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Subject: Re: Who was Sid Samole?

Author: Bruce Moreland

Date: 18:24:40 11/16/00

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On November 16, 2000 at 20:55:25, Walter Koroljow wrote:

>The November Chess Life from USCF has an article extolling Sid Samole.  He
>invented computer chess, he won tournaments x,y,z, etc.  But it is written in
>such a fuzzy way that I never did find out what he did.
>
>It seems a fact that he started Fidelity Electronics which was a very good thing
>to do, but at what level was his contribution?  Did he code, exhort, fund, or
>what?
>
>Thanks for any information,
>
>Walter

Here is a quote from the September 1985 issue of the ICCAJ, page 158-9,
regarding the US Open Computer-Chess Championship, Mobile AL, USA:

"In the third round, two Fidelity programs met on the board, both having 1-1/2
out of 2, but one, Elite XC, being the company favourite.  From the first moves,
Avant Garde outplayed Elite XC.  On the 36th move, Avant Garde had a clear
winning position, a pawn up in a straight Bishop ending.  Still, Fidelity's
Avant Garde operator decided to resign.  Most particpants did not consider this
correct.  David Kittinger, for instance, said: 'To me, resigning in a won
position goes beyond chess, no matter whether it is in the rules or not.  You
cannot throw a game.  This is fixing a game, it is absurd.'

"Some months later, Sid Samole, the President of Fidelity, when asked, admitted
to having resigned on purpose.  He said: 'it is not in the rules, therefore it
is allowed.'  The general feeling in this matter was that in this case the rules
should be changed.  In Mobile, the other programmers and operators felt no
inclination to start a tug of war since 'businessmen always manage to prove that
what they do is legal'."

Fidelity Elite XC won the tournament with 5-1/2 out of 6, a point ahead of the
second place finisher.

His company provided cheap chess computers to the masses.  During the 80's,
"Chess Life" was Fidelity's advertising arm.

bruce




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