Sad, but perhaps inevitable

[Gusev]

But for me the future is in beauty and not raw computing power - I have that on my laptop.

For me, it's the past which dictates beauty. Learning chess back in the late 1960s, I grew up with real wooden chess pieces and not with two dimensional graphics on a monitor or a tablet. Replicating that early experience -- hiding a ghost in the machine -- is what makes an old style dedicated chess computer attractive.

We should switch to 3D graphics on the monitor/tablet, IMHO. As in Chess Titans, which is otherwise irrelevant.

[fern]

Dear opal, I observe the same thing with me, losing when yesterday I won, drawing when etc etc.
Now I am playing Alexadra by Excalibur. It never was stronger than 1750 or so, but still I must muster all my forces to win if I do because you lose concentration and you are done.

Pitiful thing is to age regards
Fern

[sje]

And now the Obsidian is marked "Item currently sold out" at Our Sponsor's site.

http://www.chessusa.com/category/CHESS_COMPUTERS.html

I hope they sent mine. Maybe I'm getting the last Obsidian ever to be sold by ChessUSA.

The Novag Carnelian II is also sold out, and the Novag 2Robot is nowhere to be seen.

I already have a Novag Citrine, which is in stock. If you want one, maybe you should order before it's too late.

Slightly related: Our Sponsor is also sold out of mechanical chess clocks. Truly, an era has passed.

[sje]

Now I am playing Alexadra by Excalibur. It never was stronger than 1750 or so, but still I must muster all my forces to win if I do because you lose concentration and you are done.

I find it helpful to cheat. Now while there are many ways of cheating, the one I use is to deactivate the program's ponder search. This is not entirely unfair; I don't ponder too much myself and also because I have to move the program's pieces as well as my own.

[sje]

The Fidelity 7 level challenger had a production run of 600,000 units. Those things are more valuable as a door stop nowadays, but boy they must have been a money spinner for the manufacturer back then.

If you are referring to the Fidelity Chess Challenger 7, then I had one of those myself.

http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... allenger_7

I paid US$100 back in 1979 or so and sold it for US$20 a few years later. It was a good value at the time, although its strength was likely no higher than 1350 elo.

The four digit LED display would blink and flash during a search, perhaps in an attempt to hypnotize the opponent.

[Christopher Conkie]

In anticipation of the immanent delivery of a Novag Obsidian, I fired up my old Novag Citrine to have do battle in a blitz game. The Citrine plays at about 2000 elo as attested by independent reviewers including my humble self after my Symbolic (then 2400 elo) beat the Citrine 99+% after hundreds of games. Since the Obsidian has the same 16 MHz H8 processor and pretty much the same program (but a smaller book), playing the Citrine is about the same, strength-wise.

After thirty moves, I lost rook for bishop; also, I was flagged. My own playing strength was never that great and is certainly in decline, so I should be happy I made it that far.

Citrine's are not old. We are old. It is heartening to know you still play over the board against a worthy opponent. 2000 is a lot to most, more than enough to those who just want to play chess,

If you have the games they would be fun. In them is how we make engines better and without them its all a bit......robotic......



Chris

[fern]

I feel myself as SOLD OUT


just beaten by Alexandra by Excalibur, what a shame


Fern

[fern]

More: so sold out that not even stdeven Blincoe comes here aymore.

SOLD OUT TOO

[Christopher Conkie]

More: so sold out that not even stdeven Blincoe comes here aymore.

SOLD OUT TOO

He is here. Just doesn't say anything and who can blame him.

[fern]

With what right you feel entitled to tempt ME?

With a finger in the purchase button regards
fern