Playing against a DGT board

[hgm]

I was asked the following question, which I could not answer myself:

A Chess club that has an almost totally paralyzed member wants him to play against other members through the combination of a laptop and a DGT board. The idea is that the healthy members use the DGT board, to simulate normal conditions as much as possible, while the paralyzed person would operate the laptop through a 'head band' (which he apparently can do; don't ask me what it is), running a GUI on it.

They already tried to use Fritz or Shredder GUI, which have DGT support. But it appears these only support the DGT board playing against an engine. While what we need here is the human user of the GUI playing against the DGT board. A driver that would make the DGT board appear like it is an engine would solve the problem, as the GUI could then simply select human-engine mode, using the DGT board as engine. But I don't know if something like that exist. (For Windows!)

Does any of you DGT-board owners/users know a solution to this problem?

[AdminX]

If he can use his device to play using a GUI such as Fritz would not it be easier to just create an online acount for him. The inhouse player would then be able to use the DGT board. He would use the GUI (inhouse) of course all from the same club. I know Playchess would allow to one to use an DGT Board to transmit moves online.

[hgm]

Well, as I understood it this is what they are doing now, but it is unsatisfactory because it needed two laptops. But I guess they could use the two GUIs that connect to PlayChess on the same laptop? Or is it not possible to run two instances of Fritz on the same machine?

[adams161]

Chess for android supports DGT boards and maybe eboard. ( more than one type). It has a level known as free play, move for both sides. It says Free Play - analysis, but when i turn it on i dont see any engine analysis. Maybe he just means use your head analysis.

Edit: i see now the paralyze person wants to use a computer. It would let the second player connect on android not a laptop which perhaps is more flexiblity if they user a chess server.

[abik]

Is this "head band" only supported on Windows, or is a mobile Android device an option? If the latter, Chess for Android, in "free" (human-human) mode would work really well for this.

Once the mobile device and the DGT board are connected with each other, moves made at the DGT board are immediately made in the GUI, and moves made in the GUI can be matched on the DGT board (indicated by LEDs if supported, like on the Revelation II, or shown as text on the DGT clock if connected; otherwise the voice option of Chess for Android could be used to announce the just made move on the GUI).

Note that Chess for Android connects directly to a DGT board through USB or bluetooth, so the only extra hardware required is the DGT board and a mobile device (possibly some cabling). Also, the connection is direct, so no need to play through a chess server (although even that is possible with the latest release of Chess for Android). The game can be saved and shared on the mobile device in the end.

By the way, getting this to work seems the kind of laudable objective that I warmly support. If there is anything I can do from my side to make this work better, happy to add new features (except probably implementing a full "head band" device driver ).

[abik]

It says Free Play - analysis, but when i turn it on i dont see any engine analysis. Maybe he just means use your head analysis.

When a third party UCI or XBoard engine is imported, "free play" also shows the infinite analysis of that engine at the bottom (useful to play over games and get instant engine feedback). When the built-in engine is active, no analysis is shown.

[hgm]

It seems the 'head band' is only supported on Windows, unfortunately.

[adams161]

Well, as I understood it this is what they are doing now, but it is unsatisfactory because it needed two laptops.

The one benefit of chess for android i saw here was it would be one laptop and one android device. the headband user could user his laptop and the headband and a chess gui to play the other guy over the internet. Now the other guy could use what he has now, a computer. or if it was more handy, his android phone or a club tablet and a DGT board.

[Cumnor]

According to https://shop.chess.co.uk/DGT-Smart-Boar ... b06904.htm

Online Play: Play online against opponents from around the world using the Smart Board as your input device for example on Playchess.com. Your opponents moves (human or engine) are shown in the display of the DGT3000 chess clock that connects with the Smart Board.

I suppose this would not work with just one laptop.

[AdminX]

I found an app called 'Limin' that allows use of a project called 'Liboard' that works with LiChess, not sure if it would work with DGT however. I am still reaching this.

https://github.com/LanyonConrad/limin/

https://github.com/LanyonConrad/liboard