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A few weeks ago, I received a SenseRobot Chess and made a quick “First Look” video. I’ve been using and reviewing the chess robot since then, and I have come to some strong impressions that can be described in three main themes:

• The hardware is excellent, though the piece movements are a tad slow.
• The on-device features are a bit limited but are well designed.
• The integration with online chess platforms is inadequate and unacceptable.

For online chess platforms, the SenseRobot Chess at present only works on Lichess, and even then, only for two time controls (15 min rapid, and 30 min classical). Over the past month, I’ve been in correspondence with SenseRobot and have put them in contact with Jörn Gehring (@joernupbde), the author of the amazing free Chessconnect software – available as an Android and iOS app, and as a Chrome browser extension. Chessconnect was first announced on Chess.com (and the forum thread is now at 86 pages, and 1703 messages at the time of this article!). I was an early adopter and described Chessconnect on my channel and blog a couple of years ago and it is my default way of using my Chessnut boards.

SenseRobot is actively working with Jörn, and I believe have or will be sending him a sample unit to help with development. I’m optimistic that together, they’ll be able to get the SenseRobot Chess to be compatible with Chessconnect. When that happens, SenseRobot Chess should work with Chess.com, Lichess, Noctie.ai and Chessiverse! The last two, Noctie.ai and Chessiverse, might pair especially well with SenseRobot Chess as it gives it access to a very wide range of AI chess bots designed to play more like a human.

If SenseRobot hadn’t demonstrated this active interest, I would have just recorded and published my review, and with the poor integration with online chess, it would have been difficult to recommend. However, as Chessconnect compatibility would be an AMAZING killer feature for the device, I’ve opted to defer the review for now given it is quite possible that my conclusion will be completely reversed.

* * *

I thought that it was important to give an update as I’d promised to publish the review in a couple of weeks from the First Look video. Instead, today I’m going to demonstrate the game review feature on the SenseRobot Chess — it’s a basic feature: you can replay your previous games on the board, with the pieces moved by the robot. This game was the first game that I played, 15+10 rapid against a random opponent on Lichess. I played the Max Lange version of the Vienna Gambit, and this game is a good demonstration of some Vienna Game/Gambit tactical ideas, especially the opportunity of a Greek Gift Sacrifice type attack, which was ultimately the winning idea in the middlegame. Enjoy!

* * *

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[Event "rated rapid game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/R4CANR52"]
[Date "2025.09.09"]
[Round "?"]
[White "vitualis"]
[Black "Nley_mar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[GameId "R4CANR52"]
[UTCDate "2025.09.09"]
[UTCTime "00:42:03"]
[WhiteElo "1502"]
[BlackElo "1500"]
[WhiteRatingDiff "+26"]
[BlackRatingDiff "-239"]
[TimeControl "900+10"]
[ECO "C25"]
[Opening "Vienna Gambit, with Max Lange Defense"]
[Termination "Normal"]
[Annotator "lichess.org"]
[WhiteUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/3711094.db4cf652.100x100o.e740f0aa4e58@2x.png"]
[WhiteCountry "17"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl ""]
[BlackCountry "225"]
[BlackTitle ""]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/2JXNJ97FDG"]

1. e4 {[%clk 0:15:00]} 1... e5 {[%clk 0:15:00]} 2. Nc3 {[%clk 0:14:58]} 2... Nc6
{[%clk 0:15:08]} 3. f4 {[%clk 0:14:53] Vienna Game: Max Lange Defense, Vienna
Gambit  $1 Let's go  $1} 3... Nf6 $2 {[%clk 0:15:14][%c_effect
f6;square;f6;type;Mistake;size;100%2525;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_arrow
e5f4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;e5;to;f4;persistent;false][%c_highlight
f4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f4;persistent;false] This is a common
mistake. For Black in e4-e5 games, a \"two knights\" approach is almost always
correct as an opening principle; hence, \"knights before bishops\". One of the
strengths of the Vienna Gambit is that is subverts this principle, as we shall
see  $1} 4. fxe5 {[%clk 0:14:48][%c_arrow
e5f6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;e5;to;f6;persistent;false][%c_highlight
f6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f6;persistent;false] This forces Black to
respond} 4... Nxe5 {[%clk 0:15:21]} 5. d4 $1 {[%clk 0:14:37][%c_effect
d4;square;d4;type;GreatFind;size;100%25;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_highlight
d4;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;d4;persistent;false,e5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e5;persistent;false][%c_arrow
d4e5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;d4;to;e5;persistent;false] And we chase
Black's knights, forcing them to move repeatedly, gaining develop and control of
the centre  $1} 5... Nc6 {[%clk 0:15:20]} 6. e5 $1 {[%clk 0:14:36][%c_effect
e5;square;e5;type;GreatFind;size;100%25;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_highlight
e5;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e5;persistent;false,f6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f6;persistent;false,d5;keyPressed;shift;opacity;0.8;square;d5;persistent;false,e4;keyPressed;shift;opacity;0.8;square;e4;persistent;false,g4;keyPressed;shift;opacity;0.8;square;g4;persistent;false,h5;keyPressed;shift;opacity;0.8;square;h5;persistent;false][%c_arrow
e5f6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;e5;to;f6;persistent;false,c3d5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;c3;to;d5;persistent;false,c3e4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;c3;to;e4;persistent;false,d1g4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;d1;to;g4;persistent;false,g4h5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;g4;to;h5;persistent;false]
And the king's knight is once again under attack. Notice that every escape
square for that knight that defended by one of White's pieces. As such, the
knight is forced to un-develop  $1} 6... Ng8 {[%clk 0:15:03]} 7. Nf3 {[%clk
0:14:31]} 7... d5 {[%clk 0:15:05] Black finds the best move in the position,
cementing the centre} 8. Bb5 {[%clk 0:14:10]} 8... Bb4 $6 {[%clk
0:15:00][%c_effect
b4;square;b4;type;Inaccuracy;size;100%25;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_arrow
a7a6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;a7;to;a6;persistent;false][%c_highlight
a6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;a6;persistent;false] Bb4 and trading the
bishop for the queen's knight typically doesn't work against the Vienna
Game/Gambit positions. Consider that after bxc3, White had doubled c-pawns, but
that supports a massive centre and White is likely to castle kingside anyway.}
9. O-O {[%clk 0:14:05]} 9... Ne7 {[%clk 0:15:02]} 10. a3 $6 {[%clk
0:13:21][%c_effect
a3;square;a3;type;Inaccuracy;size;100%25;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_arrow
f3g5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;f3;to;g5;persistent;false][%c_highlight
g5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g5;persistent;false] I wasn't sure in the
position the best move and so decided to provoke Black's bishop. It was better
to immediate go for an attack with Ng5.} 10... a6 $4 {[%clk 0:14:59][%c_effect
a6;square;a6;type;Blunder;size;100%2525;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_highlight
a6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;a6;persistent;false] This blunders the
b4-bishop as after axb4, Black's a6-pawn is pinned to their a8-rook  $1 I didn't
appreciate this in the game, but had seen the possibility of a future Greek Gift
Sacrifice  $1} 11. Bd3 $5 {[%clk 0:13:07][%c_arrow
a3b4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;a3;to;b4;persistent;false,d3h7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;d3;to;h7;persistent;false,f3g5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;f3;to;g5;persistent;false,d1h5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;d1;to;h5;persistent;false][%c_highlight
b4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b4;persistent;false][%c_effect
d3;square;d3;type;Interesting;size;100%252525;animated;false;persistent;true]
The bishop, knight and queen are all in place. I just need Black to castle  $1}
11... Ba5 $6 {[%clk 0:15:01][%c_effect
a5;square;a5;type;Inaccuracy;size;100%25;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_arrow
b4c3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;b4;to;c3;persistent;false][%c_highlight
c3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c3;persistent;false] Black's dark square
bishop is kind of in a bad position. Black attempts to save it, but they don't
have anything better than trading it away.} 12. Ng5 {[%clk 0:11:28][%c_arrow
d3h7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;d3;to;h7;persistent;false,g5h7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;g5;to;h7;persistent;false,g5f7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;g5;to;f7;persistent;false,f1f7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;f1;to;f7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
h7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;h7;persistent;false,f7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f7;persistent;false]
A massive attack on Black's kingside  $1} 12... O-O $4 {[%clk 0:14:53][%c_effect
g8;square;g8;type;Blunder;size;100%2525;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_highlight
g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g8;persistent;false] Understandable, but
fatal mistake  $1 A forced checkmate is on the board  $1} 13. Bxh7+ {[%clk
0:11:08][%c_arrow
h7g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;from;h7;to;g8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g8;persistent;false]} 13... Kh8 {[%clk
0:14:59]} 14. Qh5 {[%clk 0:11:04]} 14... g6 {[%clk 0:14:52]} 15. Bxg6+ {[%clk
0:10:55]} 15... Kg7 {[%clk 0:14:56][%c_effect
g1;square;g1;type;Winner;animated;true] Black resigns as Qh7# is checkmate  $1}
1-0