Chessmaster Ireland wrote:Different chess engines and as Paul says, a lot weaker.
The MB Grandmaster chess engine was written by Mark Taylor and you can read more about it here from Mike Watters site.
http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/PCW_July_1983.pdf
Thanks for the info, Paul and Bryan.
Being that the mechanical form and function were identical, I had put the chicken before the egg, and assumed that Fidelity had patented the device and custom built them for Milton Bradley with their logo.
While the opening knight moves, captures and position resets were painfully slow, this machine created quite a spectacle in the Macy’s window display back in its day.
Playing strength had greatly improved with the adaptation of the Fidelity Chesster Phantom and the even cooler Chesster Phantom Eyeball. I had the opportunity to play the latter unit while it was on display at a department store countertop, and the wondrous machine kept the onlookers entertained with amusing comments while making me work for the point. It rather reminded me of playing one of the street hustlers, so prevalent in those years.
How About a Nice Game of Chess Regards,
John