Do all Excalibur?

Bryan Whitby · Post by **Bryan Whitby** » Thu May 14, 2015 7:31 pm

I recently went up into my loft and stumbled across my old Excalibur Grandmaster. With all the talk about Ron Nelson recently I decided to bring the Grandmaster out of retirement and play a few quick games.

What happened last night surprised me a little as I reached a King v King & Pawn ending with the last remaining Pawn being able to be taken on the next move. Normally I would just switch off the chess computer but I took the last Pawn and surprisingly the Grandmaster played on with just the kings on the board.

The only other Excalibur computer I have is the Phantom which after setting up a similar position did exactly the same as its big brother and played on with only the Kings on the board.

Could someone advise me if all Excalibur computers do this?

Insufficient Material Regards
Bryan

Post by **Fernando** » Fri May 15, 2015 5:05 pm

Chessmaster Ireland wrote:I recently went up into my loft and stumbled across my old Excalibur Grandmaster. With all the talk about Ron Nelson recently I decided to bring the Grandmaster out of retirement and play a few quick games.

What happened last night surprised me a little as I reached a King v King & Pawn ending with the last remaining Pawn being able to be taken on the next move. Normally I would just switch off the chess computer but I took the last Pawn and surprisingly the Grandmaster played on with just the kings on the board.

The only other Excalibur computer I have is the Phantom which after setting up a similar position did exactly the same as its big brother and played on with only the Kings on the board.

Could someone advise me if all Excalibur computers do this?

Insufficient Material Regards
Bryan

Grandmaster likes so much to play that he is prepared to do it with just the Kings on the board.

The interesting thing is that it arrived to an ending with advantage and lost it, but he was superior...I do not know, pal, how much your strength is, but in my case always a comp show me some skill, I feel happy.

Larry · Post by **Larry** » Fri May 15, 2015 6:39 pm

I thought pretty much all the dedicateds, with the exception of
the Ruud Martin machines played on with insufficient material.
They let you know it's drawn via a zero score for the game. This
will happen either with lone kings, or with one lone king versus
king plus minor piece.
4am here now. Later in the day I'll set up Berlin Pro with insufficient
material and see if it declares a draw.
For the record, the de Konig machines , ie, risc2500 and Montreux,
will recognize threefold repitition. Morsch machines might also.
Not sure about Lang programs.
We'll get it sorted out.
L

Bryan Whitby · Post by **Bryan Whitby** » Fri May 15, 2015 9:33 pm

Hi Larry

The only time I am now up at 4am is to go for pee (can't remember the last time I had a full nights sleep).

Anyway, all these years that I have been playing against chess computers this was the first time that I have ever played a game to just kings on the board so this is why I was surprised.

Looking forward in reading your findings.

Bryan

Post by **Steve B** » Fri May 15, 2015 10:15 pm

A quick review of the GM manual reveals that the computer does not recognize draws by insufficient material

it does recognize draws by:
3 fold Rep
stalemate
50 move rule

i guess if you are left with only two Kings and choose to play on eventually the 50 move rule will kick in

Eliminating Redundant Features Regards
Steve

Larry · Post by **Larry** » Sat May 16, 2015 1:15 am

I know this discussion is about the Excalibur GM but it did arouse
my curiosity about other machines. I'm also one that does'nt notice these
things, because I call off a game when the outcome is obvious.
[fen]8/8/4k3/3q4/8/2K5/2B5/8[/fen]
With black to move it's an easy win, but sadly for black, it's white to move.
The simple Bg6 followed by exchanging bishop for queen and the Berlin Pro
displays "MATL", ie, "material", indicating a draw by insufficient material.
It does'nt take a chess programming genius to include that tiny bit of code.
L

Bryan Whitby · Post by **Bryan Whitby** » Sat May 16, 2015 5:25 pm

Larry
Even I could write the code that seems to be missing but when I set up the position on my Mephisto Talking Academy a strange thing happened.
After the exchanges with just the Kings on the board, I looked at the score for both Kings and whichever King was to move their score showed +0.30 obviously indicating that both thought they were winning?!

Steve
I played the game on for another 50 moves and yes the Grandmaster did indeed indicate a draw.
BTW..I have been in contact with Al Lawrence, Excalibur's Vice-President and he is under the opinion that Ron Nelson did program all the Excalibur's chess computers.

Regards
Bryan

Post by **Steve B** » Sat May 16, 2015 5:53 pm

Chessmaster Ireland wrote:

BTW..I have been in contact with Al Lawrence, Excalibur's Vice-President and he is under the opinion that Ron Nelson did program all the Excalibur's chess computers.

Well Well
Waddya Know
Now Isn't that something

Regards

Steve

Post by **Fernando** » Sat May 16, 2015 5:54 pm

Chessmaster Ireland wrote:Larry
Even I could write the code that seems to be missing but when I set up the position on my Mephisto Talking Academy a strange thing happened.
After the exchanges with just the Kings on the board, I looked at the score for both Kings and whichever King was to move their score showed +0.30 obviously indicating that both thought they were winning?!

Steve
I played the game on for another 50 moves and yes the Grandmaster did indeed indicate a draw.
BTW..I have been in contact with Al Lawrence, Excalibur's Vice-President and he is under the opinion that Ron Nelson did program all the Excalibur's chess computers.

Regards
Bryan

Hi pal:
As much you have already contacted this guy Lawrence, perhaps you could ask him if there is any kind of project of him, Samole, or any other guy associated with Excalibur, to do something else in the realm of chess computer. Mavbe to import discrete numbers of machines still made in China, maybe to create another company as Excalibur was after Fidelity, whatever....AND you can ask him what he knows of Nelson, to begin with, if he is a still alive...

Bryan Whitby · Post by **Bryan Whitby** » Sat May 16, 2015 6:41 pm

OK will do

Bryan Whitby · Post by **Bryan Whitby** » Sat May 16, 2015 6:51 pm

Steve B wrote: Well Well
Waddya Know
Now Isn't that something

Regards
Steve

Here's what he said about Ron at Fidelity after the Spraklen's arrived.
"Nelson focused on hardware aspects and presumely [sic] I/O and system programming of the machines"

Post by **Fernando** » Sat May 16, 2015 6:55 pm

Chessmaster Ireland wrote:
Steve B wrote: Well Well
Waddya Know
Now Isn't that something

Regards
Steve
Here's what he said about Ron at Fidelity after the Spraklen's arrived.
"Nelson focused on hardware aspects and presumely [sic] I/O and system programming of the machines"

That is already ancient history scarcely better known and recent than Caesar murder.
The point that has been discussed here with zest is:
Ron programmed ALL Excalibur?
Ron is alive?
And now...
Are those guy to do something else instead of reclining in a wheelchair?

bothersome journalist harassment regards
Fern

Bryan Whitby · Post by **Bryan Whitby** » Sat May 16, 2015 7:47 pm

Caesar dead, blimey I didn't know that!!

Post by **Fernando** » Sat May 16, 2015 7:51 pm

Chessmaster Ireland wrote:Caesar dead, blimey I didn't know that!!

Yeah, it was very sad, even a son was there, stabbing him. You cannot trust nobody these days.
I understand that a guy named Shakespeare will write something about that.

From mourning Rome regards
Fern

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