DGT Chess Boards: Smart Board, e-Board, Revelation II and DGT Pi, Which to Choose?

Updated on 18 October 2026 · Written by Brunoy Échecs · Specifications checked on the manufacturers’ websites

DGT Chess Boards: The Range in One Table

DGT is based in Enschede in the Netherlands. Its story begins in the mid-1980s with a clock designed by Ben Bulsink at the University of Twente; its e-Boards were developed for the Elista Olympiad in 1998. Here are the current and recent models, in order of appearance according to the manufacturer’s timeline.

DGT Smart Board: The Most Affordable DGT Chess Board

Launched in 2017, the DGT Smart Board is presented by DGT as a cheaper plastic alternative to its wooden boards. Its printed surface imitates wood; it comes with or without coordinates around the edges.

Like the e-Boards, the Smart Board fits into tournament chains linked to a computer by USB. It is the logical choice for anyone who wants DGT’s detection technology, at competition dimensions, without the budget of a wooden board. To see it in detail, look at the connected DGT Smart board and its weighted pieces.

We observed the Smart Board without pieces at around €200 at a German retailer. Indicative price observed, on 18/10/2026.

Wooden DGT e-Board: USB, Bluetooth and Tournament

The DGT e-Board is the board of major competitions. According to DGT, it has been used at world championships since 1998 to broadcast games live: every move played by the players appears within seconds on the broadcast sites. It comes in three families:

• e-Board USB: in walnut, rosewood or wenge, linked by cable to a computer;
• e-Board Bluetooth: internal battery, in walnut or rosewood, for wireless play with a tablet or computer;
• Tournament e-Board: several boards linked in a chain to broadcast an entire round.

All versions have 55 mm squares. The free DGT LiveChess software (Windows, Mac, Linux) records and broadcasts the games. DGT states that the e-Boards can be used on Chess.com, Lichess and Playchess; the Chessconnect Chrome extension, updated in February 2026, links the e-Boards, the Smart Board, the Revelation II and the Pegasus to Chess.com or Lichess. Lichess, for its part, lists DGT among the manufacturers that correctly use its official interface.

A USB e-Board set in walnut with its pieces was observed at around €650 at a European retailer. Indicative price observed, on 18/10/2026.

DGT Revelation II: The Chess Computer Built into the Board

The Revelation II was designed by Phoenix Chess Systems (Ruud Martin) with DGT, and delivered to the first customers in December 2013. It builds a genuine computer into a DGT e-Board: several powerful chess engines, emulations of old Mephisto and Novag computers, an OLED screen and lights that show the moves. The anniversary edition, the most recent, uses engines such as Komodo, Hiarcs and Shredder, with 52 mm squares and a Bluetooth link that imitates a DGT e-Board.

The Revelation II is no longer made. It can now be found second-hand, where it appeals mainly to chess-computer enthusiasts who value its emulations of 1980s machines. For those period machines, see our page on vintage chess computers.

DGT Pi: A Clock That Plays Chess

The DGT Pi, released in October 2016, is a DGT 3000 clock containing a small Raspberry Pi computer. It runs the open-source software PicoChess and engines ranging from beginner to grandmaster level. The DGT Pi does not detect the moves itself: it must be linked to a DGT e-Board (USB, Bluetooth) or to a Smart Board, sold separately.

The e-Board + DGT Pi combination makes a modular chess computer, powerful and upgradeable, but dearer than an all-in-one device. The DGT Pi was observed at between about $300 and $370 at a US retailer. Indicative price observed, on 18/10/2026. For the clock on its own, see our page on the DGT 3000 and DGT 2010 clocks.

How a DGT Board Broadcasts a Game

When you follow a championship round live on the internet, the moves you see displayed most often come from DGT boards. The principle is simple:

1. each table is fitted with an e-Board or a Smart Board, placed like an ordinary chess board;
2. the boards in the same room are linked in a chain, then to a computer by USB;
3. the DGT LiveChess software reads the position on each board, reconstructs the moves and produces PGN files;
4. these files are published continuously to the broadcast sites, which show the games to spectators.

Because the board identifies the type and colour of each piece, it does not need to “follow” the game from the starting position: it reads the position as it stands. This is what makes the system robust at tournaments, where a knocked-over piece or a resumed game must not throw everything off. For a club organising an open, it is also a shop window: families and eliminated players follow the top boards from the bar or from home.

Before Buying a DGT Board: Five Checks

• The pieces: DGT’s tournament boards recognise the pieces thanks to dedicated electronic pieces. A Smart Board or an e-Board is often sold with or without pieces: check what is included.
• Connectivity: USB for a fixed workstation or a tournament, Bluetooth for a tablet. It cannot be changed after purchase.
• Software: DGT LiveChess for broadcasting, the Chessconnect extension for playing on Chess.com or Lichess from Chrome, the DGT Chess app for the Pegasus.
• Coordinates: the Smart Board comes with or without markings around the edges; with them, it is handier for notation or learning.
• Actual use: if you mainly want to play against the machine, an e-Board alone is not enough; you need a DGT Pi or a computer, or a standalone device such as the Centaur.

Which DGT Chess Board Should You Choose?

For a club that wants to broadcast its games, the tournament e-Board and LiveChess software pairing remains the benchmark. For an individual, the deciding question is: do you want to play against the machine (Centaur) or against humans online (Pegasus, Smart Board, e-Board)? Our comparison of connected boards settles this second question platform by platform.