31-08-2011, 02:03 PM
I was one of those fortunate enough to play on one of the DGT boards in Round 4 of the weekend minor at the Scottish. Firstly, it was nice to get a feel of "how the other half live", so to speak, and I felt it was a good move on behalf of the organisers. Secondly, I found it took a bit of getting used to... being accustomed to green and white squares, and the plastic pieces meant I had to do a bit of visual readjusting in the early part of the game. Basically I was double checking straightforward moves in the opening just to "be sure". Funnily enough I remember having this problem in the English tournaments I attended last year, where they used the brown and white mats.
The second point is I guess not really relevant (workmen, tools etc springs to mind). As regards the first, while it felt special, would it help me improve my game? It is still, after all, a chessboard, albeit a darn sight more premium (100x?) than the green mat. If I played on the sensory board and got expert commentary on my game, I would be happy to pay an increase in my congress fee, but only if I played on the sensory board. IMHO it would be somewhat unfair to ask others who didn't receive such a benefit to pay for my "coaching"; this is why I think the bidding process may be the better option. But people need to perceive such a benefit as worth bidding for in the first place.
The second point is I guess not really relevant (workmen, tools etc springs to mind). As regards the first, while it felt special, would it help me improve my game? It is still, after all, a chessboard, albeit a darn sight more premium (100x?) than the green mat. If I played on the sensory board and got expert commentary on my game, I would be happy to pay an increase in my congress fee, but only if I played on the sensory board. IMHO it would be somewhat unfair to ask others who didn't receive such a benefit to pay for my "coaching"; this is why I think the bidding process may be the better option. But people need to perceive such a benefit as worth bidding for in the first place.