Practice chess with a genius owl
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Sabina Sonning

Noctie - Practice chess with a genius owl

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A chess tutor in your pocket. Noctie mimics human play at any level – no more robot-like computers! Fun practice on your own terms: pick the opening you like, learn from instant feedback, get exercises from your mistakes. Your secret weapon to chess learning!

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Samuel Sonning
Maker
📌
Hey PH community 👋 Any aspiring chess players here? ♟️ I’m Samuel, chess player and maker of Noctie, which we’re excited to launch here today! As a kid, I had no one to play chess against or learn from. I wanted one of those physical chess computers that I saw in magazines. When I finally got hold of some chess software I quickly realised playing against computers is no fun 🤖 Twenty-five years later, and frustrated from my slow chess improvement using traditional means, I saw the opportunity to change this. I built a chess AI as a practice partner and tutor. One that plays just like a human at my own level, but also knows how stronger players play, so that it can give me feedback on how to improve 🚀 I think a lot about learning. I think the best way to learn almost anything is 1-on-1 tutoring. To learn effectively, we need practice and immediate feedback. But that’s hard to get from chess books and videos, and it’s even harder to get from online chess. What you need is a practice partner and teacher, someone who can offer the right level of challenge, testing your skills, and intertwine this with learning opportunities. That’s what we’ve tried to create with Noctie. Today, we’re a small team of tech and chess enthusiasts working to make Noctie into the best possible partner in your chess journey. So far, this is what we’ve accomplished: ✔️ Chess AI that accurately mimics human play from beginner to grandmaster ✔️ Instant color feedback after each move, based on humanlike intuition ✔️ Play the opening you like and learn the common responses and traps ✔️ Custom exercises after each game, based on your biggest mistakes Whether you're a beginner or experience chess player, we're excited to have more people like you try Noctie out and leave us some feedback and suggestions!
Sarath Chandran
@samuel_sonning Congratulations on the launch of Noctie, Samuel! 🎉 It's fantastic to see your passion for chess and your dedication to improving the learning experience for players of all levels. Noctie sounds like an incredible tool for aspiring chess players, providing personalized practice and feedback to help them improve their skills. Wishing you and your team all the best as you continue to develop Noctie into the ultimate chess partner. Looking forward to seeing the impact it makes in the chess community! 🚀
Samuel Sonning
Maker
@sarath_chandran6 Thank you, Chandran!
Yami Sun
@samuel_sonning Will you consider to add the "AI coach" function? 🎉Congrats! We're launching "Cascad3 - A decentralized inspiration-driven publishing platform" on Product Hunt soon. Let's collaborate! I would appreciate your support and feedback by clicking the "Notify Me" button to stay tuned and be the first to know when Cascad3 debuts on the stage.👇 producthunt.com/products/cascad3 Thank you! Best regards, Yami
Suryadathan E
That's it, I'm learning how to chess now. LOVE the idea of an owl as a mascot! Looking forward to seeing their avatar grow over time!
Sabina Sonning
Maker
@suryadathan thank you Suryadathan! I was a chess beginner at the start of this journey too. I'd love to hear about your experience learning through Noctie.
Suryadathan E
@sabina_sonning remind me to share my progress in a month haha
Sabina Sonning
Maker
@suryadathan WILL DO!
Samuel Sonning
Maker
@suryadathan :D The owl will take you to new chess heights!
Ted Schaefer
@suryadathan Haha, I'll always upvote my fellow owls! Congrats on the launch Samuel!
Joep van den Bogaert
This might actually convince me to start playing. If only I had more time.. Awesome app guys, congrats!
Sabina Sonning
Maker
@jopie it convinced me :) What is the thing making you attracted to chess, and what is the thing holding you back? I'm super curious in the psychology/mythology around chess. Would love your input!
Alexandra Öhrlund
The instant feedback has been a game changer for me. As a chess rookie, progressing has been frustrating - but being able to practice at my own level with Noctie has made all the difference. Excited to keep moving forward. Congratulations, team Noctie! 👏🏼
Samuel Sonning
Maker
@alexandra_ohrlund Thanks for the kind words Alexandra and best of luck with your chess journey!
Alexhander Törnqvist
@alexandra_ohrlund fully agreed, Noctie has made chess fun on a whole new level that helps you progress and get better at you own pace! Great app, congrats team Noctie! 👏
Dimitrie Baitanciuc
Ohans Emmanuel
I love this! Coincidently, i was actively looking for something like this. I’ll certainly be giving it a try. Congrats on the launch 🚀
Samuel Sonning
Maker
@ohansemmanuel Thank you! I’d love to hear your feedback later and whether/how it differed from your expectations
Ohans Emmanuel
💡 Bright idea
@ohansemmanuel took a quick look 👀 Very well done! One minor improvement: after the initial rating, it’d be great to know what relative level you’ve been placed on, and what that means e.g., what’s “pawn 1” and how far away am I from perhaps “queen 1” etc.
Samuel Sonning
Maker
@ohansemmanuel Great suggestion!
William Saar
Great learning tool! Congrats on the launch!
Samuel Sonning
Maker
@saarw Thanks a lot! ❤️
Johan Öhrlund
Let’s goooo! I’ve been a Noctie fan for a while now. I’m a complete beginner when it comes to chess and being able to learn in a safe space has been priceless. The feedback and the exercises - chef’s kiss 👌 Congratulations on the launch!
Sabina Sonning
Maker
@jhrlund thank you Johan! I'm happy to hear you like the feedback and exercises. As a chess player early in my journey too, I also think the safe non competitive space is an important aspect of learning new things. Please let me know if you have more input on how we can improve!
Linda B
Great looking app, just started playing and I’m hooked! Can easily see how this will make me a better player.
Sabina Sonning
Maker
@linda_b2 so happy you like it Linda! Let me know if you find something that can be improved or a use case important to you that isn't covered. Real user input is what got us this far!
Gustav Tegby
The dynamic difficulty level is quite something, and the feedback system actually manages to make me feel like I’m improving in real time - VERY rewarding. This might turn out to be dangerously addictive 😅
Sabina Sonning
Maker
@gustav_tegby thank you for sharing! Implementing the instant feedback is really the moment I really knew we had something. I'm starting to see colors on regular boards now too :) (I recommend mixing your potential Noctie addiction with some over the board games with friends to get the most value out of your progress :D)
Gustav Tegby
@sabina_sonning I can see why, it feels like a game changer (bad pun intended). Yeah if I keep this up I think I’ll probably finally get my nerve up to start challenging actual people again. The only question now is whether I should tell my son about Noctie like a good father, or try to use it to possibly, finally get the upper hand again the next time we play…
Sabina Sonning
Maker
@gustav_tegby haha I think it's only fair that you both have the secret weapon. In the end, you actually have to do the practice too ;)
Sean Thomas
@samuel_sonning Congratulations on launching Noctie. @andrew_brogden Noctie might be something you find interesting 👀
Samuel Sonning
Maker
Andrew Brogden
@sean_t94 @samuel_sonning Thanks both. I just had a little go at the demo rating game, Looks great, will give it a proper go over the weekend.
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