Anybody here still enjoy those older dedicated chess computers?

I recently visited my parents in the UK (I emigrated in 1998), and my mum asked if I still wanted the old plastic chess thingy I had left at their house. I was intrigued and baffled. Then she popped this gem out, and the memories came flooding back.

I Played school chess during the early 1970s and club chess during the late 1970s, but life, marriage and eventually kids got in the way, and by the mid-1980s I had all but given chess up. Fast forward to 1992/93, I saw this in a shop and had the urge to play chess again. I played with it for a few weeks, maybe longer, and then it got put in a cupboard. When we emigrated, for some reason, it when to my parent's house with various other trinkets.

Surprisingly, it still works perfectly; mid-level plays around my strength. It's in excellent condition for a 30-year-old piece of kit.

Kasparov Turbo Advanced Trainer (Saitek)

Cool - I've got one of those too! I bought a couple of years ago on eBay. It's quite strong, around 1900-2000 Elo. I've been using mine to play out endgames.

I've also got a Jam cd - complete with "Eton Rifles" - in my car.

Funny that matt , My very first head Chef / was head Chef at Eton  college  & told us the story / When all these's skinheads came to beat up the rich kids , then got batter by the Eton boxing team , The Jam  & Eton Rifles .  

We came out of it naturally the worst
Beaten and bloody and I was sick down my shirt
We were no match for their untamed wit
Though some of the lads said they'll be back next week

You have a head chef lighthouse? And you've had more than one of them? Are you royalty or something?

I always thought it was about debating or something, with the reference to untamed wit. Also with the bit: "went down the House of Commons in your brand new shoes". I suppose I could google it.

Anyway I like playing it loud in the car with the roof down in the summertime. I suspect my neighbours think I'm a right w4nker.

No , was a young Commis chef learning how to cook  back then , working long hours

Yes, for an old machine, it plays reasonably well, it can be predictable, and I can easily beat on the mid-levels.

Being an ex-pat,  (POM), my music library consists of many British bands and genres, but I am fond of the late '70s through to the mid-80s. I followed the clash religiously through their UK tours from 1976 to 1979.
The Jam still holds a place as a favourite; I have recently been listening to That’s Entertainment, which has brilliant lyrics.

The playlist at the moment is Squeeze, OMD, The Jam, The Clash, The Specials, and for some childhood reason T-Rex 

History just repeat's itself , Ghost town ,   early to mid , The Clash was the best . T-Rex is still  cool / cosmic dancer / John Peel radio late at night was a life line for us young men ,

I have still have and play a Saitek Travel Champion 2100 and a Novag Sapphire I. The TC2100 is pretty cool

I've used mine for quite a while, but I did just get a new computer game recently.

Cool

Later re-released as the Chesster (or, in Germany, the Kishon Chesster), then yet again, as the Fidelity Designer 2000.

The Excellence and the Par Excellence were major breakthroughs in selling stronger chess engines in affordable plastic machines. I got the Excellence, too, but my - does it feel cheap to the touch.

@chessmaster_diamond

Yes the pieces were small and felt cheap, but adding felt under the pieces made it feel better. Though after 37 years this game still works perfectly. The plastic surface hasn't cracked, and all the lights still work. But newer electronic games have better (whole square) lights, and just pickup-and-move pieces are so much easier. The Femuey / Vonset L6 board has some really bad pieces, so I had to do a little upgrade on the magnets. The self-centering effect makes this board so much easier to use (even vertically). Here's my new setup that I can play anywhere in the house.

Though a polymer, these don't feel cheap, and I like the 'marbleized' effect of the brown pieces.

Someday, this will be my new 'old' set.

You are spamming the chess equipment forum. Your post has nothing to do with the thread either. Stay on topic, please.

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Does this could serve it's purpose as some kind of dedicated chess computers?

I actually thought the first posters were joking when they mentioned robotic arm, gosh, I never knew such a thing existed.

Once when I mentioned "SquareOff" to my rich cousin from another country he said, I had that one as a kid but I think it's called different, that, with self-moving pieces. I didn't asked him about robotic hand chess but saw one in special chess magazine in granpha's flat.

The Novag Robot was an astounding technical achievement, the first chess computer with a robotic arm to make it to the market (an earlier BORIS Handroid never made it past the prototype stage). Unfortunately, the mechanism proved to be very unreliable, and today only a few Novag Robotos in working order still exist.

I played against one at Harrod's in London in 1985, it was a fun machine.

Yes! I've got Mephisto Mini too. Pretty weak in terms of playing strenght, but I love the design and the artwork on the cover/lid. It's funny how it sometimes evaluates the position as equal or winning (as it has material advantage) when it's in fact already lost

Thank you man so much because I barely could find any information about these models. I like the design too - it reminds of crt scanlines or maybe some retro-future shutters. Regarding strength it's ok for my elo? I just once peaked 1238?