Collector's Corner..2007 Annual Physicals ..Continue..

[Steve B]

Sooner Or later every chess computer deserves an annual physical

the fact that a computer is considered perhaps the ugliest computer ever released for sale still does not mean it is not entitled to live a healthy life

the infamous Poppy Chess Challenger was released by Fidelity in an effort to make use of the unusual housing used by the Sensory 6 challenger

the Sensory 6 had an usual combination of move input/output

the computer had NO leds on the board and so to register a move the user pressed on the to/from squares and the computer signalled its move in the display screen

the SC6 was not a good seller for Fidelity and so they tried to salvage the unique housing with the release of the Poppy

here you can see a normal SC6
notice that there are no board Led's and it has the display screen:

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 56786174/7


here is the Poppy Challenger(the squeamish are warned here to shield their eyes):

notice the Poppy Sticker in the same place where the SC6 display screen is:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 56803648/9

and now we remove the sticker to reveal:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 6749810/10

the display screen of the SC6


the program and features inside the Poppy are EXACTLY the same as the Sensory 8 Challenger which was the SECOND biggest seller for Fidelity ever(the first being the CC7) and so it is rated 1350 ELO and programmed by the legendary Ron Nelson

as i could not get any other computer in my collection to agree to sit down across the board to play the Poppy(and in fact i was threatened with a Wild Cat Strike if i forced any to do so) i alone was forced to play against it

i gave the White pieces to the hapless Poppy and the time control was 1 minute 20 seconds per move avg (Experienced level)
In the Game the Poppy was out of book by move 3


[White "Fidelity Poppy Challenger"]
[Black "Steve B"]
[Time Control "80 Seconds/Avg."]


1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 a6 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Bd6 6.Bd3 O-O 7.O-O Nc6 8.Qe2
Bxf4 9.exf4 Qd6 10.Qe3 Nb4 11.Ne5 Nxd3 12.Qxd3 Bd7 13.Rad1
Rfe8 14.Rfe1 Rac8 15.a4 Qb4 16.Nxd7 Nxd7
17.f5 c5 18.fxe6 fxe6 19.dxc5 Nxc5 20.Qe3 Qxb2 21.Re2
Nd7

22.Nxd5

[d] 2r1r1k1/1p1n2pp/p3p3/3N4/P7/4Q3/1qP1RPPP/3R2K1 b - - 0 22

although the Poppy is down a pawn its position is surprisingly reasonable up to this move
here it now enters into a dubious exchange of pieces to leave it in a lost position

22.exd5 23.Qxe8+ Rxe8 24.Rxe8+ Kf7 25.Re2

[d] 8/1p1n1kpp/p7/3p4/P7/8/1qP1RPPP/3R2K1 b - - 0 25
The smoke clears and we see the fruits of Poppy's 22nd move
it is down 2 pawns with the A pawn to soon fall

25. Qa2 26.a5 Qxa5 27.Re3 Nf6 28.c3 Ne4
29.Rf3+ Ke6 30.Rb1 Nxc3 31.Re3+ Kd6 32.Rc1 d4 33.Re8 d3 34.Rce1 d2
35.R8e6+ Kd5 36.R1e5+ Kd4 37.Rxa5 d1=Q+

FINAL POSITION

[d] 8/1p4pp/p3R3/R7/3k4/2n5/5PPP/3q2K1 w - - 0 38
DRAWN

seeing the sad look on the Poppy's abhorrent face i couldn't bring myself to mate it

i offered it a draw in this position and Poppy happily beeped its acceptance

Even Ugly Chess Computers Have Feelings Too Regards
Steve

[fern]

You have a heart after all. But I have an even greater one: lastly I let all of them, every program or computer, to win me just to avoid to harm his feelings.

Mother Teresa send her regards
Fernando

[Terry McCracken]

Sooner Or later every chess computer deserves an annual physical

the fact that a computer is considered perhaps the ugliest computer ever released for sale still does not mean it is not entitled to live a healthy life

the infamous Poppy Chess Challenger was released by Fidelity in an effort to make use of the unusual housing used by the Sensory 6 challenger

the Sensory 6 had an usual combination of move input/output

the computer had NO leds on the board and so to register a move the user pressed on the to/from squares and the computer signalled its move in the display screen

the SC6 was not a good seller for Fidelity and so they tried to salvage the unique housing with the release of the Poppy

here you can see a normal SC6
notice that there are no board Led's and it has the display screen:

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 56786174/7


here is the Poppy Challenger(the squeamish are warned here to shield their eyes):

notice the Poppy Sticker in the same place where the SC6 display screen is:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 56803648/9

and now we remove the sticker to reveal:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 6749810/10

the display screen of the SC6


the program and features inside the Poppy are EXACTLY the same as the Sensory 8 Challenger which was the SECOND biggest seller for Fidelity ever(the first being the CC7) and so it is rated 1350 ELO and programmed by the legendary Ron Nelson

as i could not get any other computer in my collection to agree to sit down across the board to play the Poppy(and in fact i was threatened with a Wild Cat Strike if i forced any to do so) i alone was forced to play against it

i gave the White pieces to the hapless Poppy and the time control was 1 minute 20 seconds per move avg (Experienced level)
In the Game the Poppy was out of book by move 3


[White "Fidelity Poppy Challenger"]
[Black "Steve B"]
[Time Control "80 Seconds/Avg."]


1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 a6 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Bd6 6.Bd3 O-O 7.O-O Nc6 8.Qe2
Bxf4 9.exf4 Qd6 10.Qe3 Nb4 11.Ne5 Nxd3 12.Qxd3 Bd7 13.Rad1
Rfe8 14.Rfe1 Rac8 15.a4 Qb4 16.Nxd7 Nxd7
17.f5 c5 18.fxe6 fxe6 19.dxc5 Nxc5 20.Qe3 Qxb2 21.Re2
Nd7

22.Nxd5

[d] 2r1r1k1/1p1n2pp/p3p3/3N4/P7/4Q3/1qP1RPPP/3R2K1 b - - 0 22

although the Poppy is down a pawn its position is surprisingly reasonable up to this move
here it now enters into a dubious exchange of pieces to leave it in a lost position

22.exd5 23.Qxe8+ Rxe8 24.Rxe8+ Kf7 25.Re2

[d] 8/1p1n1kpp/p7/3p4/P7/8/1qP1RPPP/3R2K1 b - - 0 25
The smoke clears and we see the fruits of Poppy's 22nd move
it is down 2 pawns with the A pawn to soon fall

25. Qa2 26.a5 Qxa5 27.Re3 Nf6 28.c3 Ne4
29.Rf3+ Ke6 30.Rb1 Nxc3 31.Re3+ Kd6 32.Rc1 d4 33.Re8 d3 34.Rce1 d2
35.R8e6+ Kd5 36.R1e5+ Kd4 37.Rxa5 d1=Q+

FINAL POSITION

[d] 8/1p4pp/p3R3/R7/3k4/2n5/5PPP/3q2K1 w - - 0 38
DRAWN

seeing the sad look on the Poppy's abhorrent face i couldn't bring myself to mate it

i offered it a draw in this position and Poppy happily beeped its acceptance

Even Ugly Chess Computers Have Feelings Too Regards
Steve

You are very kind to your machines, a true master of your craft.

Respectful Regards,
Terry

[Larry]

Steve, are we to understand that the display on the Poppy is just
a dummy? ie, it's not wired up from behind?
I'm pretty sure Australian importers did'nt bring any Poppys into
the country.
regards
Larry

[Steve B]

Steve, are we to understand that the display on the Poppy is just
a dummy? ie, it's not wired up from behind?
I'm pretty sure Australian importers did'nt bring any Poppys into
the country.
regards
Larry

Well the screen is blank ..dark..nada,,zip...zilch
nothing is displayed in the screen and there is no mention of the display in the Poppy manual as there is in the SC6 manual
however i did not open up the unit to see if it is "wired up" as you say

if you look again at the photo(if you can manage a second glance) you will see the Poppy does have leds for move output indication

Poopy(Pun Intended) Regards
Steve

[Steve B]

Since a question came up earlier this week about the Russian Mattel i thought it would be an opportune time to administer its annual check up

the USA Mattel was released in 1980 and was the first portable chess computer to employ LCD pieces
it came with no opening book and played a very weak game
it had four levels ranging from 1 second a move to 30 minutes per move

i am not sure who the programmer was but i would guess the team of Slate and Atkins who seemed to have had a hand in programming several of the early dedicated units

according to this site the USSR Mattel was released in 1992 by the
Russian based Elektronika Co.:

http://rk86.com/frolov/chess.htm

even though released 12 years later i am fairly certain it is the same exact program with the only difference being that a small opening book of about 100 moves was added to the program .the pieces however are a Hugh improvement over the USA Mattel

i decided to pit these two "Cold War " warriors against each other to decide once and for all which country had the better political and economic system

as the highest level(4) ranges from 1-30 minutes per move which is too long .. i set them both for level 3(10 seconds-5 minutes per move)

the cold war combatants face off:

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 3960980/82

more photos of both computers can be seen in the Exotic Collection Proper :

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 2317766368

and now ..Collectors Corner is proud to provide ..for your viewing pleasure..yet another in a long line of firsts on the Internet ..
the first ever recorded game..Of a USSR Mattel:

[White "USA Mattel"]
[Black "USSR Mattel"]
[Time Control "10-30 seconds per move]


in the Game the USA had White and was out of book on move 1


1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Qd3 Nb4 5.Qb5+ Nc6 6.Bf4 e6 7.O-O-O Bd6
8.e3 O-O 9.Bd3 Bb4 10.Kd2 Ne4+ 11.Bxe4 Bxc3+ 12.Kxc3 dxe4 13.Ne5 Ne7
14.Nc4 Nd5+ 15.Kb3 Qe7 16.Qc5 Qxc5 17.dxc5

[d] r1b2rk1/ppp2ppp/4p3/2Pn4/2N1pB2/1K2P3/PPP2PPP/3R3R b - - 0 17

interestingly both computers were averaging about 2 minutes a move but now as the Queens
are exchanged the moves came at a faster pace of about 30 seconds each

notice how the USA has developed its King in anticipation of being needed in the End game


17..c6 18.Rd4 f5
19.Rc1 b6 20.cxb6 axb6 21.Rcd1 c5 22.R4d2 b5 23.Ne5 c4+

[d] r1b2rk1/6pp/4p3/1p1nNp2/2p1pB2/1K2P3/PPPR1PPP/3R4 w - - 0 24

here the USSR wins the Knight for two pawns and announces WAX in the display...
which i guess means CHECK in Russian


24.Nxc4 bxc4+ 25.Kxc4 Nxf4 26.exf4 Rxa2 27.b4 Kf7 28.b5 Ra4+ 29.Kb3 Ra7 30.c4 h6 31.h4
g6 32.g3 Rg8 33.c5 Rg7 34.c6 Rg8 35.b6 Ra8 36.b7

[d] [d] r1b3r1/1P3k2/2P1p1pp/5p2/4pP1P/1K4P1/3R1P2/3R4 b - - 0 36

after some rather lackluster moves by the USSR the USA is right back in the game

36. Rb8 37.Kc4 Rh8 38.bxc8=Q Rhxc8 39.Rd7+ Ke8 40.R7d6 Ke7 41.Rd7+ Kf6 42.R7d6 Rb2
43.Rf1 Rc2+


44.Kb5????????????????????????
[d] 2r5/8/2PRpkpp/1K3p2/4pP1P/6P1/2r2P2/5R2 b - - 0 44


i couldnt believe my eyes when i saw the display screen
i still cant believe my eyes
for a few moments i thought i was watching one of the Ehlvest-Rybka watches with Ehlvest as white treating us to yet another
of his mind boggling blunders
but alas it was not so
the USA walks right into mate for no reason at all

44. Rb8+ 45.Ka5 Ra2# 0-1

FINAL POSITION
[d] 1r6/8/2PRpkpp/K4p2/4pP1P/6P1/r4P2/5R2 w - - 0 46

well so there we have it...After seeing this game i am packing my bags and i will take the Mattel with me so that it can once again
be...

Back In The USSR Regards
Steve

[Steve B]

just noticed a typo in my post above

[White "USA Mattel"]
[Black "USSR Mattel"]
[Time Control "10-30 seconds per move]

the time control was 10 seconds to 5 minutes per move average

Proof Reading Regards
Steve

[Steve B]

Even small hand held portables must be examined and tested from time to time to insure they are healthy and not contagious to the other computers in my collection

i haven't tested the little Excalibur LCD Computer Chess in quite some time and so i tossed in on the examination table for its annual physical
the LCDCC is a cute little unit with LCD pieces and i guesstimate its rating at around 1350-1400 Elo

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/cpaa2@sbcgl ... 6911770/69

taking my cues from the Recently concluded Rybka-Ehlvest matches i decided to give the LCD pawn odds but rather then remove one pawn at a time..game by game.. as we dance across the board.. i went for it all by removing ALL my pawns in one shot
the time control was 60 seconds per move/Avg.. and i took the White pieces


[White "Steve B"]
[Black "Excalibur LCD Chess"]
[TimeControl "1 minute per move/Avg."]


REMOVE ALL WHITE PAWNS
STARTING POSITION

[d] rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/8/RNBQKBNR b KQkq - 0 1

1. Bc4 e6 2. Qf3 Bb4+ 3. Bd2 Be7 4. Qg3 g6 5. Nc3 d5 6. Nb5 Kd7 7. Bc3 Nf6 8. Rd1 Na6
9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Bxd5 exd5 11.. Rxd5+ Kc6 12. Rxd8 Rxd8 13. Nxa7+ Rxa7 14. Qf3+ Rd5 15. Qxf6+ Be6
16. Nf3 Kb6 17. Rxh7 Rf5 18. Qb2+Rb5 19. Qf6


[d] 8/rpp2p1R/nk2bQp1/1r6/8/5N2/8/4K3 b - - 0 19


i have gained back some material being down now only -3(Q for R+N+4Pawns)
however like Ehlvest i was not above going for the Repetition as soon as i could

LCD saw no reason to repeat and played on..


19.. Rb1+ 20. Kf2 Nc5 21. Rh4 Ra2+
22. Kg3 Raa1 23. Qc3

[d] 8/1pp2p2/1k2b1p1/2n5/7R/2Q2NK1/8/rr6 b - - 0 23
now i was starting to like my position and i had dreams of pious glory if i could win this


23.. Bd5 24. Rb4+ Rxb4 25. Qxb4+ Kc6 26. Nd4+ Kd6 27. Nb5+ Kc6
28. Nd4+ Kd6 29. Nb5+ Kc6 30. Nd4+

FINAL POSITION
[d] 8/1pp2p2/2k3p1/2nb4/1Q1N4/6K1/8/r7 b - - 0 30

DRAWN
Awaking from my dreams to the harsh reality of the cruel world outside i took another cue from Ehlvest and grabbed the draw by repetition

Ehlvest Has Left The Building Regards
Steve

[Steve B]

geez
with all of these Strelka-Rybka clone threads.. its hard work keeping my "testing" thread on the first page



Diligent Regards
Steve

[Alainza]

geez
with all of these Strelka-Rybka clone threads.. its hard work keeping my "testing" thread on the first page



Diligent Regards
Steve

may be Ron Nelson should hire Strelka's author to make a Mach like program for the Phantom ?

Helping keeping this thread on top regards,
Alain