Author: Steven Schwartz
Date: 11:29:39 02/16/00
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On February 16, 2000 at 14:24:50, Fernando Villegas wrote: >Hi CCC: >Just returning from my yearly 15 days in a beach of the central coast of Chile, >my country, one populated by many girls in bikinis but no sharks at all, I >cannot resist to post some impressions about which is the best stand-alone chess >computer ever, at least according to my humble judgement. This is a persuasion >I have developed thorough the years each time I go again to the same beach with >older children, -they does not anymore ask me to face together with them the >waves: they prefer the muscled guys with cooper-color skins- different books but >the same chess stuff. To go at once to the core: I am talking of Travel Master >Kasparov, and old tiny unit that stroke the shells in the age of dinosaurs or >almost: 1991. >The little thing got many praises. In Vol.2 N°1 of Computer Chess Reports Larry >Kaufman described this way little pretty Travel Master: >“Its tactics are near master level models, its positional play is perhaps like >alow level expert model and its endgame ...probably still better than any other >pocket model...” Very well, although this last part of the sentence probably >means nothing as much not many pocket models even existed in 1991 and those that >did exist were not far better in endgame technics than Fidelity 7. >Nevertheless, if you count master level strength in tactics and some proficiency >in positional play you have, in average, a respectable strong machine that >besides was gifted with many features. Well done, prettily finished, enough >little sized to put it in any coin of a stuffed luggage, it was and still is a >kind of ideal machine to go out of the city. Of course I could -and surely you >could- take my notebook charged with the top current available software, but >also loaded with my files, data, word processors and so and so, almost half of >my working life. And I am not brave enough to jeopardize all that in a hotel, a >beach, a plane or a car. Are you? So Travel master is the thing to go with. At >the 100 bucks or so I payed in 1992 or 1993, its a bargain. Probably the >stronger current version cost almost the same or even less. And, boy, it is a >pleasure to play it. Strong enough to put you in problems and get you more than >once, is not strong enough to crush you all the time. You lose, you win, you >draw: is not the perfect kind of score to keep the interest in the game? Yes, I >have had many machines, but this piece of plastic that almost does not need >energy -only now I have been compelled to change the batteries- get the five >stars. I do not imagine anothert one for my next travel to he same beach in >february 2001. >Fernando Wasn't that the FIDELITY Travel Master? Steve (ICD/Your Move)
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