The Millennium eOne electronic chess board offers a range of top-of-the-line features at an affordable price, making it a valuable purchase for chess players.
Unlike other brands, the Millennium EeOneis smaller, more compact, and includes all the essential features that an average chess player would need.
There’s virtually no lag while using it, and the piece register moves smoothly when paired with the app. In this article, we will look at what makes this board a good or bad purchase as the case might be.
Quick Overview
The Millennium E1—also called the eONE—is part of Millennium 2000 GmbH’s electronic chess board lineup, developed in Ottobrunn near Munich, Germany
The board was built to combine the traditional field of over-the-board chess experience with the convenience and ease of online play.
It was designed with a focus on portability and simplicity, featuring automatic move recognition and LED indicators while providing seamless connectivity to platforms like Chess.com, Lichess.org, and Tornelo.
This model reflects Millennium’s goal of delivering “digital chess on real boards”.
Design and Build
The Millennium E1 uses a USB Type-C connection with Bluetooth support and measures 12.2 x 12.2 inches (31 x 31 cm) with a 2.72 inches King height.
Out of the box, it comes with a protective covering for the board itself. The USB Type-C cable included is designed at a 90° angle, ensuring comfortable usage with no awkward bends.
With a weight of about 932 g, the Millennium E1 is lightweight and easy to carry without feeling burdensome.
The built-in lithium battery offers long-lasting performance on a single charge, and the board’s compact design ensures it doesn’t take up much space.
The matte plastic finish on the outer covering of the Millennium eOne electronic chess set showcases its straightforward and user-friendly design.
At the front, there are three LED indicators that can adjust functionalities such as brightness and piece promotion. On the back, there’s just an on/off button, and on the side, you’ll find the USB-C charging port.
Ease of Use and Compatibility
Using the Millennium E1 is straightforward. It supports major chess websites like Chess.com and Lichess.
If you’ve used other compact electronic chess boards like the Chessnut Air, you’ll feel right at home—they’re similar in size and design.
Also, when compared to Chess up 2 board, which we also used and reviewed, it’s relatively smaller, but the experience of using both boards are quite similar, with Chessup2 feeling much more seamless to use.
Pros:
- Affordable price
- Compact and lightweight
- USBC
- Bluetooth support
- Works with Chess.com and Lichess
- Long battery life
Cons:
- Small squares for large hands
- Light pieces
- Occasional piece recognition glitches
Pieces and Playing Experience
If you have large hands, you may find the square size of the Millennium E1 small and challenging to handle. The pieces are made of relatively light material but feature a sturdy rubber base. The pieces are not heavy, and their balance may make them slightly awkward to grab initially.
The knights and rooks are slender, and the pawns are the smallest pieces in the set. This is a minor nitpick, but players who prefer larger, tournament-sized chessboard pieces may find the set less ideal for long sessions.
Importantly, it’s essential that you set up your chess games with incremental time control to make up for the time lost in moving the pieces.
Setup and App
During setup, the board’s LEDs will continue blinking until all pieces are correctly positioned. You need to use the proprietary ChessLink app to pair the Millennium eOne with your devices.
Tokens are also required for establishing connections with certain platforms, such as Lichess.
Performance
The performance of the Millennium EOne is satisfactory. It’s responsive, reliable, and glitch-free, although there can be occasional piece recognition issues after making a move, especially when sliding the pieces across the board.
These are rare and don’t take away from the overall experience.
Cost
You can pick up one at a retail price of about $160, depending on where you are getting it. Clearly, it’s more affordable when compared to other boards that cost about $300+.
You will definitely get your money’s worth from a purchase of the Millennium eOne chessboard.
Conclusion
The Millennium eOne is ideal for kids and casual players, as well as professionals seeking an affordable secondary board, who will also find its portability and functionality helpful.
Although it has minor drawbacks like light pieces and small squares, the Millennium eOne is a robust and well-designed choice that stands out for its portability, functionality, and user-friendliness.
If you need a more tournament standard set, the DGT Smart board might be a better alternative.