Electronic Chess Sets for Children: Lexibook ChessMan and Alternatives

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

Lexibook Electronic Chess Set: The Range in One Table

Lexibook, a French brand of electronic toys, offers several chess computers. Their references are often confused; here is the correspondence noted from the official manuals and product pages.

Lexibook ChessMan Elite (CG1300): The Details

The official manual for the ChessMan Elite describes 64 levels divided into four styles:

• 5 beginner levels, for the first games;
• 8 timed levels, from 5 seconds to 2 hours per move;
• an analysis level where the device may think for 24 hours;
• mate problems up to mate in 5 moves;
• a two-player mode in which the device acts as arbiter and checks that moves are legal.

The board is pressure-sensitive: you press with the piece on the starting square and then on the destination square. Lights along the ranks and files show the coordinates of the computer’s moves; it is not the pieces or the squares themselves that light up. The device makes sound effects but does not speak. It offers a training mode, a hint function, a take-back of two moves and a library of 20 openings. It runs on 3 AA (LR6) batteries or a 9 V, 300 mA centre-positive adapter, sold separately.

For a child, the strengths are clear: genuinely weak beginner levels, an arbiter mode for playing between brothers and sisters, and no connection or screen. Its limitation: a compact board with small pieces, less pleasant than a proper chess board.

Lexibook ChessMan FX and the Harry Potter Edition

The ChessMan FX (CG1335) keeps the 64 levels and the four styles of play, with an announced strength of 1,800 Elo, a training mode and a hint function. One retailer mentions 64 LEDs under the squares, which makes the moves more intuitive to read for a young player.

The Harry Potter edition (CG3000HP) is aimed at fans of the saga: the same 64 levels and 1,800 Elo announced, lights and sound effects, and a design in the colours of that universe. Its public price announced at launch, in 2022, was €119.99 according to a company document. Indicative price observed. For a child motivated by the theme, that is a real argument: you play more willingly on a board you like looking at.

Where Can I Find the Manual for a Lexibook Chess Set?

Lexibook puts its instruction manuals online. Go to the brand’s official website, to the instruction manuals (“user manuals”) section, then search for the reference printed under the device or on the box: CG1300 for the ChessMan Elite, CG1335 for the ChessMan FX, CG3000HP for the Harry Potter edition, LCG3000 for the ChessLight. The manuals can be downloaded as PDFs. With the right reference, you will find the key combinations for changing level, setting up a position or asking for a hint.

Using a Chess Computer Well with a Child

A chess computer is a patient opponent, but a child can quickly get discouraged if they lose every game. A few habits make the device genuinely useful:

• Start with the beginner levels: on the ChessMan Elite, the 5 beginner levels are made for this. The aim of the first few weeks is to win games, not to suffer.
• Use the two-player mode: the device checks that moves are legal. Two children can play together without an adult to referee.
• Make use of the mate problems: mates in one, two or three moves are excellent short exercises, suited to a young player’s attention span.
• Allow the hint and take-back at first, then keep them for difficult moments.
• Have spare batteries ready: a device that switches off in the middle of a game is more frustrating than a defeat.

Finally, the computer does not replace playing with family or at a club: it complements it. The ideal is to alternate games against the machine with games against people.

Electronic Chess Sets for Children: Alternatives by Age

The child does not yet know the rules

It is better to begin with a real chess set and a few family games: a chess computer assumes you know how the pieces move. A first wooden chess set for the child remains the best starting point, with the electronics coming afterwards.

The child knows the rules and wants to play alone

The Lexibook ChessMan Elite or FX is perfectly suitable. From Millennium, the Europe Chess Champion (M800) is an “8 games in 1” travel device (chess, draughts, Reversi, Halma and others) running on batteries, with a pressure-sensitive board and magnetic pieces.

The child is improving and plays at a club

Move up to a stronger opponent: the Millennium ChessGenius or ChessGenius Pro, powered by Richard Lang’s program. For a teenager who wants to learn from their mistakes, the coloured aids of the ChessUp 2, covered on our page on electronic chess sets for beginners, are also very effective.

To compare what is currently on offer, browse the electronic chess sets for children and adults at a specialist shop.