Which are your favorite 5 chess computers?

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steffen
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Which are your favorite 5 chess computers?

Post by steffen »

Hi all,

I wonder which of your chess computers are your FIVE favorites.
So let´s start :)

Steffen

P.S.: Please name only 5 of them.
At first I thought about just 3, but this is really very hard.
Last edited by steffen on Wed Oct 12, 2016 7:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
steffen
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Post by steffen »

Okay, let´s start:

1. Novag Chess Robot Adversary
2. Fidelity Mach IV Designer 2325
3. Millennium Genesis (same as Tiger Grenadier)
4. RFT Erfurt VEB Funkwerk SC 1
5. Fidelity Elite Privat

Steffen
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paulwise3
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Post by paulwise3 »

Hi Steffen,

Nice question, and thanx for making it five instead of three. I will answer you tomorrow.
I wonder why the SC1 is one of your favorites?
Anyway you have a great top five!
Maybe it is an idea to tell also for each one why it is in the top five? Of course for many of them it is because they are rare and/or beautiful. But for some it may be other reasons, like special memories. I certainly have that with my CXG Sphinx Concerto.

Beating Hans Bohm regards ;-)
Paul
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Steve B
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Post by Steve B »

Hi Steffen

a good question and one that pops of every now and again in some form or another
actually its hard to just pick 5 ...
So ill pick my favorite one from each Major Manufacturer

Mephisto Wunder Machine
Fidelity Elite AG V5
Tasc R40(V2.5)
Saitek Sparc(4mb)
Novag Diablo


but my absolute most favorite computer of all time..
the one computer i would keep if i could only have one....

Fidelity EAG 2100(with all of the modules and Impact Printer)

Five Is Just Not Enough Regards
Steve

p.s if i was allowed another 5 it would be ....
Mephisto Excalibur
Peri Epsilon
Conchess Victoria Plymate (with Master C6 book Module)
TSB IV La Regence
Scisys President(diff from Saitek President)
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Dave C
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Re: Which are your favorite 5 chess computers?

Post by Dave C »

steffen wrote:Hi all,
I wonder which of your chess computers are your FIVE favorites.
So let´s start :)
Fun question Steffen. My favorite five are:
1. TASC R30, 2.5 with SB30 board. --beautiful wood, very user friendly and provides lots of game info on its big screen.
2. Mephisto RISC2 with Impos Royal board. --beauty and brains.
3. Fidelity Designer 2100/Mach IV+. --has an updated board (68030 at 66 mhz) and plays very strong.
4. Saitek Renaissance with Brute Force module. --beautiful board with a hard to find module that plays strong.
5. Novag Diablo --beautiful & fairly strong.

Fun exercise :wink: ...regards,
Dave C
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scandien
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Post by scandien »

among the machine i own :

SAITEK Risc 2500 : for his playing style
Mephisto Vancouver : for his strength, the beautiful Munchen Board , and his active playing style.
Designer Mach III : for the playing style and aggressiveness.
Mephisto REBEL 5 : always an interesting opponent, and the first of the Shroder's series.
Saitek Corona : for the human like playing style , this machine is always able to find a resource versus every opponent.


It is quite difficult and frankly speaking i could have mention :
Novag Scorpio : kittinger's most aggressive machine
Chaffitz Sargon 2.5 a legend of the past

best regards
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paulwise3
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Post by paulwise3 »

I also have a hard time to choose, but my favorite top five is

- Saitek Renaissance Sparc : beautiful board and very strong module, and last but not least because of the way that I got it...
- CXG Sphinx Concerto : for it's programmable evaluation criteria & beating Hans Böhm in a simultaneous game.
- Excalibur Grandmaster : great looks, and Ron Nelson's masterpiece!
- Fidelity Kishon Chesster : the challenge to beat Kishon ;-)
- Novag Carnelian II - best design for budget machines.

But I could also as easily mention
- Novag Citrine : strong and great looking
- Mephisto Exclusive Polgar : great looking and nice playing style
- Saitek Kasparov Blitz : plastic, but autosensory
- Scisys Turbostar 432 KSO : got me my first price (second place) in my very first user tournament.
- Saitek Turbo Advanced Trainer - my first strong machine after I started collecting, and in mint condition.
- CXG Super Enterprise : Kaare Danielsen's masterpiece. A great pity that he stopped chess programming.

Not able to choose 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
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Scally
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Post by Scally »

I don't own many Chess Computers so my choice is easy .....

Revelation II - I was lucky to pick up a second hand & low number (010005) with a set of 'best chessmen ever' pieces. It's upgradable in hardware & software & has several different Chess engines to chose from, including retro engines from the 80s & 90s. It Also has a Bluetooth E board mode so I can connect my RPi3 running PicoChess.

Mephisto Lyon Tournament Machine with London Upgrade - my expensive pride and joy for several years before the Rev II came along. Lovely board & pieces with 3 different playing styles.

Kasparov Simultano - my first Chess computer that included a screen & worked off batteries and could play several games at once, hence the name.

Fidelity Chess Challenger 3 - I traded my CC1 for this, big mistake. However it's still one of the earliest around.

Allied Concepts Boris - 1 of the 2 forerunners in Chess Computers (with Fidelities CC1) A beautiful wallnut box but the chess board & pieces are separate.

Cheers,

Al.
Larry
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Post by Larry »

Novag Expert...simple, strong and reliable. Always gives
a good fight.
Fidelity SC9B...just the right size, great for casual fireside
chess when your wife is watching some romance
rubbish on TV.
Fidelity Voice Champion. Oozing with character and has acceptable
strength.
Mephisto Master. The ideal comp for use on a flight.
RISC2500. Kickbutt strength and choice of playing styles.
L
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Post by xchessg »

1) Revelation modul set in a beautiful Munchen board. I always had a Munchen board, which I've upgraded with Hiarcs. Best ever engine on a dedicated...
2) Rennaissance with Sparc, Brute force and Maestro 10 Mhz. A very sober and perfect board I find.
3) Tasc R30 with SB20 and 30 with Gideon and The King. Very interesting playing styles. Because I like to play longer games in several sessions, I find it very comfortable that the board allows you to continue comfortably after an interrruption. To bad that the clocks can't be stored in memory... Which brings me to:
4) Montreux. I find this one De Koning's very best. Plastic, but more pleasing to the eye then the Risc 2500. I call it the black death...
5) Genius in the Bavaria board. Just love that board, it's like the Tasc but with tournement dimensions, and in one unit. Very, very regretable that it works only with Lang's modules. That board is the sole reason why I keep the Genius module. Unhuman, boring opponent.

Xavier
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Post by steffen »

Paul, the GDR SC 1 is so unusual that I love it a lot. Thanks to a famous board member here :) It has been travelling through Europe for 5 repair attempts until finally it was running well.

And, scandien, I agree: I also love the Sargon 2.5 MGS a lot. It has a very special place in my "chess computer life."

And I also agree concerning the Novag Scorpio, friends, really a nice one.
Interesting how many of us love the Diablo/Scorpio!
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Post by SirDave »

Larry wrote:Novag Expert...simple, strong and reliable. Always gives
a good fight.
Fidelity SC9B...just the right size, great for casual fireside
chess when your wife is watching some romance
rubbish on TV.
Fidelity Voice Champion. Oozing with character and has acceptable
strength.
Mephisto Master. The ideal comp for use on a flight.
RISC2500. Kickbutt strength and choice of playing styles.
L

Larry, isn't the Master a little big to take on a flight? Not to mention that a little turbulence would knock all the pieces around or off. Wouldn't the Novag Expert be better for a good fight on a flight? :)
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blaubaer
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Post by blaubaer »

Hi,

to make a long story short:

1 - Tasc R30 - the best ever
2 - Mephisto Bavaria - Mephisto's answer
3 - Mysticum - yeah
4 - Mephisto Atlanta - ugly but strong
5 - Chafitz Boris - the one and only DIY chess computer

Regards, Michael
Larry
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Post by Larry »

SirDave wrote:

Larry, isn't the Master a little big to take on a flight? Not to mention that a little turbulence would knock all the pieces around or off. Wouldn't the Novag Expert be better for a good fight on a flight? :)
Nah...I fly Qantas...they don't have turbulence. :lol:
And while they might give you a power point to use the Novag Expert
up in business or first class, back down in cattle class where I am you
get nothing.
L
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Post by Wardy »

From my own collection

1) Revelation II - Promised myself as a child that one day I'd own the strongest dedicated computer - just didn't' appreciate it would take me till my 40's to achieve it
2) Rebell 5.0 Module always a refreshing opponent
3) Turbostar 432 KSO - Scrappy little machine
4) Star Diamond - Strongest Novag machine and another tricky opponent
5) Prisma - a present from my parents and my first real chess computer of any ability. My previous machines were two portable machines which were very weak.
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