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Thanx for the link! It seems the Explorer Pro and the Cougar definitely are different.
Kind regards,
Paul
Bought a second hand Cougar in very fine condition today at an open air market. The man who sold it to me was quite honest saying that he'd tried the computer and that it was abysmal, losing its queen in the opening... I kept mum about the fun level bug and pocketed it for 12 euros . Took it home this morning and started playing using the HGN501 adapter, had no batteries. The thing is, at least at first blush, a beast. It beat me 4-2 at game in 15 sudden death, and it managed to solve a couple of mate in x positions in seconds only. Will test it further when I have more time.
Congrats with your bargon!
The Cougar has the same specs as the Explorer Pro, rating around 2050. I have it too. Great machine!
Kind regards
Paul.
Thanks, Paul. Yes, it was a bargain , but I took advantage of the seller's having no idea about the fun level bug. He wasn't a chess computer addict anyway, and I was looking for a fix . Notwithstanding, I had a strange feeling that I was duking it out with the Fritz (ver.2) program on one of those first strong Intel processors. Really. Felt that I was going to get bashed one way or another and had to claw for a draw. Glad that you have the same machine.
Mentat wrote:
Yes, it was a bargain , but I took advantage of the seller's having no idea about the fun level bug
not a shining moment for collectors worldwide
a simple explanation to the innocent.. unknowing ..well meaning.. honest.. seller and i am sure he would have been happy to keep it for himself and perhaps he would have had some small happiness and joy in his life playing chess with his computer
then..to add insult to injury..you come here and gloat about it
i myself would never have done something like this
Interesting. I haven't figured this out entirely yet, but I guess it's a whole bunch of new wiki-elo entries, embedded beneath the ratings. For instance, a whole passel of new material shows up when you click the RS 2250XL or the Explorer Pro, or others - anything within a loose group of "training" comps, a minor fascination of mine. Here's one way to get there:
The linked essays try to identify the strongest dedicated with training elements, acknowledging the looseness of the definition, and come up with this Top 4, based on a tournament with 15 contestants:
1. Mephisto Explorer Pro
2. Kasparov Schachtrainer
3. RS 2250 XL
4. Mephisto Schachakademie
I own 1, 3 and 4 - but now I want the Schachtrainer. Fun subset.
- R.
P.S. - Tacit acknowledgement in the 2250XL entry that it's a hybrid/variant of GK 2100, but a different machine.
"You have, let us say, a promising politician, a rising artist that you wish to destroy. Dagger or bomb are archaic and unreliable - but teach him, inoculate him with chess."
– H.G. Wells
Kasparov Schachtrainer = Saitek Turbo Advanced Trainer
They are not too hard to find. If you like I can look for it, but the postage cost from Europe to the USA may rise high...
I do have a spare, but in heavily used condition...
Mentat wrote:but I took advantage of the seller's having no idea about the fun level bug.
Infringement reported to HIARCS elders via Councilman Steve. 5 penalty points to you
Just curious, did it come with the manual and does the manual have an addendum pointing out the bug? If so, 5 penalty points to the seller for not reading the manual! I'm pretty sure most 32K Saitek Mephistos for sale these days have a sheet included that points out he need for a manual reset from the fun levels using the paperclip method.
It reminds me of when I returned a perfectly working Saitek Sensor XL because I could not get the batteries to work. Nor could the shop keeper. Turns out they had manufactured the battery compartments in such a way that standard alkaline batteries with their lower profile positive tips would not make proper contact, whereas standard zinc carbon ones with their larger tips would. A year later Saitek were selling them with an addendum in the owner's manual pointing out the problem. Just as well that machine had very low power consumption!
Chess is like painting the Mona Lisa whilst walking through a minefield.
Mentat wrote:I took advantage of the seller's having no idea about the fun level bug.
Ok, now I feel much less guilty for buying a Tandy 1850 for fl. 2,50 (1,20 euro) because they said it did not work. I took a risk, but pressing the ACL did the trick
Reinfeld wrote:Interesting. I haven't figured this out entirely yet, but I guess it's a whole bunch of new wiki-elo entries, embedded beneath the ratings. For instance, a whole passel of new material shows up when you click the RS 2250XL or the Explorer Pro, or others - anything within a loose group of "training" comps, a minor fascination of mine. Here's one way to get there:
The linked essays try to identify the strongest dedicated with training elements, acknowledging the looseness of the definition, and come up with this Top 4, based on a tournament with 15 contestants:
1. Mephisto Explorer Pro
2. Kasparov Schachtrainer
3. RS 2250 XL
4. Mephisto Schachakademie
I own 1, 3 and 4 - but now I want the Schachtrainer. Fun subset.
- R.
P.S. - Tacit acknowledgement in the 2250XL entry that it's a hybrid/variant of GK 2100, but a different machine.
Hi Reinfeld,
Yes, a lot of essays are hidden beneath the wiki-elo-liste. One of my favourites is the one about the CXG Super Enterprise (http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... Enterprise, it also includes a number of spectacular games it played. I will have one within a few weeks, and am looking forward to play with it, also against my other machines .
By the way, training comps are also a favourite subject for me .
I have the Turbo Advanced Trainer and the Mephisto Schachakademie (= Europa/Europa A). Also I have the Mephisto College (= Super Mondial II with extra module). And, alltough I think not mentioned in that essay, the Mephisto Chess Challenger which includes 20 training games.
And shortly I will have one at the bottom of the list: the Millennium Schachschule .
Mentat wrote:I took advantage of the seller's having no idea about the fun level bug.
Ok, now I feel much less guilty for buying a Tandy 1850 for fl. 2,50 (1,20 euro) because they said it did not work. I took a risk, but pressing the ACL did the trick
Saving money for the next machine regards,
Paul
Hate to gloat but I can trump the price you paid for the exact
same model. I paid $1 for a Tandy 1850, all complete and excellent.
It was from a pissed off lady packing up at the end of a morning
at a flea market. It was my first chess comp purchase since
the old days when dedicated's ruled the waves.
Since then I haven't kept a running tally of the money I've spent on
the beasts, but $10K wouldn't be far out. I don't regret it for a moment.
Buy a new car and it will likely depreciate that amount in its first year.
Congrats to Djorge on his bargain.
L
Sorry, this is a mistake. Today I studied the new elo list more closely. It is the Talking Chess Academy that is the English version. 32k program, the S.T.A.T. has a 16k program.
Sorry for misleading you Reinfeld!
. Took it home this morning and started playing using the HGN501 adapter, had no batteries. The thing is, at least at first blush, a beast. It beat me 4-2 at game in 15 sudden death, and it managed to solve a couple of mate in x positions in seconds only. Will test it further when I have more time.
