Collector's Corner..On Dedicated Chess Computers...

Post by **Steve B** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:03 pm

One of my favorite all time great games is the Classic encounter between Botvinnik and Capa at AVRO in 1938

while the game is not in the CGG Module it is in the CG64 Module

Playing with the White pieces and down a pawn Botvinnik is on the move in this position:
[fen]8/p3q1kp/1p2Pnp1/3pQ3/2pP4/1nP3N1/1B4PP/6K1 w - - 0 30[/fen]

here the Future World Champion uncorks the counter intuitive and devastating 30.Ba3!
the Cuban continued the game for 11 more moves hoping for a perpetual check.. all to no avail and resigned at move 41
the Fidelity Elite Avante Guarde-V9 does not find 30 .Ba3! after 15 minutes and 9 ply
preferring instead to play 30.Ne2 and scoring the position as -1.02

and after the EAG as Black takes the renegade Bishop in this position:
[fen]8/p5kp/1p2Pnp1/3pQ3/2pP4/qnP3N1/6PP/6K1 w - - 0 31[/fen]

the V9 scores the position equal(0.00) after 10 ply and 70 minutes(yes 70 minutes because i received a phone call after i set up the position and forgot that the computer was still pondering!)

Mischa Sends His Regards
Steve

ricard60 · Post by **ricard60** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:00 pm

Steve,
sorry to take you back but i remeber in old machines if you win a game you can play that same game again and you will win the machine in the same game over and over.
4 days ago i just bought thru the internet a citrine an put it on play with the game you show against the machine pressidant. The moves were the same up to number 32 where citrine plays 32.. Re8 instead of Qe6 then i play 33 Bc2 trying to hold on that game but here citrine plays 33..Nb8 this is a very diferent line because now it wants to go over the rook that is in b4 , is another game. I set the same level you did in that game (30 min).
Why is this?
Do new machines now have a software that can do this?
I did not use the random funtion?

Regards
Ricardo

Post by **Steve B** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:09 pm

ricard60 wrote:Steve,
sorry to take you back but i remeber in old machines if you win a game you can play that same game again and you will win the machine in the same game over and over.
4 days ago i just bought thru the internet a citrine an put it on play with the game you show against the machine pressidant. The moves were the same up to number 32 where citrine plays 32.. Re8 instead of Qe6 then i play 33 Bc2 trying to hold on that game but here citrine plays 33..Nb8 this is a very diferent line because now it wants to go over the rook that is in b4 , is another game. I set the same level you did in that game (30 min).
Why is this?
Do new machines now have a software that can do this?
I did not use the random funtion?

Regards
Ricardo

well the games i played Ricardo were real time games
so while the President is making its move the Citrine is pondering(already computing a reply)
and the moves will be a result of the time it is thinking while the President is on the move and its own time

this is different then just entering moves for one side and then asking the Citrine to reply

Best
Steve

ricard60 · Post by **ricard60** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:51 pm

Steve,
So lets say that i simulate the president moves up to the 31 in the same amount of time that president took in that game so the citrine got the chance to also make the same moves and then on move 32 maybe i took a different amount of time that citrine came up wtih another move?

Post by **Steve B** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:59 pm

ricard60 wrote:Steve,
So lets say that i simulate the president moves up to the 31 in the same amount of time that president took in that game so the citrine got the chance to also make the same moves and then on move 32 maybe i took a different amount of time that citrine came up wtih another move?

yes that is very possible
but i imagine that if you played both computers against each other and let each one ponder while the other is on the move then the game should be exactly the same
the Citrine does have a random feature but i did not use it
you should not leave the computers alone but watch and make the moves as soon as a move is indicated

Best
Steve

ricard60 · Post by **ricard60** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:36 pm

There is something more strange on move 16 for white i got a phone call and i got away from the machine for 2 minutes then i play and i was expecting a very diferent move from the citrine but it came up with the same move and it was like that for 15 more moves, but maybe is what you are saying, in the begining the first dedicated machines did not have the permanent brain feature so when it was their turn they always take the same amount of time thinking.

Thanks Steve.

Post by **Steve B** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 5:00 am

Continuing with the crucial testing of Modules i loaded up The Fidelity Prestige (1984- Glasgow World Champion program ) with Volume D of the Fide Openings modules :

Vol D deals with all Double Q pawn openings(1.D4 D5) as well as the Gruenfeld and other standard replies to 1.D4

i took the white pieces and the time control was a Blitz 30 Min /Game:

[White Steve B]
[Black Prestige-Glasgow]
[Time Control -Game 30 Min]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5

[fen]rnbqkb1r/pppppppp/5n2/6B1/3P4/8/PPP1PPPP/RN1QKBNR w KQkq - 0 2[/fen]

i enjoy playing the Trompowsky attack with the White pieces and also i wanted to test the Fide modules to see if there would be a call to switch modules
there was..
at this point the Prestige called for Vol A (showing GC OA in the display) which covers irregular 1.D4 openings

after switching modules play continues..

2.. Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.Nc3 g5 5.Bg3 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Nc6 7.Nf3

play up to my 7th move was all in the EOA book
now the Prestige is on its own and it comes up with a real stinker

7.. f6?

[fen]r1bqkb1r/ppp1p2p/2n2p2/3p2p1/3P4/2P2NB1/P1P1PPPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 8[/fen]
to protect the advanced G pawn but opening up the King side to a vicious sacrificial attack

8.e4 dxe4

9.Nxg5 !

[fen]r1bqkb1r/ppp1p2p/2n2p2/6N1/3Pp3/2P3B1/P1P2PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 9[/fen]

the point of 8.e4 ..now the White Queen will swarm all over the Black position ..the Prestige gobbles up my Knight happily

9..fxg5 10.Qh5+ Kd7 11.Qxg5 e6 12.Qf4 Ke8 13.Qxe4 Bd6 14.Bc4
Bxg3 15.hxg3 Qe7 16.O-O-O Bd7 17.d5 exd5 18.Qxd5 Qg7 19.Rhe1+ Kd8 20.Qb5Qh6+
21.Kb1 Kc8

[fen]r1k4r/pppb3p/2n4q/1Q6/2B5/2P3P1/P1P2PP1/1K1RR3 w - - 0 22[/fen]
the Prestige is quite happy with the position
it is up a Knight for two pawns and i am saddled with two doubled pawns to boot
it evaluates the position here as being up +.78

that is until i uncork the devastating and back breaking ..

22.Rxd7!!
[fen]r1k4r/pppR3p/2n4q/1Q6/2B5/2P3P1/P1P2PP1/1K2R3 w - - 0 22[/fen]

Sacrificing the Exchange to keep the Black King in the center
the attack from here on in plays itself..
22.. Kxd7 23.Qf5+ Kd8 24.Rd1+ Qd6 25.Qf6+ Ne7 26.Qxh8+ Kd7 27.Rxd6+ cxd6 28.Qxa8

[fen]Q7/pp1kn2p/3p4/8/2B5/2P3P1/P1P2PP1/1K6 w - - 0 28[/fen]

the smoke clears..
i am up a Q and 2 Pawns

i probably missed a forced mate back there somewhere but i prefer to delay the agony for the computer as long as i can

the rest as they say is a matter of technique..

28..Kc7 29.Qxa7 Nc6 30.Qe3 Ne5 31.Bd3 Nxd3 32.cxd3 Kd7
33.f4 d5 34.f5 d4 35.Qe6+ Kd8 36.f6 dxc3

37.f7 Kc7

[fen]8/1pk2P1p/4Q3/8/8/2pP2P1/P5P1/1K6 w - - 0 38[/fen]

Final Position
i had the "Resign Enable" option engaged which permits the Prestige to resign the game when it sees a forced mate
here it announces a mate in three and so ..Resigned

On The Road To Mexico..Regards

Steve

Post by **Steve B** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:07 pm

Two Very Rare Exotic Birds..La Regence and Le Empereur

TSB IV La Regence
Considered by knowledgeable collectors as one of the top 5 rarest computers
ever released for sale ,the TSB IV La Regence was one of the last computers released by
Applied Concepts before it went belly up

very little literature exists on the TSB IV but it did manage to receive a rating
of 1460 Elo

released in 1983 with a 6502 processor running at 2.5 Mhz with 12k Rom and 48k Ram
it had an opening book of 4000 moves ..i am not certain which program was in it
but i think it was the Sargon 2.5 or perhaps an early version of Cyrus

the computer is a large wooden tournament sized auto-sensory board with a two-tiered highly unique layering of wood
the playing surface is raised from the base of the board yielding a "platform" type of effect

legend has it that only 10 were made and sold
this one is number 6

more photos of it can be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@N ... 39/detail/

wanting to test it i decided to take it for a spin and so i decided to lock horns with this rare bird for a game 30 minutes
there is no actual level like this so i played on the level closest to it(30 sec
per move avg)

in the game the TSB was out of book by move 5 and typically achieved ply
count's of 4-5 in most positions

[White "Steve B"]
[Black "TSB IV La Regence"]
[Time Control "Game 30 min"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Bd3 e6 6.Bxf5 exf5
7.cxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 Bb4 9.a3 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 Nbd7 11.O-O O-O 12.Bb2 Rfe8
13.Rc1 Qc4 14.Nd2 Qd5 15.c4 Qd6 16.Qc2 Ng4 17.Nf3 Re4 18.Qc3

[fen]r5k1/pp1n1ppp/2pq4/5p2/2PPr1n1/P1Q1PN2/1B3PPP/2R2RK1 w - - 0 18[/fen]

setting up the Q-B mating battery which could come in handy later

18..Ndf6 19.h3 Nh6 20.Ne5 Rh4 21.f3 Rd8 22.Rfd1 g6 ???

[fen]3r2k1/pp3p1p/2pq1npn/4Np2/2PP3r/P1Q1PP1P/1B4P1/2RR2K1 w - - 0 23[/fen]

his honor the TSB is oblivious to the coming onslaught and actually assists in
its own demise
my how i love this rare birds of yesteryear

23.d5 cxd5 24.Rxd5 !

[fen]3r2k1/pp3p1p/3q1npn/3RNp2/2P4r/P1Q1PP1P/1B4P1/2R3K1 w - - 0 24[/fen]

ripping open the Black position .
probably not a forced win yet but i was relying on the Q-B battery and the low
ply count of the TSB to win the game for me

24..Nxd5 25.cxd5 Qxd5???

the final blunder
almost anything else is better such as Qf6

26.Nxg6!!
[fen]3r2k1/pp3p1p/6Nn/3q1p2/7r/P1Q1PP1P/1B4P1/2R3K1 w - - 0 26[/fen]

A bone breaking,spine cracking ,game ending,fatal blow

did i fail to mention it was a violent ,shocking ,devastating move?

what follows is an example of the "Horizon effect" typical of chess programs of
its day
the computer will make any move to push the mate outside of its search horizon

26.. Rd4 would be better here but of course all is lost for black
anyway

26..Qd1+ 27.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28.Kh2 Rxh3+ 29.gxh3 Ng4+ 30.hxg4 f6 31.Qxf6
Rd2+ 32.Kg3 f4+ 33.Kxf4 Rd4+ 34.Bxd4 hxg6 35.Qg7# 1-0

FINAL POSITION:
[fen]6k1/pp4Q1/6p1/8/3B1KP1/P3PP2/8/8 w - - 0 35[/fen]

CLJ Le Empereur

Another of the rarest chess computers ever released for sale, the Le Empereur was released in 1984 and featured a medium sized wooden auto-sensory board which sported a 6502 processor running at 4 Mhz with 16k Rom and 2k Ram
the engine was an improved version of Lang's original Cyrus program

Sadly i no longer own the Le Empereur as i traded it away for several rare computers which i was searching for at the time
a fatal mistake that i regret to this very day because as it turned out,every single computer i received in return for it i could have subsequently acquired by other means.. but i have never come across another Le Empereur

this taught me a very valuable lesson which i adhere to ..even to this day
namely..
NEVER close one hole in the collection by creating another hole

i did keep three photos of it which i now offer for your viewing pleasure:

For Jose And Alain and With Regrets To This Very Day Regards
Steve

Post by **Alain** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:31 pm

Hi Steve,

thanks a lot for this post !

Steve B wrote:i am not certain which program was in it
but i think it was the Sargon 2.5 or perhaps an early version of Cyrus

Steve

According to Pierre Nolot, it was Cyrus. Here is a (French) article about it, published in Europe Echecs, February 1983 (click on the pictures to get larger versions)

Thanks again regards,
Alain

Post by **Steve B** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:37 pm

Alain wrote:Hi Steve,

thanks a lot for this post !

Steve B wrote:i am not certain which program was in it
but i think it was the Sargon 2.5 or perhaps an early version of Cyrus

Steve
According to Pierre Nolot, it was Cyrus. Here is a (French) article about it, published in Europe Echecs, February 1983 (click on the pictures to get larger versions)

Thanks again regards,
Alain

And thanks for those articles!
i have already edited my original post so it seems like i knew all along it was the Cyrus program

Great Information Regards
Steve

Terry McCracken · Post by **Terry McCracken** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 6:19 pm

Steve B wrote:One of my favorite all time great games is the Classic encounter between Botvinnik and Capa at AVRO in 1938

while the game is not in the CGG Module it is in the CG64 Module

Playing with the White pieces and down a pawn Botvinnik is on the move in this position:
[fen]8/p3q1kp/1p2Pnp1/3pQ3/2pP4/1nP3N1/1B4PP/6K1 w - - 0 30[/fen]

here the Future World Champion uncorks the counter intuitive and devastating 30.Ba3!
the Cuban continued the game for 11 more moves hoping for a perpetual check.. all to no avail and resigned at move 41
the Fidelity Elite Avante Guarde-V9 does not find 30 .Ba3! after 15 minutes and 9 ply
preferring instead to play 30.Ne2 and scoring the position as -1.02

and after the EAG as Black takes the renegade Bishop in this position:
[fen]8/p5kp/1p2Pnp1/3pQ3/2pP4/qnP3N1/6PP/6K1 w - - 0 31[/fen]

the V9 scores the position equal(0.00) after 10 ply and 70 minutes(yes 70 minutes because i received a phone call after i set up the position and forgot that the computer was still pondering!)

Mischa Sends His Regards
Steve

Well not the most difficult combination, it has a rare beauty to it and is quite possibly my favorite position.

Indeed, I'd love to hang that position on the wall as art!

Masterpiece Regards,
Terry

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 5:58 am

Hi Steve,

your weekend begins early

Many thanks for that great article and i really in mourning with you and your lost CLJ! Interesting why this two very rare, rare computers have french designations. Coincidence? One reason more for Alain to search particularly well.

Have CLJ only the "Le Empereur" produced?

I hope this rare unit will cross you a second time.

Many thanks Regards
José

Post by **Steve B** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:32 am

Jose wrote:Hi Steve,

your weekend begins early

Many thanks for that great article and i really in mourning with you and your lost CLJ! Interesting why this two very rare, rare computers have french designations. Coincidence? One reason more for Alain to search particularly well.

Have CLJ only the "Le Empereur" produced?

I hope this rare unit will cross you a second time.

Many thanks Regards
José

hi Jose
yes sometimes my days begin early and my weekends also

i am not certain but i think there is a connection between CLJ->CGL->CXG
and of course CGL released several computers

but for the name CLJ i think only the Empereur

The Early Bird Catches The Worm Regards
Steve

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:54 am

Steve B wrote: hi Jose
yes sometimes my days begin early and my weekends also

i am not certain but i think there is a connection between CLJ->CGL->CXG
and of course CGL released several computers

but for the name CLJ i think only the Empereur

The Early Bird Catches The Worm Regards
Steve

Yes perhaps you are right - I also thought, that CLJ looks like CGL!?

The early Bird catches the worm and give it to his "family" Regards
José

spacious_mind · Post by **spacious_mind** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:10 pm

Hi Steve:

Very nice writeu-ps on the TSB IV La Regence and CLJ Le Empereur !!

Thanks for sharing all this info.

Best regards