Chessmaster + Funkey S = TINIEST Chess Computer!
#chesscomputer #funkeyS #chessmaster #ViennaGame
Chessmaster, or “The Chessmaster” is one of the most commercially successful early chess programs. It was first released in the late 1980s. It really became well known in the 1990s with it being released not only on personal computers, but also game consoles like the NES and Super Nintendo, or the Famicom and Super Famicom, as well as handheld consoles like the original Nintendo Gameboy and Gameboy Color.
Some of the comments from my videos where I play retro chess programs mentioned Chessmaster. Here I have an original Gameboy cartridge of "The Chessmaster". Now, I never had an original Gameboy as a kid in the 90s, but I did own a Gameboy Color in the late 90s when I was a few years into my university studies. This is an original Gameboy Color cartridge of "Chessmaster" - you can tell by the black rather than grey plastic. This is very similar to the original GB title, with colour!
Now, I have no idea where my GB Color from around 25 years ago is any more but with the magic of modern computing, you can play GB Color games on a range of retro emulation devices. Early in 2022, I bought the smallest fully functional retro handheld, the Funkey S (https://www.funkey-project.com/), which is extremely well built and designed. It's a fraction of the size of the actual cartridge with a 1.5-inch screen. With the Chessmaster ROM this is probably the tiniest fully functional chess computer that is easily obtainable in 2022. Let's play a game!
Chessmaster for the Gameboy Color doesn't do well against the Vienna Game and I suspect this means that it wasn't programmed with an opening library that includes the Vienna. I do well until move 16 where I hang my knight - it is a bit hard playing chess on a 1.5" screen! Chessmaster seemed to make some weird shuffling moves which probably indicates some problem with its logic, at least, when set to a long level of play strength.
Luckily for me, I'm spared humiliation when Chessmaster blunders back a little while later and I'm given the opportunity to form a triple battery down the d-file. Firing two rooks and a queen down the file results in a lovely back rank mate! GG!
Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/431BMBZmT4
