CXG Computers

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spacious_mind
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CXG Computers

Post by spacious_mind »

What! is this a book?

Image

Nope, its a chess computer...

CXG Chess Scholar - 1989 Newcrest Technologies - Model CXG-268

Image

Its a chess tutor that also plays chess. It has 73 lessons that you can play through or you can have a game against the computer. It is a 4 bit program so therefore not very strong.

What is quite neat is the Adjustable LCD display which you can adjust upwards as shown in the photo.

You play by using the control cursors and pressing the Enter key.

It also has magnetic chess pieces and a small board that you can see on the left side of the book.

I have not seen many of these therefore I think it is quite rare, a collectors item.

Best regards
Nick
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Post by Steve B »

Yes
quite rare
the Scholar took its place in the hollowed halls of the 'Ultra Rare" Collection
year's ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923814103/

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Steve
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Post by spacious_mind »

Steve B wrote:Yes
quite rare
the Scholar took its place in the hollowed halls of the 'Ultra Rare" Collection
year's ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923814103/

Enshrined Regards
Steve
Interesting Steve, I see that yours is German. My manual is Spanish. I wonder if it ever made it to the US.
Nick
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Post by Steve B »

spacious_mind wrote:
Steve B wrote:Yes
quite rare
the Scholar took its place in the hollowed halls of the 'Ultra Rare" Collection
year's ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923814103/

Enshrined Regards
Steve
Interesting Steve, I see that yours is German. My manual is Spanish. I wonder if it ever made it to the US.
never saw it offered for sale in the States
although the box does have the computers features described in 5 languages(including English)
if my memory serves me...its the only CXG computer ever released for sale with LCD Pieces

Rare Bird Indeed Regards
Steve
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spacious_mind
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Post by spacious_mind »

Steve B wrote:
spacious_mind wrote:
Steve B wrote:Yes
quite rare
the Scholar took its place in the hollowed halls of the 'Ultra Rare" Collection
year's ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923814103/

Enshrined Regards
Steve
Interesting Steve, I see that yours is German. My manual is Spanish. I wonder if it ever made it to the US.
never saw it offered for sale in the States
although the box does have the computers features described in 5 languages(including English)
if my memory serves me...its the only CXG computer ever released for sale with LCD Pieces

Rare Bird Indeed Regards
Steve
Yes and it has a massive opening book of 237 moves!! :P

Best regards
Nick
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Post by spacious_mind »

Hi Steve,

After looking through your Super Rare link, here is another CXG that made your list:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923814103/

CXG Sphinx Commander - 1989 - Frans Morsch - Model # CXG 3018

Image

Its a 6502 4 MHz 32 KB ROM and 8 KB RAM computer. Strength around 2027 USCF.

Its a nice and small wooden chess computer! Mine is a version 2.0

Best regards
Nick
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Post by alynch4047 »

Steve B wrote:Yes
quite rare
the Scholar took its place in the hollowed halls of the 'Ultra Rare" Collection
year's ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923814103/

Enshrined Regards
Steve
One of those machines has a floppy drive and CDROM drive. Huh??!!
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Post by Steve B »

alynch4047 wrote:
Steve B wrote:Yes
quite rare
the Scholar took its place in the hollowed halls of the 'Ultra Rare" Collection
year's ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@ ... 923814103/

Enshrined Regards
Steve
One of those machines has a floppy drive and CDROM drive. Huh??!!
Aaaah Yes
The Iconic Mephisto WunderMachine
It was the bridge between the dedicated ..stand alone ..chess computer of the 1980's and the PC chess playing Engine Juggernaut of the 1990's ..

more here:
https://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/i ... ermaschine

Legendary Regards
Steve
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Post by althus »

Since the topic of CXG has come up, there's something I've been wondering. It's not about the best of the CXG computers but possibly the worst of them: the original Sensor Computachess (CXG-001)

There is bug in the software for its immediate successor, the CXG Computachess II (CXG-002) (my very first computer when I was a kid--sigh). On the highest levels, the computer won't give mate-in-one unless the move is simultaneously a capture. I wonder if the CXG-001 does the same? I don't have one of those and can't try it out.

The identical bug also happens in related machines of other CXG brands: the Hanimex Computachess II (HCG 1600), the Hanimex Computachess III (HCG 1700), and subsequent repackagings of the HCG 1600 such as the CXG Advanced Portachess.

It's described best at the wiki page for the Advanced Portachess:

https://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/i ... Portachess

All of these used software written by Mark Taylor, presumably the identical software because they all share the bug. The CXG-001 used a Mark Taylor program too, but I'm not sure if it was the very same one.

Can anybody contrive to lose to one, and find out? Many thanks if you do!
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Post by spacious_mind »

I played a few computer tournament matches with Systema Computachess. Unfortunately it never got so far where it threatened a mate on anyone. But it does have the ability to lose in 7 moves :)

[Event "U1400 Green Stage 1 Group N"]
[Site "Active Chess 0:30/1"]
[Date "2012.11.26"]
[Round "1.9"]
[White "Systema Computachess, LV 8."]
[Black "Novag Aquamarine Premier, LV C5."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C40"]
[WhiteElo "1200"]
[BlackElo "1390"]
[PlyCount "14"]
[EventDate "2012.11.18"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "6"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe5 Qd4 5. f4 Bc5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. Bc4 Qf2# 0-1

[fen]rnb1k1nr/pp3ppp/2p5/2b1N3/2B1pP2/2N5/PPPP1qPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 0 8[/fen]

And in the same tournament it did one even better by being checkmated in 6 moves:

[Event "U1400 Green Stage 1 Group N"]
[Site "Active Chess 0:30/1"]
[Date "2012.11.19"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Systema Computachess, LV 8."]
[Black "Excalibur Viper, LV C5."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C40"]
[WhiteElo "1200"]
[BlackElo "1300"]
[PlyCount "12"]
[EventDate "2012.11.18"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "6"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe5 Qd4 5. f4 Bc5 6. Nb5 Qf2# 0-1

[fen]rnb1k1nr/ppp2ppp/8/1Nb1N3/4pP2/8/PPPP1qPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 7[/fen]

Mate in 6 is about the shortest checkmate that I have been able to record in computer vs computer games and Computachess holds that record.

Best regards
Nick
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Post by althus »

Meh, I'm inclined to give it some slack :) It's basically running on a calculator chip. 80 bytes of RAM... How much of a search tree can you even put into that?
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Post by spacious_mind »

althus wrote:Meh, I'm inclined to give it some slack :) It's basically running on a calculator chip. 80 bytes of RAM... How much of a search tree can you even put into that?
True all the oldies need some slack :) Computachess does have another distinction :P

I played a U1400 tournament a while back with over 120 U1400 rated computers (which in reality if looked up all these computers were rated at less than 1200). It was a double round league type of tournament with 9 computers per league all playing 16 games each. Computachess holds this record below :P

MOST PROBABLE LOSER TABLE OR AKA THE DIRTY DOZEN :P

1) Systema Computachess = 0 from 16 games
2) Scisys Acetronic Graduate Chess = 0.5 from 16 games
=3) Scisys Chess Partner 3000 = 1 from 16 games
=3)Prinztronic Chess Traveller = 1 from 16 games
5) Novag Disney Magic Castle = 1.5 from 16 games
=6-9) Novag MK1 = 2 from 16 games
=6-9) Scisys Travel Mate = 2 from 16 games
=6-9) Fidelity CC1 = 2 from 16 games
=6-9) Fidelity Micro = 2 from 16 games
= 10-12) Fidelity Chess Pal = 2.5 from 16 games
= 10-12) Scisys Kasparov Pocket Chess = 2.5 from 16 games
= 10-12) Novag Delta 1 = 2.5 from 16 games

It holds the distinction of being the only computer out of about 120 without a point :oops:

CC1 managed 4 draws!!

Hey I love them all but there always has to be someone that carries the rest on its shoulders!

C'est la vie.... regards
Nick
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Post by b4xter »

Computachess has a charm. My son said at the age of five: "yes daddy I can beat him anytime, but I like him because he beeps so cute"
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Post by althus »

Lately my wife has started teasing me with "DOOdoodoo-dee-dooooo!"
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