Novag Super Expert A
Moderators: Harvey Williamson, Steve B, Watchman
Forum rules
This textbox is used to restore diagrams posted with the fen tag before the upgrade.
This textbox is used to restore diagrams posted with the fen tag before the upgrade.
Novag Super Expert A
Hi,
just received a Super Expert A from the US, yes, it's the one having been auctioned by The house of Staunton. As I expected, the board is really in mint condition.
What puzzles me is the fact that the manual states on the top page:
Novag Super Expert
Instructions
(PRELIMINARY)
Has any of other S-Expert A owners this (PRELIMINARY) word on the manual.
Maybe the machine is also a preliminary version.
Anyway I find the item entertaining. I have played so far two games (30 min) myself and noticed a quite unusual opening-repertoire. First game I opened 1.e4 and after 1.Nf6 2.d4 S-expert plays Nf8, the apparent loss of tempo is not as bad as it looks, in most cases your opponent will be out of book at move 2.
Game two went 1.d4 c5 with a subsequent Snake-Benoni, interesting opening choice.
I added a test-game with Vancouver 32bit on the white side where black had a winning position but the Super Expert lacked expertise in rook endgames so it was a draw, anyway not a bad result for a 8-bit machine.
Any comments, especially to the 'PRELIMINARY'-question are welcome.
Gerhard
just received a Super Expert A from the US, yes, it's the one having been auctioned by The house of Staunton. As I expected, the board is really in mint condition.
What puzzles me is the fact that the manual states on the top page:
Novag Super Expert
Instructions
(PRELIMINARY)
Has any of other S-Expert A owners this (PRELIMINARY) word on the manual.
Maybe the machine is also a preliminary version.
Anyway I find the item entertaining. I have played so far two games (30 min) myself and noticed a quite unusual opening-repertoire. First game I opened 1.e4 and after 1.Nf6 2.d4 S-expert plays Nf8, the apparent loss of tempo is not as bad as it looks, in most cases your opponent will be out of book at move 2.
Game two went 1.d4 c5 with a subsequent Snake-Benoni, interesting opening choice.
I added a test-game with Vancouver 32bit on the white side where black had a winning position but the Super Expert lacked expertise in rook endgames so it was a draw, anyway not a bad result for a 8-bit machine.
Any comments, especially to the 'PRELIMINARY'-question are welcome.
Gerhard
- Steve B
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10140
- Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:02 am
- Location: New York City USofA
- Contact:
Re: Novag Super Expert A
Hi Gerhardkgvetter wrote: Has any of other S-Expert A owners this (PRELIMINARY) word on the manual.
Gerhard
i checked my SE A manual and it does NOT say PRELIMINARY
as to the unusual book moves
i guess you meant 2.. Ng8..not 2..Nf8
anyway...one of the options is to engage a Gambit book which perhaps could be the cause of these moves but i tend to doubt that
2..Ng8 Regards
Steve
- Fernando
- Admiral of the Fleet
- Posts: 3059
- Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:35 pm
- Location: Santiago de Chile
Re: Novag Super Expert A
Steve B wrote:Hi Gerhardkgvetter wrote: Has any of other S-Expert A owners this (PRELIMINARY) word on the manual.
Gerhard
i checked my SE A manual and it does NOT say PRELIMINARY
as to the unusual book moves
i guess you meant 2.. Ng8..not 2..Nf8
anyway...one of the options is to engage a Gambit book which perhaps could be the cause of these moves but i tend to doubt that
2..Ng8 Regards
Steve
Perhaps, Steve, you should make an offer for that weird booklet with that amazing word. Surely is a collector item.
Just offer him 10 grands and is yours regards
Fern
Festina Lente
- Steve B
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10140
- Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:02 am
- Location: New York City USofA
- Contact:
Re: Novag Super Expert A
Not So sure about that FernFernando wrote:Steve B wrote:Hi Gerhardkgvetter wrote: Has any of other S-Expert A owners this (PRELIMINARY) word on the manual.
Gerhard
i checked my SE A manual and it does NOT say PRELIMINARY
as to the unusual book moves
i guess you meant 2.. Ng8..not 2..Nf8
anyway...one of the options is to engage a Gambit book which perhaps could be the cause of these moves but i tend to doubt that
2..Ng8 Regards
Steve
Perhaps, Steve, you should make an offer for that weird booklet with that amazing word. Surely is a collector item.
Just offer him 10 grands and is yours regards
Fern
this might be the very first recorded case of a ....
Modified Manual Regards
Steve
Hi Steve,
as you suspected rightly the gambit book was not engaged in the games. I notice after a couple of more games that the book is really wide with some variations going into the last possible wrinkle (e.g. Sicilian Najdorf, main variation). Also naturally I was talking about Ng8 and not f8 in the Aljechin, a typical typo after the intake of bavarian beer...
Concerning the manual-issue I hope that the comment of our chilean chessfriend was on the ironic and not on the cynical side which I cannot make out with my limited command of the english language.
founding a club of modified manual owners regards,
Gerhard
as you suspected rightly the gambit book was not engaged in the games. I notice after a couple of more games that the book is really wide with some variations going into the last possible wrinkle (e.g. Sicilian Najdorf, main variation). Also naturally I was talking about Ng8 and not f8 in the Aljechin, a typical typo after the intake of bavarian beer...
Concerning the manual-issue I hope that the comment of our chilean chessfriend was on the ironic and not on the cynical side which I cannot make out with my limited command of the english language.
founding a club of modified manual owners regards,
Gerhard
Hi,
today I looked the first time closer at the surrounding cardboard packaging and discovered that it says "CRA prototype" on it which leads to the conclusion that this Super Expert A is really a pre-production unit.
I will run some tests in order to find out if it differs from the later units.
What could the acronym "CRA" stand for anyway?
Computer Rating Agency ?? regards
Gerhard
today I looked the first time closer at the surrounding cardboard packaging and discovered that it says "CRA prototype" on it which leads to the conclusion that this Super Expert A is really a pre-production unit.
I will run some tests in order to find out if it differs from the later units.
What could the acronym "CRA" stand for anyway?
Computer Rating Agency ?? regards
Gerhard
- paulwise3
- Senior Member
- Posts: 1505
- Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 10:56 am
- Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands
Interesting code!
Customer Riscs All regards,
Paul
Customer Riscs All regards,
Paul
2024 Special thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12741
2024 Special results and standings: https://schaakcomputers.nl/paul_w/Tourn ... 25_06.html
If I am mistaken, it must be caused by a horizon effect...
2024 Special results and standings: https://schaakcomputers.nl/paul_w/Tourn ... 25_06.html
If I am mistaken, it must be caused by a horizon effect...
- Steve B
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10140
- Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:02 am
- Location: New York City USofA
- Contact:
Hi Gerhardkgvetter wrote:Hi,
today I looked the first time closer at the surrounding cardboard packaging and discovered that it says "CRA prototype" on it which leads to the conclusion that this Super Expert A is really a pre-production unit.
I will run some tests in order to find out if it differs from the later units.
What could the acronym "CRA" stand for anyway?
Computer Rating Agency ?? regards
Gerhard
does your SE A have a model number label on the backside of the computer?
the SE A was model number 878
SE B was model 887
SE C was model 902
i doubt a prototype would have the label
it seems there are some strange Novag's hitting the market lately
i just recently acquired a very unusual Connie Expert sold by the factory running at 5 Mhz
normal is 4 Mhz
Strange Days Indeed Regards
Steve
Yep, I got one too...nothing like an economic downturn to bringSteve B wrote: it seems there are some strange Novag's hitting the market lately
i just recently acquired a very unusual Connie Expert sold by the factory running at 5 Mhz
normal is 4 Mhz
rare chess comps out of the closets:
https://a2-images.myspacecdn.com/images ... 00x300.jpg
L
-
- Member
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:54 pm
What could the acronym "CRA" stand for anyway?
Computer Rating Agency ?? regards
Computer Rating Association, as far as I remember. It was some information about it in the Swedish magazine PLY long time ago. I shall try to look it up some time. I would guess also CCR would have some information about it. As far as I remember someone in the eighties hinted that Fidelity had to much say in the Agency....
Erik
Computer Rating Agency ?? regards
Computer Rating Association, as far as I remember. It was some information about it in the Swedish magazine PLY long time ago. I shall try to look it up some time. I would guess also CCR would have some information about it. As far as I remember someone in the eighties hinted that Fidelity had to much say in the Agency....
Erik