We provide an incredibly convenient feature for Hybrid or over-the-board chess tournaments that want to use eBoards. This allows arbiters to broadcast games or connect eBoards directly to the Pairing Program! Spectators will see the games by clicking on the pairings, just as if they were being played entirely online.
Our recent update now gives Abiters two options when it comes to using eBoards in your chess tournament.
1. Players connect with an eBoard to play Hybrid Chess
In a Hybrid chess tournament players are in different physical locations. Each player has one eBoard on which they make moves. The easiest way to think about the interaction with Tornelo is that the eBoard is an input device, really no different from using a mouse.
When a player moves a chess piece on the board a message is sent to the server as if they clicked that move into their browser. If it’s a legal move then the move will be played on the server. The player will see illegal moves or invalid positions highlighted on their board.
We support the use of both DGT e-boards and Millennium e-boards (including activating LEDs on Millennium boards so players do not need to look at a screen to play their game).
In addition to the phsyical eBoard the user must connect the board to their computer and be running a ‘connector’ program which acts as a server to send the moves to Tornelo. Simply open Tornelo, click Connect e-boards and play your games. You’ll need to install the LiveChessCloud from DGT or the Tornelo Connector from Millennium.
2. Broadcast mode
In traditional OTB chess tournaments players are in the same room and both players are playing their game on the same eBoard. Arbiters want to broadcast this game online for spectators.
Tornelo is the only pairing program which will allow you to publish the pairings instantly online and have those pairings connected to broadcast a live chess game! Not only that, but the game is saved in the Pairings Program online and ready to download by spectators any time in the future.
This time the Arbiter will connect to the eBoards using the LiveChessCloud or Tornelo Connector and the arbiter can connect Tornelo to the eBoards. The arbiter will see any invalid positions highlighted and can work out how to resolve them.
We currently support multiple Millennium eboards connected at one time, to broadcast multiple games, but only the broadcast from a single DGT eboard. Support for multiple DGT board broadcast will be coming soon.
Extra features
Tornelo is also smart enough to detect when players are playing on a ‘flipped’ board (eg. the white pieces started on ranks 7 and 8).
Players or arbiters can connect eBoards at any time in order to test their setup before the game begins. They can even disconnect and reconnect during the game.