The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous Eighteenth-Century Chess-Playing Machine

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Edition: Paperback
Author: Tom Standage
Skill Range: All levels
Publisher: Penguin
Year Published: 2003
# of Pages: 272
ISBN: 0425190390

Description:

This is the true account of the 18th-century mechanical man, powered by clockwork, dressed in a Turkish costume, and capable of playing chess. Created by a Hungarian nobleman, the machine-man known as The Turk traveled Europe and America, made the acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin, Catherine the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Edgar Allan Poe.

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by RetGuvvie98 - 6 months ago
Manassas, VA United States

Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 842

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Wonderfully entertaining chess 'trivia' of bygone years and times. The mechanism behind the 'Turk' was incredibly clever - and even today, it would be clever.

Excellent and fun reading. To find out how the system worked, read it through.

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