Mach IIb or not IIb?

[spacious_mind]

The forums have been fairly quiet recently with reports on dedicated chess computers (other than Steve of course who ensures that dedicateds are never forgotten )

Therefore I would like to report on a recent experience with the purchase of a new recent addition to my collection.

There was recently an auction for a Mach IIc and since I wanted to add a Mach II to my collection and I went after it.

Well, after waiting patiently for almost 1 month before it arrived from Germany, I opened the box and to my surprise and disapointment I opened the packing and saw a 68000 Box without a Mach II label However upon closer inspection the box did show the signs of having a label removed from it.

Not too worry I though as I began pulling out the User Manual from the box. Oooops I thought as I looked at the manual. This was the manual for an Excel 68000 Model # 6094

Now I started to worry in case the Seller sold an Excel 68000 as a Mach IIc. Therefore feeling a little gloomy I pulled the chess computer out of the box and turned it over to look for the model # which is normally shown on a label at the back of a Fidelity chess computer.

Hmmmm I thought when I saw the Model # 6097 shown on the label, perhaps this is a Mach IIc after all?

Turning the computer back to it's normal position I then also noticed that the words "Chess Challenger" were in red instead of the silver color that my Excel 68000 computer has.



Now I became curious about whether I had a Mach IIc or not and therefore I went to Wiki to read up on it. Lo and behold there I see a Mach IIc with the label on the box and a silver color for the "Chess Challenger" words which of course is different to my red colored one.

http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... ty_Mach_II

I also read up on the different versions. Supposedly there are at least 5 different versions of a Fidelity Mach II. Therefore I now decided to try the tests shown in Wiki to see what version I had and also to confirm that I didn't have another Excel 68000 in my hands.

According to Wiki the following Test will quickly tell you if you have the version c1 or c2:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5

[fen]r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/4P3/2Bp4/5N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 0 5[/fen]

In this position a version c1 or c2 would play 5. ... d5 immediately from its opening book. Other versions would play 5. ... Qe7? after pondering the position.

Well I had set the level to 3 minutes per move and my computer began pondering in this position and after about 3 minutes played the move 5. ... Ne4.

Now this was not what I had expected, since I expected the move 5. ... Qe7 when the computer began pondering. Therefore at this point I began wondering again if I had an Excel 68000 after all.

According to Wiki another position written by Larry Kaufmann could be used to identify the different Mach II versions:

[fen]1B1N4/p2n4/3P1P2/2nk1BP1/P7/N7/K3P2P/1Q6 w - - 0 1[/fen]

According to this test, you should be able to identify the different versions of a Mach II by setting your computer to level H4 and depending on the time the Mach II takes to move and the move it plays, identify the version as shown in the table below:



Well, my computer played the correct move Bxa7 after about 3 minutes and 38 seconds which is 3 seconds longer than the B version shown in the above table.

Therefore now I suspected that my computer was a Mach IIb.

Wiki shows another Test which I tried next which I hoped would confirm that it is a Mach IIb:


[fen]8/8/8/8/8/1B5b/Q1K4k/8 w - - 0 1[/fen]


According to Wiki the earlier Mach II versions used check extensions which were removed for the versions C1 and C2 but re-introduced in a modified form for the C+ version. By setting the computer to the Mate in 5 moves level, the versions using the "check extensions" would display mate-in-4 on their displays whereas the versions without the "check extensions" would display mate-in-3 on their displays.

Therefore I tested my computer with the above position and sure enough mate-in-4 was displayed, which seemed to reconfirm that I have a Mach IIb in my possession.

Now at this point it would make sense for me to look for my Excel 68000 and compare the two. But instead I felt like playing some games with it. For opponents I decided to choose computers that are ranked higher than a Excel 68000 in the Schachcomputer.Info Actve List.

Here are the games:


GAME 1 - Fidelity Mach IIb (Spracklens) - Novag Constellation Forte B(Kittinger)


[Event "Mach IIb Test"]
[Site "Hoover, AL USA 30:1"]
[Date "2011.04.06"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Novag Constellation Forte B, LV 3."]
[Black "Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb, LV 4."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C86"]
[WhiteElo "1902"]
[BlackElo "1954"]
[Annotator "Mind,Spacious"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2011.04.06"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Qe2 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. d3 Re8 10. Re1 Bb7 {Novag Constellation Forte B out of book} 11. exd5 {Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb out of book} Nxd5

[fen]r2qr1k1/1bp1bppp/p1n5/1p1np3/8/1BPP1N2/PP2QPPP/RNB1R1K1 w - - 0 12[/fen]

In this position Constellation Forte B, moved the Queens pawn to d4 too soon which resulted in a stranded center pawn. This gave the Mach II the initiative and the Mach II dominated the game for a long time.

12. d4 exd4 13. cxd4 Qd7 14. Bxd5 Qxd5 15. Qd1 b4 16. Bf4 Bf6 17. Nbd2 Nxd4 18. Rc1 Nxf3+ 19. Nxf3 Qxa2 20. Qd7 Red8 21. Qg4 c6 22. Ne5 Qxb2 23. Nxc6 Re8 24. Be3 Bc3 25. Rb1 Qa3 26. Bd4 Rxe1+ 27. Rxe1 Bxd4 28. Nxd4 Qc3 29. Qe2 g6 30. Rd1 a5 31. Qe7 Bd5 32. Qe5 Rd8 33. Qe7 Qc8 34. h3 Re8 35. Qg5 Qa8 36. Nb5 Bb3 37. Nc7 Qa7 38. Rd8 Qxc7 39. Rxe8+ Kg7

[fen]4R3/2q2pkp/6p1/p5Q1/1p6/1b5P/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 40[/fen]

In the position above, Mach IIb had allowed Constellation Forte B back into the game with good chances for at least a draw but amazingly Forte B decides to exchange Queen's and this makes the endgame easy for Mach II.

40. Qe5+ Qxe5 41. Rxe5 a4 42. Re4 a3 43. Re7 Bc2 44. h4 b3 45. h5 a2 46. Kh2 a1=Q 47. Kg3 b2 48. Rb7 Qa3+ 49. f3 Bb3 50. hxg6 b1=Q 51. gxh7 Qe1+ 52. Kg4 Be6+ 53. Kg5 Qg3+ 54. Kh5 Qc5# 0-1


GAME 2 - Novag Constellation Forte B (Kittinger) - Fidelity Mach IIb (Spracklens)

[Event "Mach IIb Test"]
[Site "Hoover, AL USA 30:1"]
[Date "2011.04.06"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb, LV 4."]
[Black "Novag Constellation Forte B, LV 3."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E59"]
[WhiteElo "1954"]
[BlackElo "1902"]
[Annotator "Mind,Spacious"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2011.04.06"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nf3 d5 6. Bd3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qc7 11. Ba2 e5 12. h3 e4 13. Nh2 Bf5 14. Ng4 Nxg4 15. hxg4 Bg6 16. a4 Rad8 {Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb out of book} 17. Qc2 {Novag Constellation Forte B out of book} Ne7 18. Ba3 b6 19. a5 Rc8 20. axb6 axb6 21. Bc4 cxd4 22. cxd4 b5 23. Bc5 bxc4 24. Ra7 Qc6 25. Rxe7 Rb8 26. Qxc4 Rb2 27. d5 Qc8 28. Ra7 Rd8 29. Qd4 Rb5 30. Rc1 Rb3 31. Ba3 Qxg4 32. Bb2 Bh5 33. Rac7 Rd3 34. Rc8 Rd1+ 35. Rxd1 Rxc8 36. Rd2 f5 37. Qb6 Rf8 38. d6 Qg6 39. Qc7 Qg5 40. d7 Bf3 41. Qg3 Qxg3 42. fxg3 Rd8 43. gxf3 Kf7 44. fxe4 fxe4 45. Ba3 Ke6 46. Rd6+ Ke5 47. g4 h6 48. Kg2 g6 49. Kg3 h5 50. Bb4 hxg4 51. Kxg4 g5 52. Ba3 Rg8 53. d8=Q Rxd8 54. Rxd8 Kf6 55. Re8 Kg6 56. Rxe4 Kf6 57. Be7+ Kg6 58. Bxg5 Kg7 59. Re7+ Kf8 60. e4 Kg8 61. Kf5 Kf8 62. Kg6 Kg8 63. Re8# 1-0

Fidelity Mach IIb pretty much had the advantage from the beginning in this second game.

Match Score:
Fidelity Mach IIb = 2
Novag Constellation Forte B = 0


GAME 3 - Fidelity Mach IIb (Spracklens) - Mephisto Amsterdam (Lang)

[Event "Mach IIb Test"]
[Site "Hoover, AL USA 30:1"]
[Date "2011.04.07"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb, LV 4."]
[Black "Mephisto Amsterdam, LV 3."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "1954"]
[BlackElo "1938"]
[Annotator "Mind,Spacious"]
[PlyCount "145"]
[EventDate "2011.04.07"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Qc7 11. Bd2 e6 12. Qe2 Ngf6 13. c4 O-O-O {Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb out of book} 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. Bc3 Nb6 17. a4 {Mephisto Amsterdam out of book} Bc5 18. Ne4 Qe7 19. O-O Kb8 20. a5 Nc8 21. a6 b6 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Qe4 Kc7 24. b4 Qe7 25. Qf3 Rd7 26. Rad1 Rhd8 27. Rxd7+ Rxd7 28. Re1 c5 29. b5 Qg5 30. Ra1 Qh4 31. Ra4 Qg5 32. g3 Qc1+ 33. Kg2 Qc2 34. Ra3 Kd8 35. Qe3 Ne7 36. Qf4 Rd3 37. Bb2 Rxa3 38. Bxa3 Kd7 39. Bc1 Qd3 40. Qd2 Qxd2 41. Bxd2 Nf5 42. Kf3 Nd4+ 43. Ke4 Ke7 44. f3 Nc2 45. g4 Nd4 46. Bc3 Ne2 47. Be1 Nd4 48. Bd2 Nc2 49. Bc1 Nd4 50. Be3 Nc2

[fen]8/p3kpp1/Pp2p2p/1PB1P2P/2P1K1P1/5P2/2n5/8 b - - 0 51[/fen]

Mach IIb had the advantage early in the game and then through sloppy play gave the advantage to Mephisto Amsterdam who in turn played some bad moves. After this I felt the game would end up in a draw especially since I did not think that Mach IIb would see the Bishop sacrifice which he could have played several times by moving the Bishop to a5!. Therefore I was really surprised when it turned out that Mach IIb had been playing for this position all along with it's recent moves. I did not expect Mach IIb to play 51. Bxc5+!.

51. Bxc5+! bxc5 52. b6 axb6 53. a7 Na3 54. Kd3 b5 55. a8=Q Nxc4 56. Qa7+ Kd8 57. Qxc5 f6 58. Qf8+ Kd7 59. Qxg7+ Kc6 60. exf6 Ne5+ 61. Ke4 Nd7 62. f7 Kd6 63. f8=Q+ Nxf8 64. Qxf8+ Kc6 65. Qxh6 Kd6 66. Qf8+ Kc6 67. h6 Kb6 68. h7 Ka5 69. h8=Q b4 70. Qc5+ Ka4 71. Qa1+ Kb3 72. Qb1+ Ka4 73. Qcxb4# 1-0


GAME 4 - Mephisto Amsterdam (Lang) - Fidelity Mach IIb (Spracklens)


[Event "Mach IIb Test"]
[Site "Hoover, AL USA 30:1"]
[Date "2011.04.08"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Mephisto Amsterdam, LV 3."]
[Black "Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb, LV 4."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C80"]
[WhiteElo "1938"]
[BlackElo "1954"]
[Annotator "Mind,Spacious"]
[PlyCount "165"]
[EventDate "2011.04.08"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d4 {Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb out of book} exd4 6. O-O Nxe4 7. Re1 d5 8. Nxd4 Qf6 {Mephisto Amsterdam out of book}

[fen]r1b1kb1r/1pp2ppp/p1n2q2/3p4/B2Nn3/8/PPP2PPP/RNBQR1K1 w kq - 0 9[/fen]

I don't think that Mach IIb's opening book is too good. Here is an example where the choice of opening has left it in a bad position from the start. In this game although it struggled for 83 moves, it could never get into the game.


9. Be3 b5 10. Bb3 Ne7 11. f3 Nd6 12. Bxd5 Bb7 13. Bxb7 Nxb7 14. Nc3 c5 15. Nb3 Rd8 16. Qe2 c4 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. Bxc5 Rd7 19. Rad1 Rxd1 20. Qxd1 Qc6 21. Bxe7 Bxe7 22. Nd5 Qc5+ 23. Kh1 O-O 24. Nxe7+ Kh8 25. Qd2 f6 26. Re6 b4 27. c3 a5 28. Qd6 Qxd6 29. Rxd6 bxc3 30. bxc3 Rb8 31. h4 h6 32. Nc6 Rb1+ 33. Kh2 Rc1 34. Nxa5 Rxc3 35. Rc6 Ra3 36. Nxc4 Rxa2 37. Kg3 h5 38. Ne3 Kh7 39. Rc7 Kg6 40. f4 Ra5 41. f5+ Kh6 42. Rc8 g6 43. Rc6 Kg7 44. Kf4 Ra2 45. Rc2 Ra4+ 46. Rc4 Ra7 47. Nd5 Ra5 48. Ne7 gxf5 49. Nxf5+ Kg6 50. g4 hxg4 51. Ng3 Ra8 52. Kxg4 Rg8 53. h5+ Kh7+ 54. Kf4 Rg7 55. Rc6 Rf7 56. Kf5 Rg7 57. Ne4 Kh6 58. Nxf6 Rb7 59. Ng4+ Kh7 60. h6 Rb5+ 61. Kf6 Rb7 62. Rc5 Kg8 63. Kf5 Kh8 64. Kg6 Rb6+ 65. Nf6 Rc6 66. Rb5 Rb6 67. Rd5 Rd6 68. Kg5 Rxd5+ 69. Nxd5 Kg8 70. Kh5 Kf7 71. Ne7 Kxe7 72. h7 Ke6 73. Kg6 Ke5 74. h8=Q+ Kd5 75. Kf5 Kc4 76. Ke4 Kc5 77. Qe5+ Kc6 78. Qd5+ Kc7 79. Qe6 Kd8 80. Qf7 Kc8 81. Kd5 Kd8 82. Kc6 Kc8 83. Qg8# 1-0


Match Score:
Fidelity Mach IIb = 1
Mehisto Amsterdam = 1


GAME 5 - Mephisto Modena (Morsch) - Fidelity Mach IIb (Spracklens)


[Event "Mach IIb Test"]
[Site "Hoover, AL USA 30:1"]
[Date "2011.04.08"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Mephisto Modena, LV 3."]
[Black "Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb, LV 4."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C28"]
[WhiteElo "1964"]
[BlackElo "1954"]
[Annotator "Mind,Spacious"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2011.04.08"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nc6 4. d3 Bb4 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Bxc3 7. bxc3 Na5 8. Bb3 Nxb3 9. cxb3 {Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb out of book} Be6 {Mephisto Modena out of book} 10. Ng5 Bg4 11. f3 Bd7 12. f4 Qe7 13. Nf3 O-O-O 14. Be3 exf4 15. Bxa7 d5 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Re1 Ne3

[fen]2kr3r/Bppbqppp/8/8/5p2/1PPPnN2/P5PP/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 18[/fen]

I don't know what Modena was planning here, but whatever it was, it didn't work. 18. Qb1 is a bad move since Black can now win the Bishop.

18. Qb1? b6 19. a4 Kb7 20. Bxb6 cxb6 21. a5 Qc5 22. d4 Qf5 23. Qxf5 Bxf5 24. a6+ Ka8 25. Ne5 Nc2 26. Nxf7 Nxe1 27. Rxe1 Rde8 28. Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. Nd6 Rf8 30. b4 Bd3 31. c4 Rd8 32. c5 Bxa6 33. Kf2 Bb7 34. Kg1 Bd5 35. Kf2 Ka7 36. Kg1 h5 37. Kf1 g6 38. h4 Kb8 39. b5 Rd7 40. Kg1 Ra7 41. Kf1 Ra4 42. cxb6 Rxd4 43. Ne8 Rd2 44. Nf6 Bxg2+ 45. Ke1 Rd6 46. Kf2 Rxf6 47. Kxg2 f3+ 48. Kf2 Kb7 49. Ke3 f2 50. Ke2 f1=Q+ 51. Kd2 Rf3 52. Kc2 Qe2+ 53. Kb1 Rf1# 0-1


GAME 6 - Fidelity Mach IIb (Spracklens) - Mephisto Modena (Morsch)


[Event "Mach IIb Test"]
[Site "Hoover, AL USA 30:1"]
[Date "2011.04.08"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb, LV 4."]
[Black "Mephisto Modena, LV 3."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "1954"]
[BlackElo "1964"]
[Annotator "Mind,Spacious"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2011.04.08"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. Re1 Bc5 8. c3 d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 O-O 12. a4 {Mephisto Modena out of book} Na5 {Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb out of book} 13. Na3 Nxb3 14. Qxb3 g5 15. Bg3 Nxe4 16. dxe5 g4 17. a5 Bxf2+ 18. Bxf2 gxf3 19. Be3 dxe5 20. gxf3 Ng5 21. Bxg5 Qxg5+ 22. Kf2 Qh4+ 23. Kg1 Bxf3 24. Qb4 Qg5+ 25. Kf2 Qg2+ 26. Ke3 f5 27. Nxb5 f4+ 28. Kd3


[fen]r4rk1/2p5/p6p/PN6/1Q2pp2/2PK1b2/1P4qP/R3R3 w - - 0 29[/fen]

This was an amazing game. Mach IIb played another bad opening and Modena played brilliantly up to this point, completely destroying Mach IIb. But the starting with 28. ... e4? the Modena game became totally confusing with some amazingly bad moves!

In the above position 28. axb5 would have surely been the end of the game. But what follows after this is just amazingly bad from Modena.


e4+?! 29. Kc4 axb5+ 30. Kb3 Qxh2 31. Rg1+ Kf7 32. Qc5 Bg2 33. Qf5+ Ke7 34. Qe5+ Kd8?

[fen]r4r2/2p1k3/7p/Pp2Q3/4pp2/1KP5/1P4bq/R5R1 b - - 0 34[/fen]

After 34. ... Kd8? Mach IIb could actually have won the game with the move 35. Qe6! followed by 36. Rad1+. But I think it did not see it since with the huge material advantage that Black had. Mach IIb was only concerned about obtaining a draw.

35. Qd5+ Ke7 36. Qe5+ Kd7 37. Qd5+ Ke7 38. Qe5+ 1/2-1/2


Match Score:
Fidelity Mach IIb = 1.5
Mehisto Modena = 0.5


GAME 7 - Fidelity Mach IIb (Spracklens) - Mephisto MM IV (Schroeder)


[Event "Mach IIb Test"]
[Site "Hoover, AL USA 30:1"]
[Date "2011.04.08"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb, LV 4."]
[Black "Mephisto MM IV, LV 3."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "1954"]
[BlackElo "1945"]
[Annotator "Mind,Spacious"]
[PlyCount "145"]
[EventDate "2011.04.08"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 {Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb out of book} 6. cxd5 {Mephisto MM IV out of book} exd5 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 Nb6 9. O-O h6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Qc2 Bg4 12. Nd2 Qe7 13.
a4 a5 14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. h3 Be6 16. Bd3 g6 17. Ne2 c6 18. Nf4 Bg5 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. Qb3 Bd8 21. Nf3 f5 22. h4 Bc7 23. Ne5 c5 24. Qc3 c4 25. Be2 Nd7 26. Nxd7 Qxd7 27. b3 Qd6 28. g3 cxb3 29. Qxb3 b6 30. Rac1 Rac8 31. h5 gxh5 32. Bxh5 Rg8 33. Rc2 Rg5 34. Bf3 f4 35. exf4 Qxf4 36. Rfc1 h5 37. Bg2 Qf7 38. Qe3 Rg7 39. Bh3 Re8 40. Rxc7 Rxe3 41. Rxf7 Rxf7 42. fxe3 Rf3 43. Rc8+ Kg7 44. Be6 Rxe3 45. Rg8+ Kh7 46. Bxd5 Ra3 47. Rb8 Rxg3+ 48. Kf2 Ra3 49. Be4+ Kg7 50. Bc6 h4 51. Rxb6 Rd3 52. Rb7+ Kh6 53. Rh7+ Kxh7 54. Be4+ Kg7 55. Bxd3 Kf6 56. Be4 Kg5 57.
Kf3 Kf6 58. Kg4 h3 59. Kxh3 Ke6 60. Kg4 Kf6 61. Ba8 Kg6 62. Bd5 Kg7 63. Kf5 Kf8 64. Ke6 Ke8 65. Bf3 Kd8 66. d5 Ke8 67. d6 Kd8 68. d7 Kc7 69. Ke7 Kb6 70. Kd6 Ka6 71. d8=Q Ka7 72. Qxa5+ Kb8 73. Qc7# 1-0


GAME 8 - Mephisto MM IV (Schroeder) - Fidelity Mach IIb (Spracklens)


[Event "Mach IIb Test"]
[Site "Hoover, AL USA 30:1"]
[Date "2011.04.08"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Mephisto MM IV, LV 3."]
[Black "Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb, LV 4."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B57"]
[WhiteElo "1945"]
[BlackElo "1954"]
[Annotator "Mind,Spacious"]
[PlyCount "231"]
[EventDate "2011.04.08"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "3"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Qb6 7. Nxc6 {
Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb out of book} bxc6 8. O-O Bg4 {Mephisto MM IV out of book} 9. Qd2 e5 10. b3 Qd4 11. Qe1 Qc5 12. Be3 Qa3 13. f3
Bd7 14. Rd1 Be7 15. Bc1 Qb4 16. a3 Qc5+ 17. Kh1 Qa5 18. Bb2 Qc7 19. Rf2 O-O 20. Rfd2 Rab8 21. Qe2 h6 22. b4 a5 23. b5 a4 24. bxc6 Qxc6 25. Nd5 Nxd5 26. Bxd5 Qc5 27. c4 Bg5 28. Rd3 h5 29. Bc3 Qa7 30. Bb4 Be7 31. R3d2 h4 32. Qf2 Qxf2 33. Rxf2 h3 34. g3 Rb6 35. Rfd2 Rc8 36. Rd3 Rbb8 37. f4 exf4 38. gxf4 g6 39. f5 Kg7 40. Rxh3 Rd8 41. Rf3 gxf5 42. exf5 Bg5 43. f6+ Kh6 44. Bxd6 Bg4 45. Bxb8 Rxb8 46. Rdf1 Bxf3+ 47. Rxf3 Rb3 48. c5 Rxf3 49. Bxf3


[fen]8/5p2/5P1k/2P3b1/p7/P4B2/7P/7K b - - 0 49[/fen]

Mephisto MM IV leads by 2 pawns in this endgame with unequal Bishops. I thought Mach IIb defended this position very well. I let the game play out to the 50-move rule in order to see if the computers know this rule. On move # 116 announced the 50-Move rule. MM IV however did not display this and would have continued to play on.

Bxf6 50. Bd1 Be7 51. c6 Bd6 52. Kg2 Kg5 53. Bxa4 f5 54. Bc2 Be5 55. h4+ Kxh4 56. Bxf5 Kg5 57. Bd3 Bc7 58.
Kf3 Kf6 59. Ke4 Ke6 60. Kd4 Kd6 61. Be4 Ke7 62. Kc5 Ke6 63. Kb5 Ke5 64. Bg2 Kd6 65. Ka6 Ke7 66. Kb7 Kd6 67. a4 Bd8 68. Bf3 Ba5 69. Kb8 Bc7+ 70. Kc8 Bb6 71. Bg2 Ba5 72. Kb8 Bc7+ 73. Ka7 Kc5 74. Kb7 Kd6 75. Be4 Ba5 76. Bf3 Bc7 77. Bd5 Ba5 78. Be4 Bc7 79. Bf5 Ba5 80. Bg6 Bc7 81. Bd3 Ba5 82. Be2 Bc7 83. Bb5 Ba5 84. Bc4 Bd8 85. Bb3 Bc7 86. Bc2 Bd8 87. Bd1 Ba5 88. Bg4 Bd8 89. Bh5 Bc7 90. Bg6 Bd8 91. Bc2 Ba5 92. Bf5 Bd8 93. Bg4 Ba5 94. Bh3 Bd8 95. Bd7 Ba5 96. Kc8 Bb6 97. Be8 Ba5 98. Kb8 Bb6 99. Kb7 Bd8 100. Bf7 Bc7 101. Ba2 Bd8 102. Bc4 Ba5 103. Bb5 Bc7 104. Ba6 Bd8 105. Bf1 Bc7 106. Be2 Bd8 107. Ba6 Ba5 108. Bd3 Bd8 109. Bb1 Bc7 110. Bh7 Bd8 111. Kc8 Bc7 112. Be4 Ba5 113. Kb8 Bc7+ 114. Ka7 Ke5 115. Bh1 Ba5 116. Ka6 {Fidelity Excel 68000 Mach IIb announces 50 move draw} 1/2-1/2

Match Score:
Fidelity Mach IIb = 1.5
Mehisto MM IV = 0.5

Here is an overview of the results of these 8 Test Games:






Well, I had fun playing these games and I feel sure that I have a Mach IIb in my hands. I will certainly play a few more games, especially since I enjoyed playing these so much. I will also sometime in the near future compare it closer to the Excel 68000.

Best Regards,

Nick

[Steve B]

Marvelous Post Nick
Absolutely Superb Regards
Steve

[spacious_mind]

Marvelous Post Nick
Absolutely Superb Regards
Steve

Thanks Steve

[Bryan Whitby]

Hi Nick
Many thanks for such am interesting post. I have printed it off for future reference. By coincidence, I printed this similar post yesterday by TurboKing from 2007 about the Saitek RISK 2500.
http://hiarcs.net/forums/viewtopic.php? ... 08fff1196f
Printing Regards
Bryan

[Larry]

Good post, Nick. I have actually never seen a Mach2 on ebay, or anywhere
else. I have never seen a Fidelity Excel with red lettering. They are rare,
seemingly rarer than the stronger Mach3. Excel Mach4's are as rare as
hen's teeth.
jealous regards, Larry

[spacious_mind]

Hi Nick
Many thanks for such am interesting post. I have printed it off for future reference. By coincidence, I printed this similar post yesterday by TurboKing from 2007 about the Saitek RISK 2500.
http://hiarcs.net/forums/viewtopic.php? ... 08fff1196f
Printing Regards
Bryan

Yes, I remember the topic from last year. I have a couple of Risc 2500's one with 128K and one with 2MB. The 128K unfortunately when I tried to use it the other day seemed dead, while it worked perfectly a week before this. I will probably have to send it off for repair This is unfortunate since its condition is like brand new whereas the 2MB one I have looks old and all scratched but plays great!

It would be nice to someday get a better picture of the differences and different playing strengths for all the Models that have upgraded versions. I.E. Novag's Forte and Experts, Saitek's Analysts etc.

Good post, Nick. I have actually never seen a Mach2 on ebay, or anywhere
else. I have never seen a Fidelity Excel with red lettering. They are rare,
seemingly rarer than the stronger Mach3. Excel Mach4's are as rare as
hen's teeth.
jealous regards, Larry

I think you are right, I think I have seen photos of red ones before but only once or twice so they may be rarer. This would be a question for Steve B or Mike W.

Best regards

[Steve B]

Hi Nick
Many thanks for such am interesting post. I have printed it off for future reference. By coincidence, I printed this similar post yesterday by TurboKing from 2007 about the Saitek RISK 2500.
http://hiarcs.net/forums/viewtopic.php? ... 08fff1196f
Printing Regards
Bryan

Yes, I remember the topic from last year. I have a couple of Risc 2500's one with 128K and one with 2MB. The 128K unfortunately when I tried to use it the other day seemed dead, while it worked perfectly a week before this. I will probably have to send it off for repair This is unfortunate since its condition is like brand new whereas the 2MB one I have looks old and all scratched but plays great!

It would be nice to someday get a better picture of the differences and different playing strengths for all the Models that have upgraded versions. I.E. Novag's Forte and Experts, Saitek's Analysts etc.

Good post, Nick. I have actually never seen a Mach2 on ebay, or anywhere
else. I have never seen a Fidelity Excel with red lettering. They are rare,
seemingly rarer than the stronger Mach3. Excel Mach4's are as rare as
hen's teeth.
jealous regards, Larry

I think you are right, I think I have seen photos of red ones before but only once or twice so they may be rarer. This would be a question for Steve B or Mike W.

Best regards

I think the letter coloring was pretty much a random thing and not tied in to any particular Excel version...with Silver the most common color

i took a quick inventory of the Excel Mach's i own and came up with this:
Mach I-Silver
Mach II LA-Red
Mach III-Gold
Mach III-Silver
Mach IV(upgraded from Mach III)-Silver
Mach IV-Silver

Color Blind Regards
Steve

[Mike Watters]

Thanks for the interesting post Nick.

I haven't tested my two Mach IIs yet but I certainly will. Always just a little bit of doubt about what is inside a Fidelity.

Meanwhile here are some pictures







Concorde Mach II regards
Mike

[spacious_mind]

Wow what a great collection of Mach II's coming out on display. Great Photos Mike! My box is exactly the same as the one you show on the right. Red circle with grey background with the words "United States Chess Federation Champion - Computer Opem"

Steve what is a Mach 1 how does it differ to an Excel? Also what is the LA Version?

Thanks

Nick

[Steve B]

Wow what a great collection of Mach II's coming out on display. Great Photos Mike! My box is exactly the same as the one you show on the right. Red circle with grey background with the words "United States Chess Federation Champion - Computer Opem"

Steve what is a Mach 1 how does it differ to an Excel? Also what is the LA Version?

Thanks

Nick

Well i call the normal Excel 68000 the Mach I
no difference at all..thats just how i remember it
The Mach II LA is what i believe the .INFO Folks are calling the Mach II(c)
Fidelity entered their revised Mach II program in the
1988 American Open Tournament held in Los Angeles that year..
it was not yet available for sale
after that tournament they then released the revised program and marketed it as the Mach II "LA" Version..on the Mach II box it mentions"LA Program"

LA Stories Regards
Steve

[ricard60]

Steve,
Is there anyway to know how was the mach IIc performance in that 1988 open tournament in LA?

going back regards
Ricardo

[Larry]

Yes, I remember the topic from last year. I have a couple of Risc 2500's one with 128K and one with 2MB. The 128K unfortunately when I tried to use it the other day seemed dead, while it worked perfectly a week before this. I will probably have to send it off for repair




Best regards

Nick, regarding the risc2500 that won't power up, take the back off it.
Gently lever up each end of the eprom from it's cradle and push it back in.
If this does'nt do the trick, then try the same with the RAM chips.
hope this helps,
take care... LH

[Steve B]

Steve,
Is there anyway to know how was the mach IIc performance in that 1988 open tournament in LA?

going back regards
Ricardo

Sure
Fidelity ,Mephisto and Novag all entered computers and they each faced human players with an Avg Elo of 2120
the hardware used by Fidelity at the LA open was running on a 32 bit 68020 ..Faster hardware then the Mach II but using the same LA program that was eventually sold as the Mach II LA
it scored 28-20 against the humans
it defeated 1 USCF senior master and 3 USCF masters
Mephisto entered the Mondial XL and scored 26-22 and
Novag entered the Super Expert running at 6 Mhz and using a book written by Larry Kaufman
it scored 24-24 agaimst the humans
Computer Chess Reports Fall/Winter 1987-1988 edition discusses the match in greater detail

speaking of fast hardware..
Fidelity at the 1989 WCCC:
http://www.computerhistory.org/chess/fu ... f4cc194e20

Excel Mach V Regards
Steve

[Terry McCracken]

Steve,
Is there anyway to know how was the mach IIc performance in that 1988 open tournament in LA?

going back regards
Ricardo

Sure
Fidelity ,Mephisto and Novag all entered computers and they each faced human players with an Avg Elo of 2120
the hardware used by Fidelity at the LA open was running on a 32 bit 68020 ..Faster hardware then the Mach II but using the same LA program that was eventually sold as the Mach II LA
it scored 28-20 against the humans
it defeated 1 USCF senior master and 3 USCF masters
Mephisto entered the Mondial XL and scored 26-22 and
Novag entered the Super Expert running at 6 Mhz and using a book written by Larry Kaufman
it scored 24-24 agaimst the humans
Computer Chess Reports Fall/Winter 1987-1988 edition discusses the match in greater detail

speaking of fast hardware..
Fidelity at the 1989 WCCC:
http://www.computerhistory.org/chess/fu ... f4cc194e20

Excel Mach V Regards
Steve

I think the program was the Mach III/IV from 1988 and was 64kb.

[chessguru]

Hi Steve,

The Mach II LA is what i believe the .INFO Folks are calling the Mach II(c)
Fidelity entered their revised Mach II program in the
1988 American Open Tournament held in Los Angeles that year..

no. The LA-version was called "C+".

http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/in ... ty_Mach_II

Best regards,
Micha