Other Electronic Board Games

This forum is for general discussions and questions, including Collectors Corner and anything to do with Computer chess.

Moderators: Harvey Williamson, Steve B, Watchman

Forum rules
This textbox is used to restore diagrams posted with the fen tag before the upgrade.
User avatar
spacious_mind
Senior Member
Posts: 3999
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Alabama
Contact:

Other Electronic Board Games

Post by spacious_mind »

I thought I would start a new topic where some other electronic board games could be referenced from the manufacturers of electronic chess computers.

CXG Sphinx Backgammon - Model # CXG 369 - 1992

Image

Image

In the bottom left corner you can read "Copyright 1992 National Telecommunication Systems Ltd."

Also interesting is the bottom center sticker!

Image

Distributed by Excalibur Electronics, Inc!

If you look at Mike Watters timeline, you will see that the first chess computers are listed in 1993. Could this CXG Sphinx Backgammon game be the first electronic board game that Excalibur sold... ie... they sold a Backgammon game before they sold a Chess computer game?

Image

Well they sold to a store named Schwarz who in turn sold it for $89.00. It is hard to say what the other numbers mean in this store sticker but you do see the number 369, which you can assume is the CXG Sphinx Backgammon model number.

Image

The manual is funny too as it shows a Copyright date of 1988 Newcrest Technology which of course is a different company name to what is shown on the box. I guess there is no sense in wasting perfectly good previously printed older manuals! :P Recycling at its best! Let's us save the earth! Also what I found funny is that here is a person who has just invested in an electronic backgammon game and he receives instructions on "How to play Chess" :roll: That must have been very helpful! :P

Image

No serial numbers were provided for this game but the label at the back of the computer confirms the year 1992.

Anyway, by now I am sure you are wondering what the computer actually looks like.......

Image

It is very pretty and has 8 levels of difficulty, but it doesn't tell you how long it takes per level. Take back function, computer or manual roll of dice and you switch sides at any time. Oh, yes it also saves the position for you to continue later.

Anyway it looks pretty, and I have been thinking about letting electronic games play against each other. So maybe someday I will try some tournaments like that in Backgammon, Checkers, Othello (Reversi) and Bridge :)

This was of course before Ron Nelsons time at Excalibur. He joined 11/1/1994 per his detail reporting and timeline that you can read here"

http://hiarcs.net/forums/viewtopic.php? ... &start=105

Best regards
Nick
User avatar
spacious_mind
Senior Member
Posts: 3999
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Alabama
Contact:

Post by spacious_mind »

Here is a Fidelity Reversi:

Fidelity Reversi Sensory Challenger - Model # RSC - 1981

Image

Quality Made in U.S.A. with a Patent No. 4,235,442

Image

Image

It has 18 levels of play, meaning 9 Novice and 9 Expert levels. The levels range from:

H1 = 1 second
H2 = 3 seconds
H3 = 5 seconds
H4 = 15 seconds
H5 = 30 seconds
H6 = 1 minute
H7 = 2 minutes
H8 = 4 minutes
H9 = infinite

It lets you change sides and you can take back moves all the way to the beginning of the game. It also lets you do a position verification and it has a problem mode.

No instruction on "How to Play Chess" included in this computer. :P

Image

Serial number is 12332092 which means:

Reversi Sensory Challenger RSC 12330652 Friday, August 21, 1981
Reversi Sensory Challenger RSC 12332092 Friday, August 21, 1981

A same day confirmation to the one that was already listed in Yoyo's list. It also seems that there were at least 2000 or more made on Friday, August 21, 1981.

And here is the computer pic:

Image

Visually it is another beauty!

Oh I forgot to mention, that it is quite possible that Dan and Kathe Spracklen programmed or at least helped to program this computer. Why do I think that? Well ....

Image

Well, it's because they knew how to make an Othello program since they were the winner of the software division of the First Man-Machine Othello Tournament.

The above software is for the Atari 400/800 computer. I just found and bought this software for my Atari on Ebay which made me decide to post some non chess stuff :)

Best regards
Nick
User avatar
spacious_mind
Senior Member
Posts: 3999
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Alabama
Contact:

Post by spacious_mind »

Another note... Dan and Kathe Spracklen's Reversal was published in 1981. Coincidence ?

Best regards
Nick
yoyo_chessboard
Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:44 pm
Location: South of France - cote d'azur

Post by yoyo_chessboard »

reversi sensory challenger :

there were two versions of that board with two versions of the program.

the first physical board has a yellow/brown surface has you can see in old fidelity ads
it has 9 levels of plays.

the second version has a green surface. that is yours and i also have one.
it has 18 levels of play, the first 9 levels and 9 'expert' levels added after work with an othello/reversi master.

in fact i am rather coming from the othello/reversi playground.
i have one green reversi board and that was my first fidelity board
that second version has a program that stays in 4 KBytes ROM and 1KBytes RAM.
it seems that is was also the last.
that second batch of boards is from mid 1981 (weeks 31 and 34).

now with serial numbers we can identify that more precisely:
imagine that we find a reversi board with a serial > 1981.
it could mean that they made a third revision.

what is sad with sparklen binaries is that there is nowhere in the ROM a copyright date or something that could help to identify the date of the program. there is nor they name nor any date, at least in ASCII.

my second regret is that they didn't made newer version.
Fidelity made some dozens of chess boards during its life, but there were very few othello boards in the same time: the two fidelity (in fact one with one revision) and one another from applied concept.

does somebody has the first version , the yellow/brown, or at least a serial number to try to pin it on the fidelity timeline ?

are there other othello fans here, even if this forum is for chess fans ?
User avatar
Tibono2
Full Member
Posts: 695
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:55 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Post by Tibono2 »

Othello fan?
Yes I am! Was? OK, this thread reminds me I am still, to some extent.
Wrote a Z80 assembler program on my TRS-80 Model I, level II, circa 1982/83, used to attend "l'Ordinateur Individuel" computer tournaments.
Too bad I sold the TRS with all my floppy disks to buy my first motorbike, so lost this program.
My Z80 program was not top of class, but won roughly 2 out of 3 games I played against it, I was very proud of this result as I used to be a strong player.
I met my wife during 1984 French championship final tournament (human players, not computers). She is a strong player as well, she was sparring partner for my now brother-in-law who has been 83'French champion.
So I am indeed an Othello grown up...
And I am now looking forward to get my hands on either Reversal program, or Reversi Challenger board...

Spracklen fan's regards,
Tibono
yoyo_chessboard
Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:44 pm
Location: South of France - cote d'azur

Post by yoyo_chessboard »

hi tibono2
i sent you a private message some days ago.

i think you bought your very special SC9/SU9 on french 'leboncoin', according to the...serial number i asked the seller some weeks ago.

for othello:
i remember that period when i was in Paris, and when i followed the Othello tournaments, in particular in Savigny Sur Orge, where i saw for the first time that reversi board (green board).
but that was a little after 1984, probably around 1988-1990, when comp'oth on Atari ST was the best.
i think it was François Aiguillon the programmer

i have upgraded my reversi board to 4 Mhz.
(from factory it is at 1.8 Mhz)

so prior it was hard to win, now it is worse because it computes more nodes in same time and so it go farer in the game tree.

may be we could open another topic for othello/reversi fans or rename this one.
i don't know if it possible to rename a topic, probably only the admins can do that.
mychess
Member
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:55 pm

History of Othello and reversi programs

Post by mychess »

Hello all,

Some links about Othello and reversi programs.

http://brunodlb.pagesperso-orange.fr/ushomepg.htm

From the link "History of Othello® and Reversi programs tournaments" :

The second place of the tournament was taken by the program Spracklen, on Apple 2, thanks to his victory against Jonathan CERF. It should be known that he had tested a preliminary version of the program some time earlier and that he had provided the "expert advice" to improve it. If you have a Reversi Sensory Challenger, you can test yourself the difference: the "Novice" levels are those of the initial program, the "Expert" are those of the corrected version ...

My Reversi Sensory Challenger RSC 12122140

Cordially.
User avatar
spacious_mind
Senior Member
Posts: 3999
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Alabama
Contact:

Re: History of Othello and reversi programs

Post by spacious_mind »

mychess wrote:Hello all,

Some links about Othello and reversi programs.

http://brunodlb.pagesperso-orange.fr/ushomepg.htm

From the link "History of Othello® and Reversi programs tournaments" :

The second place of the tournament was taken by the program Spracklen, on Apple 2, thanks to his victory against Jonathan CERF. It should be known that he had tested a preliminary version of the program some time earlier and that he had provided the "expert advice" to improve it. If you have a Reversi Sensory Challenger, you can test yourself the difference: the "Novice" levels are those of the initial program, the "Expert" are those of the corrected version ...

My Reversi Sensory Challenger RSC 12122140

Cordially.
That is good news it means that there were at least two production runs. Different earlier serial date with Friday, July 31, 1981

ps.. I don't mind if the Reversi/Othello subject gets moved from the Backgammon I posted.... assuming the Moderators can and are willing to do it.

Best regards
Nick
yoyo_chessboard
Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:44 pm
Location: South of France - cote d'azur

Post by yoyo_chessboard »

hi

for guys who like to know what is inside their boards, i have put some photos of the inside of some boards.

at the moment there are only few boards but i imagine to add some others i have already opened and modified.

Fidelity Reversi Sensory Challenger
Fidelity Chesster Challenger (english speaking)
Fidelity Kishon Chesster (german speaking)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/149310091@N02/albums

regards
User avatar
spacious_mind
Senior Member
Posts: 3999
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Alabama
Contact:

Post by spacious_mind »

yoyo_chessboard wrote:hi

for guys who like to know what is inside their boards, i have put some photos of the inside of some boards.

at the moment there are only few boards but i imagine to add some others i have already opened and modified.

Fidelity Reversi Sensory Challenger
Fidelity Chesster Challenger (english speaking)
Fidelity Kishon Chesster (german speaking)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/149310091@N02/albums

regards
Thanks, your photographs are very clear. I can never get the background light right when I take a photo. I guess my room is too dark.
Nick
User avatar
spacious_mind
Senior Member
Posts: 3999
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Alabama
Contact:

Post by spacious_mind »

Here is something that you don't so often:

Fidelity Bridge Bidder - Model # BB - 1980

Image

It is supposedly a teacher of bidding techniques that will help a beginner to improve and an average player to practice bidding in Bridge. It also uses all the conventions that are available on a Bridge Challenger computer.

So I guess you can use it to help you play against Bridge Challenger as well.

I have never tried it so I don't know how good it is. It has been years since I played Bridge so I am going to have to relearn it all again someday.

Image

It came with a few instructions and few beginner manuals on how to play bridge.

Image

The Fidelity Model # is BB and based on the serial number it is from Friday, October 24, 1980.

Image

This is what it looks like, a box with an LED display and a bunch of buttons to press. 32 buttons in fact.

I have no idea on how to use. I saw it recently listed on Ebay and I had never seen one before so I bought it. Might have to spend some time with it someday to figure it out.

Perhaps someone here has used the Bridge Bidder in the past and is able to describe it better than I can :)

Best regards
Nick
User avatar
spacious_mind
Senior Member
Posts: 3999
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Alabama
Contact:

Post by spacious_mind »

Below are a couple of Fidelity Electronic Checker Challengers.

Fidelity Checker Challenger - Model # ACR - 1978

Image

This I believe is the first version of electronic Checkers that Fidelity built. You notice the red box, it looks different to the later version that you see more often on Ebay.

Image

It came with a Manual & Basic Rule booklet for Checkers. Notice the Model # ACR in the top left corner of the User Manual.

Image

Chicago, Illinois address with ZIP 60639. Serial # 59838 also fits right into the CC1 and CC3 era therefore built in 1978. A Fidelity Electronics Questionnaire leaflet that was inserted inside the user manual also shows a print date of 1978 as well. This is why in the spreadsheet that I shared recently I made a cut-off date for 1977 with Serial number 40709 CC3 Upgrade and started with 1978 with this electronic checker computer.

Image

The picture is a bit fuzzy but the computer has the same wooden frame that you get with CC1 and CC3.

This Checker Challenger has 4 levels of play:

CL1 - thinks 2 ply ahead with 1 offensive and 1 defensive move - almost instant response.
CL2 - thinks 2 offensive and 2 defensive moves ahead - 5 seconds
CL3 - thinks 3 offensive and 3 defensive moves ahead - 25 seconds
CL4 - thinks 4 offensive and 3 (yes 3) defensive ahead - 90 seconds

Those are all average times.

Fidelity Checker Challenger - Model # CR - 1979

Image

The later version that came out in 1979 has a different box as you can see. Notice also 2 levels of play!

Image

Top left corner of the Manual shows the Model to be CR whereas the earlier Checker version was ACR! It also came with a Checker instruction book.

Image

It was also made in Chicago, Illinois ZIP 60639. Serial # 141859. Therefore I place this computer as 1979.

Image

The board itself is the same plastic design as CC7, however the earliest CC7 identified so far has Serial number 197294 with date code 7922 (June 79) with same ZIP code 60639. So it is 50+ thousand units later in serialization. This should place the Model CR Checker Challenger at around 1st quarter of 1979, probably at least 3 months earlier than CC7.

Therefore this Checker Model # CR and its design most likely came before any CC7's as Checker predates CC7 according to these serial numbers. (Checker before Chess)

Surprisingly it has only 2 levels of play when compared to its predecessor Model # ACR. The two levels of play are:

L1 = Thinks 1 Offensive and 1 Defensive move ahead.
L2 = Thinks 2 Offensive and 2 Defensive moves ahead.

Maybe because it came out so soon after the ACR which was probably much more expensive due to its wood design, Fidelity downgraded the CR to avoid potential customer complaints.

Best regards
Nick
yoyo_chessboard
Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:44 pm
Location: South of France - cote d'azur

Post by yoyo_chessboard »

Thank you Nick for the 2 checker challenger versions.

what is strange to me is that the 4 level checker (ACR) is prior the 2 level checker (CR).
ACR : advanced Checker R ?
CR : Checker R?

that doesn't sound logic to me.
i expected that the 4 level checker has come after and is stronger than the 2 level checker but the serials are a proof.

what is also interesting:
for the CR board the warranty card has already the first Miami adress ZIP: 33178 as if Fidelity already knowned that its future adress.

so it is undoublty somewhere at the end of the Chicago period.

regards.
yoyo_chessboard
Member
Posts: 126
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:44 pm
Location: South of France - cote d'azur

Post by yoyo_chessboard »

Hi Nick

i just bought on Ebay a CR (Two level checker) board.
it is stated in the classic state 'missing power supply, unable to test'

maybe the ACR and CR can be upgraded/downgraded as the hardware is probably the same.

we will see what serial and what is really inside when i get it.


regards.
User avatar
spacious_mind
Senior Member
Posts: 3999
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:20 pm
Location: Alabama
Contact:

Post by spacious_mind »

yoyo_chessboard wrote:Hi Nick

i just bought on Ebay a CR (Two level checker) board.
it is stated in the classic state 'missing power supply, unable to test'

maybe the ACR and CR can be upgraded/downgraded as the hardware is probably the same.

we will see what serial and what is really inside when i get it.


regards.
Hi Yoyo,

Can you send the Ebay link please it will interesting to see the photos.

Here is link for another ACR but it does not seem to be working:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fidelity-Electr ... Swh-1W4eHc

Best regards
Nick
Post Reply