Top 6 chess computers to play

[Arlie]

Hello,
I am new to the forum and collecting chess computers. I was wondering what the forum members thought would be their top 6 dedicated chess computers to get the widest variety in style of play. I am preceding on the premise that space and spouse patience would be limited, so I am only allowed 6. I would want to find computers that play differently, to have the most difference in opponents/computers. Generally, I would be looking for the items I could find on ebay, although some may take awhile to appear. I had thought of starting by buying ones by different programmers, say a Morsch, then a Kaplan, etc... But then I realized even these by the same programmers play differently sometimes. So I wondered if there were a certain few units that stood out because of their playing style. Although I did not want to restrict the question based on strength, a rating of 1500 or higher was what I was considering. Thank you for any thoughts on this. I apologize if I missed that this had been previously asked.

[Larry]

Hello,
I am new to the forum and collecting chess computers. I was wondering what the forum members thought would be their top 6 dedicated chess computers to get the widest variety in style of play.

Hi Arlie, You might get about a half a dozen answers each with different
recommendations. Assuming you have average patience and an
average budget, here are the ones I would be looking for:

Mephisto: either Atlanta. Very strong, user friendly, big clear
display, but hard to find and expensive
elo2180
or Master. this is basically an Atlanta minus hash
tables, therefore about 100elo weaker.
You will find one of these quick, and they
are affordable. A really neat chess comp.
Slimline, good battery life, ample playing
strength.
Novag either Expert. Fairly strong (1780elo) wooden tabletop
that runs only with power adaptor. A bit
on the expensive side for one complete
and in good condition.
or Super Constellation. This is basically a plastic, poor
man's version of the above Expert, with
only a slightly reduced playing strength.
elo1730
Scisys TurboStar432. Not too hard to find plastic pressure
sensory with a program by Julio Kaplan,
who was a junior chess master. elo 1780
Fidelity either Par Excellence. elo1835. Good user friendly and
reliable. Here is one on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fidelity-Par-Ex ... 19df1de230
or Voice Champion elo1550. Pressure sensory, light on every
square. Wooden frame. Plenty of character, but
the voice will drive you wife batty. Use in only
when you are home alone.
or SC9 elo1570. Easy to find, cheap, simple and reliable.
batteries or adaptor, light on every square.
Saitek RISC2500, if you can find one. elo~2190. A
plastic butt kicker with good variety of playing
styles. Fairly expensive.

I agree with your wife about the size of the collection, if you want
tabletop machines. The handhelds can be collected in larger numbers,
they are easy to store.
Welcome to the forum,
take care,
Larry

[Theo]

Hi Arlie,

I have a similar problem, to have a small collection with max variety, so I have made my mind up about it. So here's what I would suggest:


Frans Morsch
Mephisto Milano pro (or Mephisto Master Chess with same program)
This one is programmed by Frans Morsch, author of the famous "Fritz". This version should be similar to the Fritz which won the WCCC 1995 in Hong-Kong.
If ELO 2160 is too much for you, get a Mephisto Modena 200 ELO weaker.

Spracklen
As Larry mentioned, the Fidelity Par Excellence is a very good choice. Alternatively, get the Fidelity Chesster Challenger with voice comments - this will add lots of variety to your collection.

Ed Schroeder
His classic affordable device is the Mephisto Milano with ELO 2000 and positional playing style. It certainly not expensive. I'd maybe get a Mephisto Academy instead, a slightly weaker program in a beautiful wooden board. If I had only 6 computers, I wouldn't want to miss a Schroeder!

Dave Kittinger
I'm with Larry here. Novag Super Constellation and the Novag Expert are very interesting devices, although a bit low on playing strength. If you want a stronger Kittinger prog, get one of the Novag Diamond series.

Richard Lang
A good choice would be the Mephisto Montreal with Lang's 1987 championship program. Its a very beautiful computer. If the program is more important than looks, get a Mephisto Berlin 68000 with maybe the best Lang program ever. It plays a very nice positional style and you can also upgrade it to the London version - similar to the one that played the match against Kasparov.

Julio Kaplan
As Larry mentioned, Turbostar 432 is an option. Alternatively, get a RadioShack 2150 or 2150L.

or alternatively:

Johan de Koning
If you have the money, forget about Kaplan and get a RISC 2500 by Johan de Koning instead. The only problem here is that prices are going up like crazy, you'll have to pay maybe 1k $ to get one.


Now you should have something to think about. Let us know about your choice!

Kind Regards,
Theo

[IvenGO]

Plastic Dream Team:

1) Mephisto Montreux / Saitek RISC 2500 - De Koenig;
2) Mephisto Atlanta - Morsch;
3) Mephisto Berlin Pro - Lang;
4) Novag Star Diamond - Kittinger;
5) Fidelity Designer 2325 - Spracklen;
6) Mephisto Nigel Short - Schroeder.

All are rare and expensive but they are the bests for sure!

[LWSteve]

My Plastic 6-Pack Dream Team:

1. Novag Diamond II
2. Novag Star Diamond
3. Novag Diamond
4. Novag Turquoise
5. Excalibur Grandmaster
6. Saitek Turbo advanced Trainer

The Novag's all play like human's.
They will go out of there way to attack your castled king positions.
The Morsch computers prefer to stay in the middle of the board and try to win material.

The Novag's all have very soft squares with great play features.
The Novag's all have great digital displays. (which I like)
The Novag's plastic cases are of very high quality build.
The sounds that the Novag computers give off are 2nd to none!
ELO's of the 4 Novag's above range from 2025 to 2200 at 3 min. avg. response.

The four Novag's I listed above are very hard to come by however.
Owners don't want to sell. (now you know why)
Once in a while you will get lucky and see one on EBAY.

The Grandmaster - huge set with huge pieces and is auto sensory with 100 different play levels.

The Saitek Turbo advanced Trainer (Morsch) has an elo above 2000 (at 3 min. avg. response) with great play features.

LWSteve

[Arlie]

Thank you to everyone for the replies ( and to anyone who adds to the list later). This has given me a wonderful list to work from.

[Arlie]

Thanks for the awesome suggestions. After some research, I made a list.

Since I collect Radio Shack units, those models will probably serve as my Kaplan and Morsch examples. I like playing them and my old RS2150 I bought new when it was released, is like an old friend. Just need a few more different units. Some of the tests I read in the forum made me realize these were fine for me as examples.

I did buy the Par Excellence Larry referenced on eBay. Sorry if I outbid anyone looking to buy it. Thanks for the tip.

As for a Johan de Koning unit, I am afraid my Chessmaster cartridge for Game Boy Advance will have to do for awhile. I love that game, especially since it is handheld, and on a GBA Micro, it is extremely portable.

A Novag will probably be my next major purchase. I am going to wait and see if I can find something in the Diamond series as suggested. But since I am not "burdened" with a real high Elo, I will probably get a Star Opal to play in the meantime. The info on the way Novags play is exactly what I was looking for.

As far as a Schroeder unit is concerned, I might as well get in line with everyone else waiting to find one. That one will take awhile.

The only major wish list item would be HIARCS on a PS Vita platform. Hint Hint. The only availble chess game currently on the PS Vita is Pure Chess and another mini game download from the PSP. The other PSP chess games are not availble in the online Sony store.

Arlie

[Steve B]

Thanks for the awesome suggestions. After some research, I made a list.

Since I collect Radio Shack units, those models will probably serve as my Kaplan and Morsch examples.

Sir Dave must have engaged in a bit of clock n Dagger influencing this decision I see
The Queen certainly choice wisely when Knighting Him


dont tell me...
you have to name one of these units after him ...am I right?
well in return he would be willing to count up all of the book move's in every RS computer you get
Duress Regards
Steve

[SirDave]

Steve's post above inspired me to take time off from my counting all the Openings in the RS 2250XL to make some random comments.

Hi Arlie,
Perhaps you are in my category. I am a player-collector. That is, I collect because I play- I want to have a nice selection of units with varying strength and varying authors, but I'm usually not willing to break the bank to do it.

Having resurrected my chess game from years ago, I am presently moving from the lower club level upward and believe I can achieve an upper club level at some point based on the units I'm beating now. But I'm never likely to break much above an elo of 1900-2000. Therefore, I keep that in mind when making my buying descisions. So for instance, I am quite happy with my Saitek Mephisto Master Chess unit and will probably never miss the hash tables in the far more expensive Atlanta. (Though, I must admit, Larry and others have convinced me that the Atlanta is a real beast and anyone owning one is a lucky dude.).

If you're more of a player than a collector as I am, then I would look into snapping up units that are more accessible right now and which are, surprisingly, often overlooked. One is the Mephisto Master Chess (mentioned by Larry- to his credit) which will give many of the machines listed above a run for their money. If you want a portable that has pretty much exactly the same options as the MC, then get the Saitek Travel Expert.

However, since you like to collect RS units, then run, don't walk, to eBay and consider the RS Master Chess which seems to be related to the MC, but may not be as strong (seems to be closer in strength to the Novag Obsidian). But it is IMO a very attractive unit, compared to that dog (my opinion only ), the 2250XL, and has virtually all the options of the MC. There are 2 of them, very reasonably-priced, on eBay as we speak. Incidentally, you can view the manual PDF (google RS Master Chess PDF) easily on the internet. It is one of the few RS manuals so easily available. You might also find this interesting:
http://www.hiarcs.net/forums/viewtopic. ... 3388f2d9d2

When it comes to getting units from different programmers, it helps to sometimes, think outside the box. Ed Schroeder units are hard to come by for a reasonable price, but I got one in the form of the Mephisto Modular with Polgar module (a well thought-of program) for less than $250!

I am a big fan of the Novag Star Opal. I love the form-factor which allows me to carry it anywhere around the house. It has some limitations, but they've never bothered me. I can beat it now, but that's when I play more slowly. I still find it fun to play by making my moves very quickly. And from a test I did recently on openings-variablity of Novag portables, it has nice openings-variability so you can expect a nice variation in openings. Unbelievably, it is presently in stock at The Chess House for $69. You'll never see it at that price again. I wouldn't even disclose this if it weren't for the fact that I already have 3 of them .

[Arlie]

Lol, actually I started collecting the RS units because of the different models and programmers their rebranded units represent. Several different programmers in one small group of computers. The numbering system made it easy for me to guess their ability, even if the estimate was off a few hundred points.

Yes, My 1850 is named Sir Dave. However he may ask I withdraw that when he sees that of the RS units, these are the names of the top rated ones...
2250 - Bill
2200 - Charlie
2150L (x2) - Fred and George
2150 - Ron
2050 - Ginny
1900L - Hermione (it talks alot)

Anyone with kids will recognize the names

Still lookiing for a really tough computer to name Lord Voltemort regards,
Arlie

[SirDave]

Arlie, check my post above.

[Arlie]

Arlie, check my post above.

Thanks, the RS Master Chess was actually next on the RS list to get. Yes, I collect to play them, although I can see the beauty in just collecting because some are so iconic or just works of art. I do not have the room to store units I will not play regularly. That was why I originally started the post, to set me some limits, all be it, very flexible. I figure I will actually end up somewhere around 20 to 24, so I wanted to pick and choose the last 6 or so.

I have a Mephisto Advanced Travel so I was holding off on any comparable high level board similar to it, although I may buy one at a later date. I love handhelds, but there is just something about sitting down to the board.

I came back to the game after not playing for 20 years. I have forgotten almost all the openings, and my skill has tanked. I realize it will never be where it was. But If I can beat my RS2150 like the old days, (just once more) then I am buying one of the nice wooden units.

Arlie

[Steve B]

Ed Schroeder units are hard to come by for a reasonable price, but I got one in the form of the Mephisto Modular with Polgar module (a well thought-of program) for less than $250!

Now THAT is a really good price!
did you also get the Judit Polgar book that came with it?



Breaking News...
Prince William and Kate had a Boy!
yup you guessed it ..they named the Boy

Sir Dave Regards
Steve

[SirDave]

Ed Schroeder units are hard to come by for a reasonable price, but I got one in the form of the Mephisto Modular with Polgar module (a well thought-of program) for less than $250!

Now THAT is a really good price!
did you also get the Judit Polgar book that came with it?

Yes it is and yes it did!

It was a very nice transaction with Mike W. The shipping brought the total to $300 from the UK and was well worth it.
(Incidentally, it arrived in 3-4 days from the UK to Southern California. I didn't even think that was possible!)

Knighthood Has Its Privileges Regards,
Dave

[spacious_mind]

OK here is my stab at recommending 6 computers for a less than 2000 USCF player. Also at the same time thinking about a spouse not beating you over the head for spending too much money!

1) Fidelity Excellence - by Dan and Kathe Spracklen

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-EXCELLE ... 4d0ea95ae6

This is a good computer and you can normally find these on Ebay at a reasonable price. A Par Excellence is good too but hardly stronger and typically costs a little more.

This one is around 1900+ USCF

2) Excalibur Ivan II - Gyula Horvath/Ron Nelson

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boxed-Excalibur ... 2a2f1dceeb

If you can find an Excalbiur Igor or Excalibur Ivan, then these are good choices as well. But the Ivan II also play a good game of chess. It is missing the Ponder option otherwise it would likely be as strong as an Igor or Ivan. This has the same program as Alexandra.

Ron Nelson I think stated that his last program was Designer 1500, so therefore I suspect this program is a Gyula Horvath program which was modified by Ron Nelson and his Excalibur Team. Ron Nelson besides being the first programmer at Fidelity also was in charge of Engineering at Fidelity and Excalibur.

This one is around 1900+ USCF

3) Scisys Turbo 16K - Julio Kaplan

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sop=1&_ ... c=50&rt=nc

This is a Julio Kaplan program and you can normally find this one at a good price on Ebay. This one is around 1900 USCF.


4) Saitek Executive - Franz Morsch This is a GK2000 Clone which means it also plays around 2000 USCF

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Saitek-Olympiad ... 3a8318bcd2

But you snooze you loose, this one will probably be snapped up now that I pointed it out There is a GK2000 on Ebay as well. Which is not a bad price.

So anyway so far 4 good computers for less than $150 including shipping.

Now it gets more tricky since you are still missing an Ed Schroeder, David Kittinger and Richard Lang program. Well with these you have to be prepared to spend a little more and go overseas unless you want to keep watching Ebay US daily for the next year, two, three, four, five.. ...


5) Novag Emerald - David Kittinger

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Novag-EMERALD ... 4174f9dc35

Will probably cost you around $150 to get it shipped here in total. This is another you snooze you loose one..!

So that is a total of $300 sofar for 5 good computers.

6) Mephisto Exclusive with MMIV - Ed Schroeder

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Mephisto-Exclusi ... 20d583d4d1

Now you are talking a wooden board with probably the lowest cost Ed Schroeder at around $400 delivered ($750 for 6 computers) ELO = @2100 USCF

But the advantage is that you know have a nice wooden board as well.

You could go a little cheaper here by instead buying a Mephisto Modular Board with MMIV or MMV modules (both are Ed Schroeder.) With patience and shopping around a few weeks in German Ebay this might cost you $200 instead of the wooden board option. ($550 for 6 computers)

But you are not done. You are missing Richard Lang. but you do now have a Wooden Exclusive board or Modular board so you just need the modules. So you wait until these are sold in Germany.

7) Amsterdam/Dallas/Roma/Almeria/Portorose/Lyon/Vancouver/London

Now this is where it becomes expensive 68000 Modules are slightly cheaper (but not by much) than 68020 Modules.

Cost from $500 to $1500 delivered to your house.

Not a cheap hobby if you want all 7 programmers! regards