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Subject: Collector's Corner...Fischer

Author: steven blincoe

Date: 20:07:45 07/16/04


In keeping with the news of the day..the following is a letter that appeared in
the first issue of the short lived "Computer Chess Newsletter" published by
Douglas L.Penrod-1977

i have typed the letter word for word as it appeared on page 3 of that issue

in it Fischer gives some comments about the very first chess computer  sold to
the public,the "Chess Challenger"

i think this is possibly the first published review by anyone of a dedicated
chess computer.

the games Fischer played against the Greenblatt program that he mentions in the
letter appeared in the second issue of the newsletter on page 18

Fischers letter:


copyright 1977 Bobby Fischer  MAY 17 1977

"Dear Mr. Penrod,i think your computer-chess newsletter is a very good idea.
i recently played some games on a terminal with the Greenblatt program.
Enclosed are three of them.
i made the mistake of buying the "Chess Challenger".
its ridiculously weak.they really  shouldn't have come out with it.
they also made a botch of the keyboard so its hard to follow the moves.
somehow they reversed the algebraic notation so that the files are numbered and
the ranks are lettered,if you can believe that!
i know i can give it a Queen and a Rook ,because i gave them away in the opening
and won.But i can probably give it much more.
in the endgame its almost impossible to lose to it.
provided you agree and acknowledge that i have all the publication rights to
this letter and the enclosed games scores you can publish them in your
newsletter"
Regards
Bobby Fischer










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