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Subject: Re: Just what is a chess computer?

Author: Steven Schwartz

Date: 12:06:48 09/28/99

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On September 28, 1999 at 14:23:35, Matt Agajanian wrote:

>Hello,
[Snip]

>By the way, does anyone remember the old "CompuChess" chess machines?
>Thanks for your insights.
>Matt A.

If memory serves me correctly, it was that machine (marketed by the
famous JS&A mail order company) that first sparked my interest in going
into this crazy business.

It was during a weekend softball game that my friend showed me an
advertisement for "The World's First Chess Computer for Under $100" -
CompuChess. I bought one and waited about 12 weeks for delivery only
to find out that it played miserable chess (or was it even chess it
was playing?!?)

That prompted me to go to the local department store and buy a Fidelity
Chess Challenger "10" and an Applied Concepts Boris and have what might
very well have been the first round robin commercial chess computer
tournament ever. The "10" won. I do not recall the score, but I do
recall that CompuChess scored ZERO!

I put a little classified ad in one of the chess magazines indicating
that I would be happy to share the results with whomever cared. I was
amazed by the reaction. I received calls at all hours of the day and
night and letters from all over the world asking for results. Hmmmm,
I thought, maybe there is a business opportunity here.

Then I got smart (not easy for me) and I asked Enrique, who was then
a very good customer of mine to test and report on chess computers for
us. It was nice to have someone testing who actually knew what he was
doing - as opposed to myself! Luckily the CompuChess was before
Enrique's time. I could probably hear him laughing all the way from
Dartmouth while watch the "moves" that that thing made!
- Steve (ICD/Your Move)



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