Programmable with save function. Review number of moves in current time control easily. Easy to pause game, edit settings and resume.
Color contrast on rocker arm is easy to see at a distance. Audible alarm can be turned on or off. Small, easy to store. Folds closed. Provides Chess setups. Small clock, display. Display can be difficult to read, depending on lighting. Confusing Display. Uses watch batteries. No lights indicator or player switch difficult to see who's turn it is.
Rocker switch instead of buttons. Options for sounds. No programmable presets. Semi-Flimsy Plastic construction. Saitek Blue Manual. Saitek Blue Video. Easy to read display. Several programming options. Ability to store a preset timing option. Out of Production. Toggle switch breaks easily. Semi-difficult to set and store settings.
Saitek Competition Pro Manual. Saitek Competition Pro Video. Many programming options. Metal construction. Saitek Mephisto II Manual. Durable buttons. Clear LED Display. Few moving parts. Large footprint. Excalibur Timer II Manual.
Plastic construction with parts that often loosen and rattle. FIDE standard clock. Does offer Simple Delay. No "lights" indicator. DGT XL. Connects to E-Boards. Does not offer Simple Delay. DGT It includes a black chessboard, transport briefcase, Schachschule chess school on the box, and a booklet to learn chess here in German and French. It is the same game as the Schachschule.
Only the package is different. The instruction manual is in 4 languages: German, English, French and Spanish. This game was bought in Rouen France, Normandy the christmas day of Manhattan Mephisto The Mephisto Manhattan is from It succeded to the Mephisto Europa.
It looks very similar but the exercise book is missing. So the "book button" is removed. The user guide is now in 6 languages with the add-on of Italian and Dutch. It's an intersting software because it has a good level for average players and also dedicated levels for beginners. But the design is not nice and it is a bit small.
Modena Mephisto This Mephisto Modena was published in see the logo "worldchampion " on the box. The gamebox design was later reused for very good software in a cheap package : the Milano, Milano Pro, Atlanta, Berlin and Berlin pro.
Here is a long test game. It succeeded to the Chess Champion Saitek Simultano, The visual difference is very small but the content is really different: new processor risc HMHz faster than the previous 65c02 5MHz. In the Saitek catalogue, there was: "a new 32K percuting programme to solve rapidly problems". In fact, Julio Kaplan left Saitek in and the L contains a new generation software.
It was probably developped by Frans Morsch but it's not sure. It's a 32K program of good level around ELO , with an opening library of half moves.
The LCD chess board, above the keyboard, shows the current position and the one analyzed by the computer. Here is a test game that was not easy. There is no keyboard and the different options are selected using 2 small wheels on the game side. It's not necessary to press the squares, the pieces are automatically detected.
But it's not with magnets: the system is using small metallic rings under each pieces. The game is similar to the Chess Champion L but with a bigger opening library of half moves. Its game style has some similarities with the Tandy L, see this test game. This program will be followed by several variants and enhancements, including the GK on a processor 2 time faster. As indicated on the device, there are several options to support variants in the game style: 2 algorithms "Selective Search" and "Brute Force", one "easy mode" and also 4 options on the opening libraries: passive, active, complete and tournament.
I had difficulties to play my usual opening. Most of the time, it answered c7c5 after my d2d4. Virtuoso Saitek This Virtuoso is from The game is a bit small around 30x30cm , the pieces and the boardgame frame are in wood, The boardgame middle is in plastic with wood colours so you can push on each square to indicate the moves. Capella Saitek The Capella is from I bought this game new, the wooden pieces are still sealed.
It's a very interesting software. The game had no English name. The user manual was in German, French and Dutch. In , Saitek distributed another Mephisto Chess Trainer but it was a different game. You can compare this test game with the Virtuoso's one. It's clearly the same software.
It's a very good software - around ELO. Saitek is still selling this game - but with a different design: the Saitek Centurion and today Saitek Chess Challenger. Here is a test game with the Monte Carlo. But it was also available at a smaller price in the Mephisto Modular chessboard with plastic pieces.
Here is a test game with the MM-IV. Still today, this machine is a collector, especially with the original Mephisto briefcase. Here is one of my most beautiful games. The software has only minor differences: I replayed the Polgar game and during 40 moves, only 4 were different. It includes a variant of the Mephisto Senator. It was the last software from the 5 MHz serie. It succeeded to the MM-IV and is different from the Polgar, in the user interface aspect and also probably in the game style.
It has an ELO level of and that's a performance on a first generation processor. The benefit was ELO from to A small switch behind the module is used to change from one software to the other.
Both software won tactical force keeping their game style. I replayed the MM-IV test game on the turbo and the difference was small: 2 switched answers move 7 and 8 and only one different move in the end of the opening knight in c6 instead of d7.
The MM-V turbo played differently at the 3rd move so I played a new test game. It's a very high level software. This one is at 10 MHz, 2 time faster than the original module. The MM-V here accelerated at 10 MHz is one of my favourite chess software with a very human style in the middle game. When it was adapted to a Risc processor that was a lot more powerful, it became world champion in This software is also known under the name Gideon.
The module looks like the Polgar. The power adapter is plugged directly on the module. The hardware is fragile. Sometime, it has difficulties to switch on and it's important to use the original power adaptor.
This game was sold inside its business case with the logo Mephisto: I first had the Risc 1. I did have great difficulties to beat it during this test game. When I received the Risc II, I first replayed the same game where it played differently: the game style is very different, mainly around the way to play the Queen. I tested it a lot during the summer Here is my first victory then A variant with minor differences and last but not least probably the most beautiful game I ever played , won after a lot of trials and take back.
But they also designed a set of nice wooden games visible on this photo page on flickr. The CXG Chess is from It is based on a 16Kb software on a 6MHz Z80 processor. The programmer is Richard Lang It is not very strong elo but it plays a nice game style and it is not so easy to beat when the average time is 3mn30 per move. After the Roma, the software "world champion" was rewritten following the state of the art rules of software programming to improve the level of functionality, the game level and to ease any further enhancement.
Here is a test game : It has some difficulty to see risk situations after 4 or 5 moves in advance. Mephisto Montreal The Mephisto Montreal is from It includes a variant of the Mephisto Roma with a better way to display game levels: alphanumeric instead of numbers. The chessboard looks like a Mephisto Exclusive but the module is fixed.
This chessboard is a bit damaged in the middle squares. Here is a test game Mephisto Almeria 16 bits The Almeria is the first software by Richard Lang from the second "world champion" serie. Here it's the 16 bits release inside a Mephisto Exclusive board. It's a very strong player - with a very nice game style -more than ELO but its hardware is limited compared to the one of the real turnament machine used in Almeria.
This turnament machine is rated more than ELO. Here is a very interesting description of the tournament machine from the "chess computer UK" website. This software will not change so much later. I tested it on a game played with the Vancouver 16 bits There are only very little differences. Here is this test game. It's a very strong software around ELO.
Here is a test game showing well its game style: some unusual openings, a powerful middle game and some small weaknesses in finales.
The world championship was in France and this game was probably targeted for the French market, usually sold with a user manual in French and German. But this game includes the Vancouvers manual, in English and German. Theorically, it's a software very similar to the Vancouver one. So I replayed the 2 games already won against the Vancouver and there are only small differences. In the first game at 2 mn per move , the game was identical until the move 29, that was a desesperate move because the Lyon was begining to lose.
In the second game at 3 mn per move , the game was identical only until the move 12, in the end of the opening phase and of course, the follow up was different. I also started to replay the game against the Mephisto Portorose 32 bits but I found also small differences: in the opening move 3 then at the 11th move. And in , another variant became world champion and was distributed under the name London. The world champion serie is the result of a teamwork: a software from Richard Lang, a huge opening library developped by Ossi Weimer, tests made by strong players and of course a powerfull hardware.
From the start, the world champion serie was available on a powerfull hardware at an expensive price. It was also available on a 32 bits , rated Elo and on a 36 MHz, rated Elo the one used for the world championship. The electronic board looks very clean. It's my prefered software because it has a very nice playing style and because it's a very good tool to learn. I found an opening with a very small white advantage, so I was able to beat him in these 2 test games: Game 1 2mn per move and Game 2 3mn per move.
When it attacks, it takes some risks and when the opposite player is able to find the best defense, he can step by step build an advantage. Of course, it's easier when he cheats using the take back function so easy to use. A very nice attack starting with one pawn at move 14 with sacrifice of one rook against a bishop just after. It's a game in the middle of the Vancouver 32 bits and the Mephisto Genius It's an improved release of the Vancouver with a faster processor 24 Mhz instead of 12 and a bigger opening library.
It's a downgraded release of the Genius because the processor is a It's a very strong software, very agressive, but I found a weakness in this test game. It's a very good software, with many options varrying the game style. This time I tested the option to open the collumn in front of the h rook by doubling the pawns in g. It was designed for a PC under Windows 3. It still works today without problem on the most recent PC.
It's a complete program, with master games, hashtables etc. When the game level raised, around , he stopped to develop chess software. But there was probably stocks of the Chess Challenger 8 "The classic" because in the end of the 80s, this software was repackaged in lower cost games.
The Gambit is derived from the Chess Challenger 8 - similar to "the classic" - but it was published in It's still a weak software, as you can see in this test game. To my mind, it's the most beautiful of the designer serie. We do not understand why Fidelity did not chose a better program for such a low price computer chess.
He reused the Fidelity Phantom patent on this Excalibur Mirage from There is also a variant of this time control that adds the delay after a player makes their move "Fischer after" or more commonly increment , so the delay is added to the player's remaining time and is available for their next move.
If however time runs out during their move, the game ends without the delay time being added. This variant prevents the player who is in time-trouble to take advantage of the extra-time. But unlike Fischer, not always the maximum increment is added.
If a player expends more than the specified increment, then the entire increment is added to the player's clock. But if a player has moved faster than the time increment, only the exact amount of time expended by the player is added. For example, if the delay is five seconds, the player has ten seconds left in their clock before their turn and during their turn they spend three seconds, after they press the clock button to indicate the end of their turn, their clock increases by only three seconds not five.
This ensures that the time left on the clock can never increase, even if a player makes fast moves. For example, if the delay is five seconds, the clock waits for five seconds before counting down. The time is not accumulated. If the player moves within the delay period, no time is subtracted from their remaining time. This time control is similar to a Bronstein with time added before the move. Reminder: Your digital electronic chess clock doesn't like the cold either!
The stress-strain-temperature relationship often barely works over the specified temperature range. When the equipment is powered up, the hot components can change shape and break the brittle plastic, much like my old ice chest. Presumably a similar thing can happen with frost, depending on the weather. When the frost melts, there can be problems. Chronos ChronosManual. The Chronos a. Chronos II, or Chronos Standard is considered by many to be the best digital chess clock ever made.
Chronos Clocks come in either a black, blue or beige metal case. The Chronos clocks have 68 preset modes from which to choose.
Back in December of , Mark Kaprielian at Metrowewst Chess Club published a document "designed to help make sense of the many options available to the owners of the Chronos Clock". A reformatted version with some minor typos corrected is presented here: MK-ChronosTips. Return to Top of List.
Chronos Blitz a. Both types of Chronos Clocks may have either buttons or touch sensitive pads for clock operation. If you are somewhat put off by the explanations offered in the abridged manual for the Chronos Model GX, you're not alone. The good news is that all these features are explained on a couple YouTube videos.
Excalibur ExcaliburClockManual. Saitek Gameclock SaitekGameclockManual. Saitek Mephisto SaitekGameclockManual. They are visible from all directions.
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