Chess challenger 7 manual

Original Price:. Wiki ELO:. Model :. My Serial :. Processor OEM. Battery Type:. Not Available. Power Adapter:. LED 4 Char 7 Seg. Board Type:. Non Sensory. Overall Size:. Board Size:. Options Select:. Button Select. Play Levels:. Opening Book:. Take Back:. Position Setup:. Position Verify:. Move Analysis:. Display Info:. Solve Mate:. Mate in 2. Save Game:. Search Depth:. Provide Hint:. In , the same chessboard was renamed Galileo.

The game was very nice but it only had 2 series of led horizontal and vertical and no screen. In , the Galileo was replaced by the Renaissance , with one led per square and a lcd display.

The module includes its own processor and software. It is installed on the side and complete the main software without replacing it: some levels are using the main hardware; some other are using the module.

The game level was improved to around ELO, with a very nice game style. Here are a test game with the basic Galileo and one with the Analyst C module.

The opening library is big and well made. It can solve the mate in 7. Some weaknesses in finales. However, this high technology was not reliable and this LCD screen had a short life expectency. So all the Novag Savant are now out of order. Constellation 3. Especially, it's very efficient in mid game combinations. In our tests, the Constellation 3. My personnal opinion is more moderate: in this test game , it is missing agressivity.

It was not a beautiful machine but it was a good marketing concept. Novag had understood the market need for very strong machines with an optimized price.

At that time, it was simply the best software in the world in a modest look. It was also well known for its human game style. It is rated around ELO. This game is a bit damaged: the Super Constellation text is erased on the metal bar.

This pretty "calculette" with 24 keys plays well and include a lot of functions. Opening library of moves, 48 game levels. It's one of the first release of the classic 16Kb software. This software is rated ELO but with experience, I beat it without difficulties in this test game.

In fact and as you can see in this test game , the game level is far behind the Novag Ruby's one. This possibility was removed for the Ruby but existed again on the Sapphire and the Sapphire 2. Supremo Novag The Novag Supremo was published in Program derived from the Super Constellation with less opening and finales algorithms. One of the best value for the money in the market".

The opening library includes more than half-moves. The cable on the picture is an adapter for the Novag printer. Mentor 16 Novag The Novag Mentor 16 was published in The same program was used at that time on the mid price Novag Chess computers, including the VIP and reused a lot later. It was evaluated around ELO, as the processor was a little bit slow. It includes a special button to solve mate until mate in 5. I tried one problem but it did not solve it. It is not very good but I really like its game style, for instance in this test game.

There was not any display yet and some functions like the position evaluation were available only with the printer. It is still in its box with all the original parts. But the chessboard colour was faded by the sun. It's one of the best and one of the last software published on a 8 bits processor 6MHz, around ELO. This game is like new: It was allmost never used and was kept well protected. It has a very nice game style, an unusal and very complete opening library and it is strong in finales with its "Selective Search" algorithm.

Diablo Novag The Diablo is from It's a Novag Super Expert variant ported on a 16 bits processor. It's the srongest chess software from this serie - around ELO. But in , this kind of expensive game was not easy to sell around euros in France - especially on a market dominated by Mephisto. It also existed as plastic box under the name Scorpio. It has a very nice and agressive game style. But it does not react properly to the pawn h attack during this test game. Novag Printer The Novag Printer works with the 3 wooden electronic chess above.

It prints positions, list of moves, evaluations etc. The 24 Volts power supply is plugged on the chessboard, near the other power supply. As it should cost only F, here is a small chess computer with an excellent value for the price.

Because the Mephisto Mondial has many qualities: sensory board with 16 leds and 16 keys, 8 game levels, 7 problem levels very efficient and able to give different solutions when there are some , takeback until There are less defaults: Clear weakness in finales and difficulty to visualise moves due to the coordinate system.

See a test game. It's a game for learning and it includes the different functionalities of the Mephisto Mondial. But it includes less memory 16K instead of The game is rated around ELO but an attentive good player should have no difficulty to beat it. Here is my test game. It's a strategical demonstration against such mid level software.

It includes a black chessboard, transport briefcase, Schachschule chess school on the box, and a booklet to learn chess here in German and French. It is the same game as the Schachschule. Only the package is different. The instruction manual is in 4 languages: German, English, French and Spanish. This game was bought in Rouen France, Normandy the christmas day of Manhattan Mephisto The Mephisto Manhattan is from It succeded to the Mephisto Europa. It looks very similar but the exercise book is missing.

So the "book button" is removed. The user guide is now in 6 languages with the add-on of Italian and Dutch. It's an intersting software because it has a good level for average players and also dedicated levels for beginners. But the design is not nice and it is a bit small. Modena Mephisto This Mephisto Modena was published in see the logo "worldchampion " on the box.

The gamebox design was later reused for very good software in a cheap package : the Milano, Milano Pro, Atlanta, Berlin and Berlin pro. Here is a long test game. It succeeded to the Chess Champion Saitek Simultano, The visual difference is very small but the content is really different: new processor risc HMHz faster than the previous 65c02 5MHz. In the Saitek catalogue, there was: "a new 32K percuting programme to solve rapidly problems". In fact, Julio Kaplan left Saitek in and the L contains a new generation software.

It was probably developped by Frans Morsch but it's not sure. It's a 32K program of good level around ELO , with an opening library of half moves. The LCD chess board, above the keyboard, shows the current position and the one analyzed by the computer. Here is a test game that was not easy. There is no keyboard and the different options are selected using 2 small wheels on the game side. It's not necessary to press the squares, the pieces are automatically detected. But it's not with magnets: the system is using small metallic rings under each pieces.

The game is similar to the Chess Champion L but with a bigger opening library of half moves. Its game style has some similarities with the Tandy L, see this test game. This program will be followed by several variants and enhancements, including the GK on a processor 2 time faster. As indicated on the device, there are several options to support variants in the game style: 2 algorithms "Selective Search" and "Brute Force", one "easy mode" and also 4 options on the opening libraries: passive, active, complete and tournament.

I had difficulties to play my usual opening. Most of the time, it answered c7c5 after my d2d4. Virtuoso Saitek This Virtuoso is from The game is a bit small around 30x30cm , the pieces and the boardgame frame are in wood, The boardgame middle is in plastic with wood colours so you can push on each square to indicate the moves.

Capella Saitek The Capella is from I bought this game new, the wooden pieces are still sealed. It's a very interesting software.

The game had no English name. The user manual was in German, French and Dutch. In , Saitek distributed another Mephisto Chess Trainer but it was a different game. You can compare this test game with the Virtuoso's one. It's clearly the same software. It's a very good software - around ELO. Saitek is still selling this game - but with a different design: the Saitek Centurion and today Saitek Chess Challenger.

Here is a test game with the Monte Carlo. But it was also available at a smaller price in the Mephisto Modular chessboard with plastic pieces. Here is a test game with the MM-IV. Still today, this machine is a collector, especially with the original Mephisto briefcase. Here is one of my most beautiful games. The software has only minor differences: I replayed the Polgar game and during 40 moves, only 4 were different.

It includes a variant of the Mephisto Senator. It was the last software from the 5 MHz serie. It succeeded to the MM-IV and is different from the Polgar, in the user interface aspect and also probably in the game style. It has an ELO level of and that's a performance on a first generation processor. The benefit was ELO from to A small switch behind the module is used to change from one software to the other.

Both software won tactical force keeping their game style. I replayed the MM-IV test game on the turbo and the difference was small: 2 switched answers move 7 and 8 and only one different move in the end of the opening knight in c6 instead of d7. The MM-V turbo played differently at the 3rd move so I played a new test game.

It's a very high level software. This one is at 10 MHz, 2 time faster than the original module. The MM-V here accelerated at 10 MHz is one of my favourite chess software with a very human style in the middle game. When it was adapted to a Risc processor that was a lot more powerful, it became world champion in This software is also known under the name Gideon.

The module looks like the Polgar. The power adapter is plugged directly on the module. The hardware is fragile. Sometime, it has difficulties to switch on and it's important to use the original power adaptor. This game was sold inside its business case with the logo Mephisto: I first had the Risc 1. I did have great difficulties to beat it during this test game.

When I received the Risc II, I first replayed the same game where it played differently: the game style is very different, mainly around the way to play the Queen. I tested it a lot during the summer Here is my first victory then A variant with minor differences and last but not least probably the most beautiful game I ever played , won after a lot of trials and take back. But they also designed a set of nice wooden games visible on this photo page on flickr.

The CXG Chess is from It is based on a 16Kb software on a 6MHz Z80 processor. The programmer is Richard Lang It is not very strong elo but it plays a nice game style and it is not so easy to beat when the average time is 3mn30 per move. After the Roma, the software "world champion" was rewritten following the state of the art rules of software programming to improve the level of functionality, the game level and to ease any further enhancement.

Here is a test game : It has some difficulty to see risk situations after 4 or 5 moves in advance. Mephisto Montreal The Mephisto Montreal is from It includes a variant of the Mephisto Roma with a better way to display game levels: alphanumeric instead of numbers.

The chessboard looks like a Mephisto Exclusive but the module is fixed. This chessboard is a bit damaged in the middle squares. Here is a test game Mephisto Almeria 16 bits The Almeria is the first software by Richard Lang from the second "world champion" serie.

Here it's the 16 bits release inside a Mephisto Exclusive board. It's a very strong player - with a very nice game style -more than ELO but its hardware is limited compared to the one of the real turnament machine used in Almeria. This turnament machine is rated more than ELO. Here is a very interesting description of the tournament machine from the "chess computer UK" website.

This software will not change so much later. I tested it on a game played with the Vancouver 16 bits There are only very little differences. Here is this test game. It's a very strong software around ELO. Here is a test game showing well its game style: some unusual openings, a powerful middle game and some small weaknesses in finales. The world championship was in France and this game was probably targeted for the French market, usually sold with a user manual in French and German.

But this game includes the Vancouvers manual, in English and German. Theorically, it's a software very similar to the Vancouver one. So I replayed the 2 games already won against the Vancouver and there are only small differences. In the first game at 2 mn per move , the game was identical until the move 29, that was a desesperate move because the Lyon was begining to lose.

In the second game at 3 mn per move , the game was identical only until the move 12, in the end of the opening phase and of course, the follow up was different.

I also started to replay the game against the Mephisto Portorose 32 bits but I found also small differences: in the opening move 3 then at the 11th move.

And in , another variant became world champion and was distributed under the name London. The world champion serie is the result of a teamwork: a software from Richard Lang, a huge opening library developped by Ossi Weimer, tests made by strong players and of course a powerfull hardware. From the start, the world champion serie was available on a powerfull hardware at an expensive price.

It was also available on a 32 bits , rated Elo and on a 36 MHz, rated Elo the one used for the world championship. The electronic board looks very clean. It's my prefered software because it has a very nice playing style and because it's a very good tool to learn. I found an opening with a very small white advantage, so I was able to beat him in these 2 test games: Game 1 2mn per move and Game 2 3mn per move.

When it attacks, it takes some risks and when the opposite player is able to find the best defense, he can step by step build an advantage. Of course, it's easier when he cheats using the take back function so easy to use. A very nice attack starting with one pawn at move 14 with sacrifice of one rook against a bishop just after. It's a game in the middle of the Vancouver 32 bits and the Mephisto Genius It's an improved release of the Vancouver with a faster processor 24 Mhz instead of 12 and a bigger opening library.

It's a downgraded release of the Genius because the processor is a It's a very strong software, very agressive, but I found a weakness in this test game.

It's a very good software, with many options varrying the game style. This time I tested the option to open the collumn in front of the h rook by doubling the pawns in g. It was designed for a PC under Windows 3. It still works today without problem on the most recent PC.

It's a complete program, with master games, hashtables etc. When the game level raised, around , he stopped to develop chess software. But there was probably stocks of the Chess Challenger 8 "The classic" because in the end of the 80s, this software was repackaged in lower cost games. The Gambit is derived from the Chess Challenger 8 - similar to "the classic" - but it was published in It's still a weak software, as you can see in this test game.

To my mind, it's the most beautiful of the designer serie. We do not understand why Fidelity did not chose a better program for such a low price computer chess.

He reused the Fidelity Phantom patent on this Excalibur Mirage from