Anybody here still enjoy those older dedicated chess computers?

Well I've got a Novag Super Constellation which I bought decades ago -1985?- and no longer works. Cost an arm and a leg at the time but got my money's worth out of it. Still usable as a study/analysis board but kind of miss all the beeping! I also have a working NYT Excalibur Deluxe from 2007 - been thinking of giving it another go for the 501 chess problems - Woodpecker anyone? - and some extremely late-night playing during the Winter nights.

Anyway, thanks to this thread I spend a few hours looking up the modern dedicated chess computers, eventually giving up due to cost and likely usage over the PC.

Next day an ad pops up thanks to Microsoft, cheap oldie chess computer going for £30. Well, I had too didn't I! So hopefully a 'GO Chess Champion 2150L' will be winging its way in a few days.  I hope it still works and no biggie if not, as I bought from a charity shop. Did a wee bit of research of course and the playing strength - ~1750 Elo - should be more than good enough to easy beat me.

Kind of miss real 3D play to be honest.

I am also thinking using the chess computer rather than the PC will mean I will recover the £30 over the Winter due to a reduced electricity bill! Something to think about giving the way things are going!

Just got the radio shack version of the 2150L as well. Perfect shape for something 31 years old!  Wanted to play against a computer, not on a screen but OTB. 

maybe a chestnut air in the future for online play or bots. 

Same chassis from the Saitek Simultano, rebadged for Radio Shack and Tandy with different CPU/Memory - roughly similar playing strength, maybe 100 rating spread between them. Should be good enough to quickly beat both of us.

Chessnut Air looks cool but it's £175 + shipping in the UK, ~£200.  Too rich for me giving other needs.

These old chess computers can probably give beginners better games than Chess.com sub-1000 Bots that are very poor (imo) - whacky openings and Queen giveaways.  They should play 'normal' book openings at the very least.

Ive been thinking of a wish list of machines i wouldnt mind having. I know i should be content with the units i have, but as for everything in this world, it can be better. A couple that come to mind are the strong but micro units from novag. Ruby and Sapphire would be right there with any of my desired ones. However the star versions of both have terrible screens ive heard. Mephisto Master would be a great tabletop addition, as would many Novag computers, namely Zircon 1 and 2, Obsidian, Citrine, Diamond 1 2 and Star. Truthfully ive always been much more interested in the smallest and most portably functional devices. As far as other tabletops id love, there are many Mephistos that would be nice. Nigel Short, Polgar, Berlin, Milano........ There are others that come to mind, but im not very interested in the modular units which seem to be way too expensive for their functionality. I collect these things mostly for actually using them. Im not sure if id feel right playing on some astronomically priced options all the time. As far as newer and "smart" boards, its hard to say which ones i would like. While some have superior qualities, it seems the ones most appealing to me also are the least funtional for online play (DGT Centaur.) I beat myself up sometimes thinking about all of the possibilities. Maybe i should just be happy with what id hope most of you think is a decent collection that i already have............

Id like if we could brainstorm together a list of trade and or cash value of these machines we have all mentioned. I would consider trading a bunch of mine for a cheaper smart board. There are a couple i want to keep like cosmos and Jade 2. I would also consider trading for one of the devices i mentioned in my previous post. Id really love a Ruby or Sapphire for a truly portable experience. Not sure what id be willing to do for any more tabletops that arent a smart board at this point. The ones i mentioned would be a welcome sight to any of us, but i cant say i really "need" them. 

It's a miracle!

I was hunting out a power adapter for my Go Chess Champion 2150L when it arrives - no chance of me buying batteries just to find it doesn't work! The power adaptor used for my Super Conny is actually the one from my ZX Spectrum - slight overvoltage but never did any harm. Once I had attached a mains-plug I decided to check the adaptor out on the Conny. And lo, the Conny now works!  When I checked out the Conny a couple of years ago - after years of non-use - all I got was three LEDs flashing down the right side. What I had completely forgotten was that this was how it indicated mate-in-3 (or 7?). A simple press of the New-Game 'key' and all was well.

Absolutely amazing, the Conny is about forty years old and even in my prime - 1500 Elo - could quite easily trash me on classical levels (never tried Blitz). It's like you've discovered an E-Type Jag in your garage still has a full tank of petrol and the engine starts first time. Having read the manual again I might even try to add an opening book, 2000 half-ply, something I never attempted in years gone by.

Not sure what to do if the GO arrives working, maybe a Face-Off, if I can find another adaptor. I would expect the Conny to win but you never know.

These dedicated chess computers are really quite amazing when you consider that computers/laptops/PDAs bought nowadays are designed to last no more than 4 to 6 years.

The oldest machines I still own are both from 1977 and 78: the Chess Challenger 3 by Fidelity (an update on the original Chess Challenger, which was the first micro chess computer in the world, introduced earlier that same year). I've got two of those machines, as well as two 1978 "BORIS" computers from Chafitz. Of course these machines are too weak (ELO under 1000) for me to play against now. The oldest one I still occasionally play against is the Chess Challenger 10, a major update on the CC3, also introduced in 78. It plays at about 1,300 ELO. Got the earliest (A) and the latest (C, 1979) versions of that model. Also from 1979 comes the CC "Voice", which plays at roughly the same level, but because of its ebony wood frame, real buttons and that computer voice, it cost a whopping US$ 1,000 (accordingly, 1,000 Deutschmarks here). I've got an Enlish and a German-speaking one, as well as one of the later "advanced" models, which wasn't much of an advancement except for a slightly larger openings book. 

Those were the last Chess Challengers that came in neat little plastic or paper mache cases you could put all the pieces and the mains adapter into. After that, Fidelity economized and sold them in carton boxes.

The Go Chess Champion 2150L arrived in full working order. Only niggles are, I feel the chess pieces are a bit cheap looking and the LCD pieces were very hard to distinguish but was very impressed with variety of levels, built-in clocks and ease of operation. Looks quite impressive!

Did a bit more research and it should be a bit of a coin toss between the Go and Conny.

Mephisto Europa and Tandy 1650 computerized chess are my favourite. I'm 1500 at blitz and Mephisto is quite a challenge even at lower levels. I set Tandy at level 7 (out of eight regular levels) and it takes even over 8 hours to make a move! I've been playing it for about two years and have managed maybe only 3-4 wins so far. My first retro chess computer was Chessman Elite by Lexibook. Set to 3 min. is ideal for a lower skilled player like myself.

Well I have now bought two more second-hand dedicated chess computers, a Mephisto Trainer and a ChessGenius M180. The former I knew would be a bit weak for me as it's essentially a learning machine with a top rating of around 1000-1100, but it was priced cheaper than a pizza - was thinking of wrapping it up as a Xmas present for someone. The latter was a bit more costly but still about 50% if bought new on Amazon etc, and on balance compared to the much more expensive Pro version - which is only about 100 to 200 rating higher - a very good deal.

Both arrived fine and in full working order, the Mephisto Trainer was lacking an English manual but managed to download one.

The big surprise was just how strong the ChessGenius M180 was, easily beating me - rating 1200 to 1500 - multiple times on its lowest move time rating of 1sec.  Very impressive for such a cheap looking device, may look like a toy but it's one mean chess machine. 

Beginning to think twice about playing Chess.com bots as I really like playing with a board and real pieces - even if they are plastic.

As I use a PC to play on chess.com I should be able to recover the purchase costs giving electricity prices nowadays!  

The regular Chess Genius is ELO 2000 + and has a good, trusted engine by Richard Lang. I never bought one because it's, as you said, cheap-looking.

If I could find one that works and is cheap I would get one. I think due to their nature of being made of many pieces and made of plastic not many of them survive, but you can sometimes see them on ebay. 

Screw the magnetic boardsthat they come with. I already have 2 of them from the Jasper and Solo. That, contradictory to what youre saying, is what their allure to me is. They are compact as can be. They dont need or have pieces in and of themselves. You can play on any board. You c lolouldeven have a board drawn in pencil lol.

Well, you can have fun playing blindfold chess with them!

Still surprised at how cheap some of the second-hand machines are - apart from the ones that have sensor pieces and high-quality boards, these sell for ludicrous prices.

I love my Saitek Atlas. It's pretty weak at chess, but then so am I.

What makes it great is the UI, it's really well thought out and intuitive to use. Each function has its own button and similarly each square on the board is a button.

To move a piece you first press down on the originating square and then on the destination square. You can do this with the small plastic pieces (which I've weighted and felted), but you can just as well use your finger. In fact the latter method is how I most often play, because I like to play on a real board with nicer pieces and in this case I dispense with the small plastic pieces altogether.

The Atlas I have now is actually my second. My first one was probably an older model because it ran on four AA batteries, while my current manages on two. The old one developed errors recognizing the button presses on the squares.

And it comes in the Finish national colours.

Personally, I always thought that this ultra-cheap chess computer (It cost just €35 when it came out in 2000) was a blot on the once proud history of Saitek and its "Kasparov" brand. With a teeny-tiny opening book and an ELO of just 800, it's the lowest-rated Saitek not only of its time, but in fact it plays no better than a 1977 Chess Challenger 1, the first micro chess computer (which then cost a $1000). 

Lol that is pathetic..............

I almost bought a Saitek Atlas for £15 but decided it would be too weak for me. Very good-looking chess computer imo. In the UK for about £20 you can get second hand chess computers with ELO ratings in the range 1300 to 1500.

I have been trashing my Saitek Mephisto Trainer - bought for £10 - which has a rating around 1000-1100 tops - it actually plays a 'normal if weak' game compared to chess.com low-level bots. I had thought the fun was in playing with a real 3D board, as well as winning of course, but there is more to it. Put simply I play relaxed, without rating concerns or time pressures. Weird really, it's a reminder of how joyful chess can be.  I should say I have spent the last month developing training materials for on-line improvement, so I don't record or analyse the Trainer games, which helps as well.

I had never thought about the colors. It's too bad they didn't use the same design with a stronger computer.