The Fidelity Prestige is another Classic chess computer from the early 1980s. It used the impressive and beautiful Auto Response Board from AVE Micro Systems, added the LED display that was to be continued through the Elite series, and the latest Spracklen program. The whole package made for the most luxurious and playable chess computer available at the time. It cost around $1000 in the USA, but £879 in the UK in 1983 (£2000 plus at 2008 values).

This Prestige is serial number 216. The number is on the back of the machine, on the rather unlovely original box, and on the chess piece box. It is complete with the PC16 Book Openings II module, containing an opening book of 16,100 ply.

Being an early example it has the original program (A in the UK), rather than the Budapest (B) or Glasgow (C) programs which later Prestiges would have had. According to Kurt Kispert’s Rarities section around 1,000 Prestiges were built.

The one you see here came via USA Ebay.