Author: Stuart Cracraft
Date: 10:14:07 12/22/05
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On December 21, 2005 at 20:54:50, Fernando Villegas wrote: >I have received as a Kmats gift -the best I have got in years- a Grandmaster >Excalibur unit and I think advisable to say some words about it just in case >someone here, per chance, could be curious or interested in this new brand >machine by that company, old Fidelity with new name. >To begin with, it is a way to get access to an auto sensory machine without >throwing the kitchen trough the sink. It is not a cheap unit at all, in fact it >is expensive, but not as awfully expensive as some others. The autosensory >function means you does not need to push the piece against the squares to >communicate moves to the machine, you just pick the piece and move it to the >desired place. That adds a degree of comfort and, being the unit of the very >same size of a tournament board, including the big and heavy pieces, the ilusion >to be playing against human oposition is pleasant. >With lot of levels, famous games, trainning features of opennings and MINI games >-by example, just kings and his pawns to learn how to manage a game in similar >conditions- and many other features it is a really enjoyable machine. >How about his strenght? >Not that strong as add say, but strong enough to beat or complicate the life of >almost everyone here. The programmer, Ron Nelson, in himself a leyend of his >trade, never got fame as a top programmer, nor when young neither now, as a old >man, but he knows all the tricks, he has learned along the years, he have now >lot faster processors and lot more memory and as a result his current programs >-Alexandra, Gran Master, De Luxe Touch hanheld unit- are good enough to offer a >decent, entertainning, challenging game to any expert level player. In the case >of Grandmaster I would say it plays as a 2000 Elo seasoned player. >To play these machines, to see his mistakes, to work againts them and >nevertheless to be always in the very fringe to lose the advantage due to some >nasty tactical trick is a pleasure in itself, something that top Pc programs >cannot give anymore, exception made if we cut down his brain and we play a >crippled criature. Not a very enthusiastic and exciting way to play, IMO. > >My best >Fernando I would think the auto-moving unit would be good for getting kids interested in chess. Also, one that speaks. I have a couple of 3-year-olds and have thought of ways to interest them. They play with my Isle of Lewis chessmen set on the English chess table and seem to like the chessmen but are too young to understanding any rules. I may consider teaching them GO first. The Grandmaster email you sent brings back a flood of memories. Stuart
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