- Fidelity Electronics Chess Challenger Manual
- Fidelity Chess Challenger
- Fidelity Micro Chess Challenger User Manual
Chess is a rewarding way to increase your intelligience and a great way to learn how to outwit your opponents. It is used by top executives like Alan Zinkin Fisher Investments to help plan strategies and ideas for their portfolios. The strategies involved in chess can help you in everyday life aswell. After playing for a while, I discovered that if Chess Challenger responsed to e2-e4 with e7-e7 from its random opening book, it could always be beaten at Level 1 through the game shown below. As depicted on the corresponding photo, the Chess Challenger would admit its defeat by flashing all 64 red indicators.
Fidelity Chess Challenger 7 Electronic Chess Computer - picture taken from box
FIDELITY CHESS CHALLENGER 7 MODEL BCC ELECTRONIC CHESS COMPUTER
By means of the science of microprocessors, a miniaturized computer implanted in a solid state system within the game analyzes each position. After considering all possible chess moves, the computer makes a decision which it has determined to be the best available move.
Fidelity Chess Challenger 7 Electronic Chess Computer - picture taken from box
MAIN FIDELITY CHESS CHALLENGER 7 MODEL BCC GAME CHARACTERISTICS
RANDOM PLAY
When a choice of advantageous moves is available, CHESS CHALLENGER will choose a move at random, so that each and every game will be different. With the combination of random play and selected moves, you should enjoy many hours of exciting chess play.
BOOK OPENINGS
CHESS CHALLENGER possesses a broad vocabulary of book openings (e.g. Sicilian, French, Ruy Lopez, Queen Gambit Declined). When following a patterned book opening the computer will signal its patterned response with a single beep tone. The computer will continue to follow a patterned book response until the player departs from the pattern or attempts to enter an illegal move.
SOLID STATE
Turning the game OFF or pressing the RE Key automatically resets the program. For lengthy games, leave the game ON, as CHESS CHALLENGER is all solid state and is designed to be left ON for days or weeks, as desired.
Excerpt taken from the Fidelity Chess Challenger 7 user manual.
Home * Organizations * Fidelity Electronics
Fidelity Electronics (Fidelity International Inc.),
was an American hearing-aid manufacturing company, founded in 1959, and in March 1970 purchased by Sidney and Myron Samole[2] . Among its other cutting-edge technology, Fidelity Electronics produced high-tech, bio-medical products, such as myo-electric hands, prostheses that could actually be controlled by the brain impulses of amputees. Since 1976, Fidelity Electronics developed and produced dedicated chess computers.
- 4People
- 9External Links
Director of Engineering: Ron Nelson
Kathe and Dan SpracklendebuggingChallenger with Apple IIin-circuit emulator[4]
Sidney Samole was the man who dreamed, patented and produced the first commercial chess computer. He closely cooperated with Ron Nelson and later with Dan and Kathe Spracklen. He was credited with inventing the first commercial electronic chess game in the 1970s after watching a Star Trek episode [5] . It seems that he actually had the idea but it was Ron Nelson who really created the machine, called Fidelity Chess Challenger 1[6][7] . After building three working models and four non-working models, Sidney Samole decided to promote his new brainchild at Chicago'sConsumer Electronics Show in January 1977[8] . Fidelity prospered. In fact, it seems that the success of the Fidelity Chess Challenger 7 computer [9] , which sold about 600,000 units was responsible for the move from Chicago, Illinois to MiamiFlorida in January 1981. Fidelity also produced computerized Bridge, Checkers, and Othello games. Fidelity manufactured all its games in the US.
By 1989, a recession was in the wind, and Sidney Samole was sensitive to its warning breezes. He sold Fidelity Electronics at the top of its value to Hegener & Glaser. Sidney's son, Shane Samole, who already started Fidelity Canada in 1984 [10] took a loan from his father and started Excalibur Electronics in 1992. Sidney Samole died on July 30, 2000 [11] .
Fidelity chess computers won the first four World Microcomputer Chess Championships: Chess Challenger won in London 1980, Fidelity X in Travemünde 1981, Elite A/S in Budapest 1983, and Elite X in Glasgow 1984. Moreover, they won the four United States Open Computer Chess Championships, all held in Mobile, Alabama, in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988 (Chessmaster 2100) . A remarkable performance is its first place in the ACM 1988 Championship, tied with Deep Thought.
Programmers
Ron Nelson, Kathe and Dan Spracklen were Samole's protégés and 'house' programmers. Nelson programs were all Intel8080 or ZilogZ80 based, while the Spracklens relied on MOS Technology6502 and later on Motorola68000 and successors. Soon after Samole sold Fidelity to Hegener & Glaser, some more programmers were associated with Fidelity chess computers.
Author | List of computers [12] |
---|---|
Kaare Danielsen | Danielsen, Kaare |
Frank Duason | |
Ed English | |
Richard Lang | Lang, Richard |
Ron Nelson | Nelson, Ron |
Frans Morsch | Morsch, Frans |
Eric van Riet Paap | Van Riet Paap, Eric |
Dan Spracklen | Spracklen, Dan & Kathe |
Kathe Spracklen | Spracklen, Dan & Kathe |
Mark Taylor | Taylor, Mark |
Misc
- Tom Fürstenberg[13]
- Florian Glaser since 1989
- Manfred Hegener since 1989
- David Levy[14]
Fidelity had various brand names for their chess computers, most notably Chess Challenger. While competing at official tournaments, development- or experimental versions were called Fidelity X or Challenger X.
- Schachcomputer: Markt und Müll, Der Spiegel 49/1979, December 03, 1979, (German) pdf
- Schachcomputer: Tricks und Trug, Der Spiegel 50/1980, December 08, 1980, (German) pdf
- Göran Grottling (1988). Thank you Mister Spock! Ein Interview mit Sid Samole.Modul 4/88, pp. 36-38 (German), pdf hosted by Hein Veldhuis
- Lev Alburt and Al Lawrence (2000). 'How About a Nice Game of Chess?' - Any Time. Sidney Samole (1935-2000). Chess Café, October 17, 2000, pdf
Fidelity Electronics Chess Challenger Manual
- The Fidelity vs. ICD/Your Move Lawsuit... The Epic by Steven Schwartz, CCC, October 19, 2000 » ICD Corporation
- Ron Nelson by ChessChallenger, Hiarcs Forum, December 23, 2015 » Sidney Samole
- Fidelity and Fast Hardware by ChessChallenger, Hiarcs Forum, December 31, 2015
Fidelity
- Fidelity Electronics from chesscomputers.org
- Fidelity Electronic Chess Computers from The Spacious Mind
- Fidelity | Photo collection by Chewbanta
- Fidelity ..The Golden Years | Photo collection by Chewbanta
- Search Fidelity from the Mastering the Game exhibition and on-line collection from The Computer History Museum
- Fidelity from Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
- Die Geschichte der Firma Fidelity - Teil 1 by Alwin Gruber, Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
- Die Geschichte der Firma Fidelity - Teil 2 by Alwin Gruber, Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
- Die Geschichte der Firma Fidelity - Teil 3 by Alwin Gruber, Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
- Die Geschichte der Firma Fidelity - Teil 4 by Alwin Gruber, Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
ICGA Tournaments
Chess Computers
Year | Product Link(s) [15][16] | Author(s) | Processor | Tournaments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1977 | Fidelity Chess Challenger 1 Fidelity Chess Challenger (CC1) Fidelity Chess Challenger 1 | Ron Nelson | 8080 | |
Fidelity Chess Challenger 3 Chess Challenger 3, CC1 vs CC3 | Ron Nelson | 8080, 2 MHz | ||
1978 | Fidelity Chess Challenger 10 | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | |
1979 | Fidelity Chess Challenger 7 | Ron Nelson | Z80 | |
Fidelity Chess Challenger Voice | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | ||
1980 | Fidelity Sensory 8 | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | |
Fidelity Voice Sensory Chess Challenger | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | ||
Fidelity Decorator Challenger | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | ||
1981 | Fidelity Chess Challenger Mini Sensory | Ron Nelson | 80C50, 6 MHz | |
Fidelity Champion Sensory Chess Challenger | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 2 MHz | WMCCC 1980, 1st | |
1982 | Fidelity Super 9 Sensory Chess Challenger Fidelity Super 9 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 2 MHz | |
Fidelity USCF Special Edition Fidelity USCF Special Edition | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 2.5 MHz | ||
Fidelity Elite Champion Sensory Chess Challenger Fidelity Elite Champion | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 4 MHz | WMCCC 1981, 1st | |
Fidelity Elegance | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3, 3.6 MHz | ||
Fidelity Prestige Fidelity Prestige | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 4 MHz | ||
1983 | Fidelity Playmatic S | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3.1 MHz | |
Fidelity Elite A/S Budapest | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3.2 MHz | WMCCC 1983, 1st | |
Fidelity Poppy | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | ||
1984 | Fidelity Elite A/S Glasgow | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3.6, 4 MHz | WMCCC 1984, 1st |
Fidelity Sensory 12 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3, 4 MHz | ||
Fidelity Septennial Chess Challenger Fidelity Champion Septennial | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3 MHz | ||
Fidelity Elite Privat | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 5 MHz | ||
1985 | Fidelity Classic | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | |
Fidelity Excellence | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3, 4, 5 MHz | ||
1986 | Fidelity Silver Bullet | Ron Nelson | Z80 | |
Fidelity Elite Avant Garde | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 5 MHz | ||
Fidelity Elite Avant Garde 2100 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 6 MHz | ||
Fidelity Par Excellence | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 5 MHz | ||
Chess Challenger X | Dan and Kathe Spracklen Ron Nelson, Danny Kopec | Z80, 16 x 68000 | ACM 1986, 7th | |
Fidelity X | Dan and Kathe Spracklen Danny Kopec | 68020 | ACM 1986, 10th | |
1987 | Fidelity The Gambit | Ron Nelson | 80C50, 6 MHz | |
Fidelity Gambit Voice | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | ||
Fidelity Excel 68000 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68000, 12 MHz | ||
Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach II | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68000, 12 MHz | ||
1988 | Fidelity Excel Display | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3 MHz | |
Fidelity Designer 2000 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 3 MHz | ||
Fidelity Phantom | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 5 MHz | ||
Fidelity Designer 2100 Display | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 6 MHz | ||
Chess Challenger X[17] | Dan and Kathe Spracklen Ron Nelson | 68030 | ACM 1988, 2nd | |
Fidelity Excel Mach III | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68000 | ||
1989 | Fidelity Elite Avant Garde V2 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68000, 16 MHz | |
Fidelity Elite Avant Garde V6 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68020, 20 MHz | ||
Fidelity Excel Mach IV | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68020, 20 MHz | Aegon 1989 | |
Fidelity Elite Avant Garde V9 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68030, 32 MHz | ||
Fidelity X[18] | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68030[19] | WCCC 1989, 6th | |
Fidelity Chess Card | David Levy, Mark Taylor | HMCS40, 0.5 MHz, 4 Bit | ||
Fidelity Chess Pal | David Levy, Mark Taylor | HMCS40, 0.6 MHz, 4 Bit | ||
1990 | Fidelity Elite Avant Garde V10[20] | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68040, 25 MHz | |
Fidelity Chesster Challenger, Kishon Chesster Fidelity Chesster Phantom Eyeball | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 6502, 5Mhz 65C02, 3.6 MHz | ||
Fidelity Designer 1500 | Ron Nelson | Z80, 4 MHz | ||
Fidelity Designer 2265 Master | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68000, 16 MHz | ||
Fidelity Marauder | Eric van Riet Paap | M50743, 8 MHz | ||
Fidelity Genesis | Kaare Danielsen | 6301V, 7.2 MHz | ||
1991 | Fidelity Tiny | Eric van Riet Paap | M50743, 8 MHz | |
Fidelity Chess Challenger Micro | David Levy, Mark Taylor | HMCS40, 0.6 MHz, 4 Bit | ||
Fidelity Designer 2325 Master | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68020, 20 MHz | ||
1992 | Fidelity Travel Master | Frans Morsch | H8/330, 10 MHz | |
Fidelity Eldorado | Ron Nelson | 80C49, 6 MHz, 8 Bit | ||
Fidelity Elite Premiere Fidelity Elite Premiere | Dan and Kathe Spracklen, Richard Lang | 68000, 16 MHz | ||
1994 | Fidelity Elite Avant Garde V11 Fidelity Elite Avant Garde V.11 | Dan and Kathe Spracklen | 68060, 75 MHz |
Fidelity Chess Challenger
- ↑Fidelity Electronics from Wikipedia
- ↑The Fidelity Story, Image hosted by Schachcomputer.info Wiki
- ↑16.Fidelity ..The Golden Years | Flickr - Fotosharing by Chewbanta
- ↑John D. Ferguson (1983). In-Circuit Emulation for the Apple II Computer. Byte Magazine, September 1983, pdf
- ↑Göran Grottling (1988). Thank you Mister Spock! Ein Interview mit Sid Samole.Modul 4/88, pp. 36-38 (German), pdf hosted by Hein Veldhuis
- ↑Fidelity Chess Challenger 1 from chesscomputers.org
- ↑Fidelity Chess Challenger (CC1) from Chess Computer UK by Mike Watters
- ↑Lev Alburt and Al Lawrence (2000). 'How About a Nice Game of Chess?' - Any Time. Sidney Samole (1935-2000). Chess Café, October 17, 2000, pdf
- ↑Fidelity Chess Challenger 7 from Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
- ↑Fidelity Electronics Inc. - About Us
- ↑The Editor (2000). SIDNEY SAMOLE (1935-2000). ICGA JournalVol. 23, No. 4 - December 2000
- ↑Schachcomputer.info Wiki
- ↑Furstenberg (Dutch)
- ↑Levy, David from Schachcomputer.info Wiki
- ↑Fidelity from Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
- ↑Chess Computer UK by Mike Watters
- ↑Monty Newborn and Danny Kopec (1989). Results of The Nineteenth ACM North American Computer Chess Championship, in The Twentieth ACM North American Computer Chess Championship from The Computer History Museum, pdf
- ↑Fidelity X chess computer at the 6th World Chess Championship in Edmonton, Alberta, The Computer History Museum
- ↑Kings Move - Welcome to the 1989 AGT World Computer Chess Championship. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Courtesy of Peter Jennings, from The Computer History Museum, pdf
- ↑Frederic Friedel (1990). Elektronischer Sekundant ein Fidelity-Computer bei der Schach-WM in New-York. Computerschach und Spiele 6/90 (German)