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Subject: Re: Rybka >3000 elo as author = IM

Author: Stuart Cracraft

Date: 08:43:35 12/21/05

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On December 20, 2005 at 19:54:24, Steve B wrote:

>
>>
>>So Larry Kaufman and Ken Thompson and David Kittinger would often make use
>>of my machines for testing. Sometimes this would take the form of phone-calls
>>lasting hours and hours. Other times, it would involve outright selling the
>>machine, for example a special Novag to David, who of course was its programmer.
>
>its interesting to think of selling a chess computer to the programmer whose
>chess program was inside of it
>i would think they automatically got a free sample of each model that contained
>their program

Yes - I thought so too at the time. I had got mine from Rainer Rickford,
a man everyone seemed to love to hate except me (I thought he was funny
though others said he was unscrupulous at best.)

Anyway, I eventually sold the bitboard version of the Novag to David who
went off and enjoyed it.

>
>but i remember reading that the Spracklens who were interviewed many years after
>they gave up chess programming only had one chess computer in their possession
>a Prestige Challenger

Yes - poverty-stricken programmers - a pretty common event. The Spracklens
were quite helpful and friendly to me on some computer chess subjects back
in the 80's.

>
>
>>But that's why these days are the best, with this forum of Steve's along
>>with the huge advances computer chess has made. It has almost become
>>normal to write a chess program.
>
>
>well i agree these days are the best..but not from  pc chess  standpoint as i am
>not interested in pc chess
>
>but from a collecting the old computers standpoint

I understand that antiquing is valuable. Seems computer chess has the antiques
too!

>
>today..with Ebay one get have a fairly respectable collection of high-end chess
>computers in a very short period of time
>
>this was not possible even 5 years ago

A trip down memory lane. Wish I could have a copy of Greenblatt's
CHEOPS for the living room table or Thompson's Belle chips for a decorative.

>
>Steve

Stuart



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