Movement¶
In Guess-the-move, Autoplay, and Playing against the engine, the Chessnut Move automatically moves the physical pieces to match the position in PGN Master. This only works when the position has been synchronized first.
Connection¶
To connect an e-board, select the e-board in the preferences (see Select E-Board) and then select the Bluetooth or USB symbol from the action menu.
Note
For Bluetooth connections, turn off unused Bluetooth devices for best performance. Also ensure that location permissions and location services are enabled.
E-Board Dialog and Synchronization¶
Once connected, the E-board dialog becomes available in the action menu. It shows the synchronization status between the app and the e-board:
A black pawn with a checkmark
means the board is in sync.A yellow pawn with a yellow dot
means the board is out of sync.
How synchronization works¶
A synchronized board means the piece positions on the e-board match the position in PGN Master.
When the board is out of sync:
The app highlights mismatched squares with a yellow background.
The e-board dialog shows the piece placement as reported by the e-board.
The board display in the background shows the expected position.
For example, if the black King is on the wrong square, the mismatched squares will be highlighted.
Important distinction: piece-recognition vs. non-recognition boards¶
Boards with piece recognition The e-board dialog always reflects the real physical position.
Boards without piece recognition The e-board dialog may not reflect the real physical position. In this case, the SYNC button is used to synchronize the app’s position to the e-board.
Chessnut Move The SYNC button works in the opposite direction: it moves the physical pieces to match the position in PGN Master.
Fixing an out-of-sync position¶
You can resolve mismatches in two ways:
Manually move the pieces on the e-board until they match the app’s position.
Press SYNC:
On non-recognition boards: syncs the app to the e-board.
On Chessnut Move: syncs the e-board to the app (physical pieces move automatically).
Controls in the E-Board Dialog¶
Depending on the e-board type, the dialog may include:
Disconnect Symbol¶
Immediately disconnects the e-board.
Cogwheel¶
Opens settings specific to the connected e-board model.
CALIBRATE (Certabo only)¶
Used once to teach the app which piece is which. Place all pieces in the starting position and extra queens on D3 and D6. A new calibration removes all previous calibration data.
SYNC¶
On non-recognition boards: syncs the app’s position to the e-board.
On Chessnut Move: moves the physical pieces to match the app’s position.
Download OTB (Chessnut e-boards only)¶
Transfers stored OTB games from the e‑board to the app. The download button is visible only when games are available for transfer. Games are removed from the e‑board after the transfer is complete.
Note
Make sure you don’t make illegal moves in OTB games. If you make an illegal move, all moves made after that move are discarded. See this video.