list of our chess computers , let's share it

[CraigNBarnes]

Hi Everyone,

I realize I'm a few years late adding to the "collectors" discussion but I thought I'd add a bit more history...

I'm Craig Barnes. I worked with Julio Kaplan for many years developing chess computers. He recruited me in 1980 as part of a small company called Teletape Productions to develop a chess game for Mattel. After that project I ran off to a brief juggling career but then joined Julio in 1982 as he was starting his own company, Heuristic Software Corporation. We had a few other clients initially but ultimately wound up doing all our work for Saitek (formerly SciSys). I did the bulk of the programming although Julio also did a lot and from time to time we added other people. In 1995 the Saitek work dried up and HSC closed down. However I shortly wound up continuing to do computer chess projects for Saitek into 2001. In the later years there was a bit of melding -- Saitek acquired Mephisto (and perhaps others computer chess lines?) and in at least one instance bought code from others (Franz Morsch) and incorporated it into a Saitek product. I'm given to understand that more models and units were primarily written by me than be any other chess programmer.

For those who don't know, Julio Kaplan was an International Master and the World Junior Chess Champion in 1967. As for myself, I was a US and FIDE master, and was US National High School Champion (1972). We must have been the two strongest chessplayers involved in commercial chess games, except for British IM David Levy in the early days. Although good chess ability isn't a prerequisite to be a chess programmer (most programs even back then often became stronger than their creators), it certainly doesn't hurt when it comes to incorporating strategical conepts or recognizing bad moves. However, Julio and I rarely worked on "high-end" games, since it was much more lucrative to make the best models in the lower- and mid-range niches.

Saitek's games were sold worldwide under their own name (sometimes with Kasparov's name and endorsement) and also under Tandy (Radio Shack), although not all of Radio Shack's games were ours. I also frequently saw our games in the Sharper Image catalog and elsewhere. Over the years we made programs of all shapes and sizes, from small travel sets, to nice wooden boards with communications and plug-in modules, and with all sorts of features (voice, lessons, master chessgame databases, etc). And challenges -- we made one product that ran in only 2k ROM and 128 NIBBLES of RAM. Aaah, memories, memories...

TTFN,
Craig

[Steve B]

Hi Craig

Thanks for that very interesting and informative post
in case you didnt see it ..you have a Wiki page
http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... nes,_Craig

i wonder if you have kept any of the dedicated computers that you programmed?

Regards
Steve

[IA]

Hi Craig, I am interested in the History about the programming of Mephisto Chess Academy:

http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... chakademie

I see that this model is programmed by Craig Barnes & Frans Morsch ... The Engine program is typical of Frans Morsch of 32K?

Regards....

[CraigNBarnes]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the wiki link. I did so many games over the years that I haven't kept track of them all, but 20 years times a couple per year = a lot. Generally we only dealt with prototypes with exposed wires and connectors, and rarely (it seems) actually got a final product or even knew what the packaged name was (versus our internal project name). For a couple of projects I wrote software that completely emulated the target microprocessor as well as showing me the program's chess logic.

I seem to have the following units (some with boxes) (note: some might actually be prototypes rather than actual products):

SciSys Electronic Trio (c.1983?) (travel pegboard chess/checkers/tic-tac-toe in 4k/256 nibbles)

Saitek Calculator Chess (1992) (4-function-calculator-with-memory 4k/256 nibbles; has a slideout pegboard, although input is done with the calculator keys)

Tandy 1650 Sensory Chess (travel pegboard)

Saitek "Rennaissance" (c.1986) (nice large wooden board, serial communications, pull-out LCD chessboard), which can take slide-in modules to supercede the original program -- I have the "Maestro D" and "Analyst" modules.

Kasparov(Saitek) "Prisma" prototype (1990) (medium size, LCD chessboard)
(also sold as Radio Shack Chess Champion 2150L)

Kasparov(Saitek) GK 2000 (1992)

Kasparov(Saitek) Travel Companion (1994)

Kasparov(Saitek) Travel Champion 2100 (1994) (iPad-sized)

Kasparov(Saitek) Talking Coach (1996)

Kasparov(Saitek) Advanced Talking Chess (1996)

Kasparov(Saitek) Chess Academy (1998) (with voice and 100 tutorials)
(also sold as Mephisto schachakademie)

Saitek Pro Bridge 610 (2001) (not chess, but...)

I have empty boxes for the following:
Mephisto shachakademie
Kasparov(Saitek) System Trainer
Kasparov(Saitek) Alchemist

We also did a PC game: "Kasparaov's Gambit" for Electronic Arts (1993). This actually had someone's else's chess engine, but we ported the graphics and various features.


Regards,
Craig

[CraigNBarnes]

Hmmm, ...The Mephisto shachakademie (also sold as Kasparov(Saitek) Chess Academy) had Franz Morsch's 16k or 32k chess engine, which Saitek bought the assembler source code for. I then took the code (which was commented very lightly and in Dutch) and modified the I/O and other features. We then added an extra ROM (2mb?) which contained 100 tutorials, each roughly equivalent to a long magazine article, ranging from basic how-the-pieces-move to analysis of openings and master games. The tutorials were spoken and included quizzes and other interactive features. The lessons were written by a French chess journalist and then translated into German and English; I'm not sure a French product was ever released. Combine that with engineers in Hong Kong and marketing in the US and Europe, and we had a truly international product!

Speaking of internalization, some of our other games (with smaller vocabulary) spoke in multiple different languages: English, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish, I believe.

In another product, we had an 8mb ROM which contained a database of all the master chess games ever played. We used this as a "book" -- we'd play the move from the game if that side eventually won, and try something else if the player ultimately lost.

But generally most products ranged from 2 to 16 or 32k ROM , 128 nibbles to 4k RAM, and speed from 100khz up to about 10 or 20Mhz.

Needless to say, I got pretty resourceful at fitting complex code into small environments...

Regards,
Craig

[ricard60]

Hi Craig,
Do you still develope chess programs for dedicted chess computers?. From that days to now the dedicated chess computers have been reducing in numbers of models and brands. There are still some old ones that are standing up like novag and saitek and there are some other news. Do you think that the companies that are in the market right now will come up with new models?. Or they will keep selling the same models?

dedicted chess machines for ever regards
Ricardo

[CraigNBarnes]

My last computer chess project was in 2001, and I haven't been following computer chess developments since then. I would expect that by now, since just about everyone has a powerful PC or iPhone or some other device which might run chess software, that any new dedicated machine would quickly become out-of-date technologically. Plus there's so much more one can do with a PC -- saving and printing games, networking, etc.

Of course, since few humans play chess seriously, even the old chess machines could beat most humans at the lowest normal levels (we often implemented "handicap" levels to give novice humans a chance). So machines are still probably "good enough" opponents for all but the most serious players.

Any other viewpoints?
Craig

[Steve B]

I seem to have the following units (some with boxes) (note: some might actually be prototypes rather than actual products):

Kasparov(Saitek) "Prisma" prototype (1990) (medium size, LCD chessboard)
(also sold as Radio Shack Chess Champion 2150L)

Regards,
Craig

Hi Craig
thanks for that listing
nice to see that a top programmer of the old computers actually kept something for himself ..and a healthy collection indeed!
it seems so many of the programors of the old dedicated computers usually have kept nothing or perhaps one/two computers today
i recall having a brief conversation with Ron Nelson of Fidelity fame and he said he only kept the CC1 and a few others he couldnt recall
De Koinig of Tasc fame told me once he had no dedicated computers because he didnt want to feel like a museum keeper

The Spracklens have one beat up Prestige Challenger(or something like that)

anyway...as to the Prisma prototype
the same program was incorporated into the Saitek Blitz housing as i am sure you know
now that is a very unusual computer
the only dedicated unit to use dials instead of buttons and the auto-sensory board works by electromagnetic induction
very high defect rates
do you remember that computer(housing)?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@N ... 922172552/

Also..
Mike Watters a World Class Collector from the UK has a very informative web page discussing the History of Scisys
in case you haven't seen it:
http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/html/sci ... rly_y.html


Finally..
if you want an idea of value today for the computers in your collection you can see what prior sales brought in on Ebay here:

http://www.elpeon.com/index.php?mod=saitek

Long post to follow regards
Steve

[CraigNBarnes]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for all the info and links, and I have to say I'm boggled that there's still so much interest in dedicated computer chess games!

Yep, I remember the Blitz dials, although I didn't recall that it had that auto-sensor technology. By the way, at one time we worked on a technology using coils in each piecetype so we could always tell exactly what piece was where -- you could set up positions/newgames just by placing the pieces. Unfortunately I think there was problems with radio interference.

I hesitate to call what I have a "collection" -- more of an "accumulation"...

Until later,
Craig

[ricard60]

Hi Craig,

Craig wrote;
I would expect that by now, since just about everyone has a powerful PC or iPhone or some other device which might run chess software, that any new dedicated machine would quickly become out-of-date technologically. Plus there's so much more one can do with a PC -- saving and printing games, networking, etc.

I agree with you about running a chess software on a powerful PC but for me it will never be the same playing a game of chess watching a monitor for two or three hours than watching a real board with real pieces, it gives a feeling of a real tournament playing.

Craig wrote;
Of course, since few humans play chess seriously, even the old chess machines could beat most humans at the lowest normal levels (we often implemented "handicap" levels to give novice humans a chance). So machines are still probably "good enough" opponents for all but the most serious players.

not only old chess machines but new ones to can beat most of humans at their lowest levels, so why not keep devoloping dedicated chess machines? They have a real chess board.

regards
Ricardo

[Bryan Whitby]

I'm just wondering with Craig saying that Saitek bought code from Franz Morsch's around 2001, maybe Saitek's software is like Novag's which is ten years old?
Novag let me log onto their server to upgrade my Citrine software. One thing that I noticed was that the software was called WChess (version I can't remember) but it was one of Novag's Chineese software engineers who I spoke to when I had trouble installing it from the server who wrote the upgraded software to get rid of the opening book bugs.

[Larry]

Hi all,
I just ran my eye through my own collection from over three years ago,
and thought I would give the group a rundown on what I've added since,
also arranged according to manufacturer:

Fidelity
'12'
'12B' Both these machines complete and excellent. A pleasure to
play against. Unique in that they have a metallic pressure sensory playing
surface.
Champion Sensory Chess Voice Challenger. I really neat machine. The
voice should have an on/off switch on the control panel to stop annoying
other people in the room, but I guess in those days they wanted to
advertise their product any way they could.
Openings module CB16. I got this one for the '9' level machine, which
came standard with an opening reportoire way too deep and not nearly
wide enough for it's rating group. However, it is supposed to fit the Elegance
and '12' and '12B' machines too. I wish Fidelity had made an endgame
module.

Excalibur
Igor
DeLuxe

Novag
Diamond
Star Diamond
Universal Chess Board

Mephisto
Atlanta
Montreux
Master

Saitek
Cosmos
Travel Champion 2100
RISC2500 V1.03 2mb
RISC2500 V1.04 128 kb
RISC2500 V1.04 2mb I know what you're thinking. Larry made
a pig of himself with these ones. You're right, I did. They are a neat machine
programmed by Johan de Koning. I'm not strong enough to be able to
tell the difference between versions.

Scisys
Turbo King
Stratos with endgame module.
Sensor Chess + module Super Classical
+ module Super Hyper Modern

I've got a small assortment of other small units barely worth a mention,
mostly cheapies I found locally.

When you're down here deep in the southern hemisphere, shipping costs
are a real factor to be considered. That's why I'm short on big wooden
boards.
nice day all....
Larry

[Steve B]

Good Stuff Larry
nice to see you have some computers rated lower then 2000
i had you pegged as the "high-end only " type.. interested only in the strongest computers like most of the .INFO guys

1500 Elo Rulez Regards
Steve

[ricard60]

Chessmaster Ireland wrote:
Novag let me log onto their server to upgrade my Citrine software.

Do this upgrade makes the citrine software stronger?

regards
Ricardo

[Bryan Whitby]

Hi Ricardo
No it doesn't make the Citrine software any stronger (you will have to wait for the Star Citrine for that) but it did remove the opening book bugs.
Regards
Bryan