Radio Shack 1900L?

[Mentat]

In the Schachcomputer Wiki I found out that this computer is a clone of the Fideleity Little Chesster. The information on the Fidelity LC says that it has only 4 kb of ROM + 256 bytes of RAM, plus 2 kb of SDRAM. This is accompanied by a synthetizer chip. The article also claims that the Fidelity LC is a later version of the Fidelity Excellence but only on slower hardware and with a smaller opening book.

How is it possible to have a full fledged version of the 16kb chess program such as the Excellence on a 4kb single chip? I am asking this because I have been offered to buy its clone, the Radio Shack Talking Chess 1900L and I have no idea whether it will be worth it, playing strength-wise. If it is indeed a version of the Excellence, than it should be a good buy, as it can play decent chess and be entertaining as well, but I have my doubts since the program is, allegedly, only 4kb. Does anyone know something about this particular computer that can shed light on this? May be the info on Computerschach Wiki is wrong?

Thanks in advance!

Djordje

[spacious_mind]

In the Schachcomputer Wiki I found out that this computer is a clone of the Fideleity Little Chesster. The information on the Fidelity LC says that it has only 4 kb of ROM + 256 bytes of RAM, plus 2 kb of SDRAM. This is accompanied by a synthetizer chip. The article also claims that the Fidelity LC is a later version of the Fidelity Excellence but only on slower hardware and with a smaller opening book.

How is it possible to have a full fledged version of the 16kb chess program such as the Excellence on a 4kb single chip? I am asking this because I have been offered to buy its clone, the Radio Shack Talking Chess 1900L and I have no idea whether it will be worth it, playing strength-wise. If it is indeed a version of the Excellence, than it should be a good buy, as it can play decent chess and be entertaining as well, but I have my doubts since the program is, allegedly, only 4kb. Does anyone know something about this particular computer that can shed light on this? May be the info on Computerschach Wiki is wrong?

Thanks in advance!

Djordje

Hi Djordje,
I don't have any RS1900L games, but here are a few games played by Fidelity Little Chesster:

Game 1 - Win against Fidelity Sensory 9

[Event "Spacious Mind Chess Box 8 Tournament"]
[Site "Pelham, Alabama, USA 30:1"]
[Date "2012.10.14"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Fidelity Little Chesster, LV A5."]
[Black "Fidelity Sensory 9, LV H3."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "1700"]
[BlackElo "1559"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2012.10.13"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceDate "2012.10.13"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 {Fidelity
Sensory 9 out of book} Bxc3+ {Fidelity Little Chesster out of book} 7. bxc3
bxc6 8. Ba3 Ba6 9. e3 d5 10. Qa4 Bb7 11. Rb1 Bc8 12. Qxc6+ Bd7 13. Qa6 Bc8 14.
Qa5 Rg8 15. Bd3 Be6 16. O-O c6 17. Qa4 Bd7 18. cxd5 cxd5 19. Qf4 Qc8 20. Qd6
Qd8 21. Rb3 Rc8 22. Qa6 Qc7 23. Bd6 Qc6 24. Qa3 Ne4 25. Bb8 Nd2 26. Bb5 Qe6 27.
Qa6 Bc6 28. Bxa7 Nxf1 29. Bxc6+ Rxc6 30. Rb8+ Kd7 31. Qb7+ Rc7 32. Qb5+ Qc6 33.
Qxc6+ Kxc6 34. Rxg8 Nd2 35. Bd4 Rb7 36. f3 g6 37. Rg7 h6 38. a4 Nc4 39. e4 Rb1+
40. Kf2 Rb2+ 41. Kg3 dxe4 42. fxe4 Nd2 43. e5 Ne4+ 44. Kf3 Ng5+ 45. Ke3 Rxg2
46. h4 Rg3+ 47. Ke2 Nf3 48. Rxf7 Nxh4 49. Rf6+ Kd5 50. Rd6+ Ke4 51. e6 Nf5 52.
Rd7 Rg2+ 53. Bf2 Ng3+ 54. Ke1 Nf5 55. e7 Nxe7 56. Rxe7+ 1-0

Game 2 - Draw against Mephisto Mondial

[Event "Spacious Mind Chess Box 8 Tournament"]
[Site "Pelham, Alabama, USA 30:1"]
[Date "2012.10.16"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Fidelity Little Chesster, LV A5."]
[Black "Mephisto Mondial, LV 3."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B34"]
[WhiteElo "1700"]
[BlackElo "1699"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2012.10.13"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceDate "2012.10.13"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bd3 Qa5 8.
O-O O-O {Fidelity Little Chesster out of book} 9. Nb3 {Mephisto Mondial out of
book} Qc7 10. Be2 b6 11. Qd2 Bb7 12. f4 d6 13. f5 Ne5 14. fxg6 hxg6 15. Nd5
Nxd5 16. exd5 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Qxc4 18. Rad1 Bxb2 19. Bg5 Rae8 20. Rf4 Qc3 21. Qf2
Qe5 22. Qh4 f6 23. Bh6 g5 24. Rg4 Qe3+ 25. Qf2 Qxf2+ 26. Kxf2 Rf7 27. Ra4 Rh7
28. Rxa7 Bc8 29. Bxg5 fxg5 30. Rb1 Bg7 31. Kg1 e6 32. dxe6 Bxe6 33. Kh1 Bf5 34.
Rc7 Be5 35. Rxh7 Kxh7 36. Nd2 Rc8 37. Nf3 Rxc2 38. Nxg5+ Kg7 39. Nf3 Rxg2 40.
Re1 Rxa2 41. Nxe5 dxe5 42. Rxe5 Kf6 43. Rb5 Be4+ 44. Kg1 Rg2+ 45. Kf1 Rxh2 46.
Rxb6+ 1/2-1/2


Game 3 - Loss against Novag Zircon

[Event "Spacious Mind Chess Box 8 Tournament"]
[Site "Pelham, Alabama, USA 30:1"]
[Date "2012.10.13"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Fidelity Little Chesster, LV A5."]
[Black "Novag Zircon, LV AT5."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D25"]
[WhiteElo "1700"]
[BlackElo "1920"]
[PlyCount "154"]
[EventDate "2012.10.13"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceDate "2012.10.13"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bg4 5. Bxc4 e6 6. h3 Bh5 {Fidelity Little
Chesster out of book} 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Nc3 Bd6 9. Nb5 {Novag Zircon out of book}
O-O 10. Bd3 Be7 11. Bd2 e5 12. g4 e4 13. Bxe4 Nxe4 14. gxh5 c6 15. Nc3 Nxd2 16.
Nxd2 Bg5 17. Qb3 Nb6 18. Nce4 Re8 19. a4 Rb8 20. Kg2 Nd5 21. Rg1 f5 22. Nc3 Re6
23. Nxd5 cxd5 24. Rac1 f4 25. Rc5 fxe3 26. Rxd5 Qe7 27. Re5 exf2 28. Kxf2 Qf7+
29. Ke2 Rxe5+ 30. dxe5 Qxb3 31. Nxb3 Bf4 32. e6 Re8 33. Kf3 Be5 34. Rc1 Rxe6
35. Rc8+ Kf7 36. Nc5 Rh6 37. Nxb7 Bxb2 38. Rc7+ Ke8 39. Kg4 Re6 40. Kf3 Be5 41.
Rc2 Ke7 42. Nc5 Rd6 43. Ke4 Bf6 44. Rc4 Rd2 45. Nd3 Kd6 46. Rc1 Ra2 47. Nc5 Ra3
48. Nb7+ Ke6 49. Nc5+ Kf7 50. Rh1 a5 51. Kd5 Rf3 52. Ke4 Rc3 53. Kd5 Ra3 54. h4
Ra2 55. Kc6 Rb2 56. Ne4 h6 57. Rf1 Rb4 58. Nxf6 gxf6 59. Rf5 Rxa4 60. Kb6 Rxh4
61. Rxa5 Rg4 62. Ra7+ Kg8 63. Ra8+ Kf7 64. Ra7+ Kf8 65. Rh7 Rg5 66. Rxh6 Kg7
67. Rg6+ Rxg6 68. hxg6 f5 69. Kc5 Kxg6 70. Kd4 Kg5 71. Ke3 Kg4 72. Kf2 Kf4 73.
Ke2 Kg3 74. Kf1 f4 75. Kg1 f3 76. Kh1 Kf2 77. Kh2 Ke2 0-1

Sharper Image also sold one in a greyish white color:



http://www.spacious-mind.com/html/talki ... anion.html

Here is a game that I had played with it against CXG Comet:

[Event "Computer Test Match"]
[Site "Pelham. Alabama, USA 30:1"]
[Date "2013.07.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "SI Talking Chess Companion, LV A6."]
[Black "CXG Sphinx Comet, LV A5."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E50"]
[WhiteElo "1763"]
[BlackElo "1793"]
[Annotator ",Microsoft"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2013.07.28"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 {CXG Sphinx Comet} O-O 5. Nf3 Ne4 {SI
Talking Chess Companion out of book} 6. Qc2 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d5 8. Ba3 Re8 9. Bd3
f5 10. O-O Nc6 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Rab1 Qf6 13. c4 Qf7 14. cxd5 Nd8 15. Ne5 Qf6
16. Qxc7 Nd2 17. Bb5 Nxb1 18. Rxb1 Rf8 19. Bxf8 Kxf8 20. Bd7 f4 21. Bxc8 Ke8
22. Qd7+ Kf8 23. exf4 Rb8 24. Qc7 Rxc8 25. Qxc8 Qd6 26. Nd7+ Kf7 27. Qxd8 Qxd5
28. Ne5+ Qxe5 29. fxe5 b5 30. Qd7+ Kg6 31. Rxb5 h6 32. Qg4+ Kf7 33. Rb7+ Ke8
34. Qc8# 1-0

Hope this helps you to make your decision.

Best regards

[Mentat]

Hi Djordje,
I don't have any RS1900L games, but here are a few games played by Fidelity Little Chesster....

==================


Hi Nick,

Thank a lot for the games. Now I think that I have a slightly better idea about this little contraption. It's not a patzer, but is on the weakish side, from what I can see. As the computer on offer is in mint condition, I'll just sleep on this and see what happens.

Once again, how on Earth has this information on the Fidelity LC found its way into Schachcomputer Wiki? I think it is fairly obvious that the little one is not closely related to the real Excellence let alone be a later version of it

Thanks again!

-- Dj.