Tasc R30 ( with SB20 Smartboard)

The Tasc R30 was the highest rated dedicated chess computer available on  general sale during the 1990s. The last and finest example of the breed, before PC chess programs  killed the high end market for wooden chess  computers. The Tasc R30 is still the strongest dedicated chess computer  available second-hand (Elo 2330 - Selective Search), apart from low volume specials.

Smartboards for the R30 incorporated  individual piece recognition. They were produced in two forms. The SB20  with 64 LEDS, one per square, and the SB30 with 81 LEDS, one at each corner of each square. The original Johan de Koning program (v2.2) was  upgraded in 1995 with the version 2.5 program.

The Tasc R30 for  sale here has a SB20 Smartboard and the v2.5 program. It is in full  working order and very good condition. There are few blemishes, the  worst  some minor scrapes/scratches to the back edge of the board shown  in the photo (below right).

The Tasc comes complete with the set  of chess pieces, velvet chesspiece bag, manual (in English), power  supply, connecting lead and box for the computer unit. All as shown in  the photos.

Price - £1500                  SOLD
 

Fidelity Elite Avant Garde 2100
(model 6088)

The 2100 was the first Avant Garde sold widely outside the USA. It was  released in 1986 and included the Par Excellence program currently rated 1875 on the Wiki Active list.

This Avant Garde 2100 is in good cosmetic condition and excellent working order. It does have some feint lightspots as can be seen in the photos.  It comes with the manual and 2100 addendum, original chesspieces and  adaptor (UK type). All as shown in the photos.

Price - £600           SOLD
 

SPS Partner

The SPS Partner is a clone of the Fidelity Excellence, but a very rare one  indeed. It was manufactured in Bulgaria in 1986 and you can read about it here (link), where you can see other pictures of the item for sale.

This SPS Partner is in good fully working condition. The manual (copy) is in Russian though an English Excellence manual copy will also be provided. The Partner runs from a normal Euro type adaptor. It comes with the  adaptor, leather case and small wooden chess set, all original issue.

Price - £175         SOLD
 

SciSys Courier V

The Courier V is a very rare version of the SciSys Travel Mate II. Few have found their way into collections or on to Ebay. They were distributed mainly or exclusively in France.

This one is in good fully  working condition.  It comes with a copy of the manual (in French) and a Travel Mate II manual copy in English can also be provided if required. It works with 3 x AA  batteries (not supplied).

Price - £50          SOLD
 

SciSys Chess Partner 6000

The Chess Partner 6000 seems to be exceptionally rare. Until 2008 there  were no examples in  collections published on the internet, nor to my  knowledge had anyone in the chess computer community actually seen one.  You can read more about it in an article by chess computer historian  Hein Veldhuis (link).

Like the other SciSys Chess Partners, the Chess Partner 6000 is a simple machine of very limited strength and features intended for the mass  market. It boasts only four levels of play and a press sensory board. In common with several other SciSys models it uses a Hitachi HD44801 4 bit singlechip running at 0.4 MHz  with 2KB of program ROM and  64 bytes of RAM and Mark Taylor’s (+David Levy) 4 bit chess program.

The  Chess Partner 6000 for sale is in good fully working condition. It comes  with the box, chess pieces and copy manual and uses 3 x AA batteries  (not included).

Price - £50
 

Fidelity Chess Challenger (CC1) As the very first chess computer to go on sale to the public the Chess  Challenger has a special place in history of chess computers. Only 1000  were built and the survivors probably amount to no more than two to  three hundred at this time. Hence the Chess Challenger has a lengthy  page devoted to it in the Rare section of this website (link). The Chess Challenger for sale (Serial Number - 22516) is in very good  condition and is functioning correctly (the last of the four digits is a little dimmer than the other three but this seems to be perfectly  normal CC1 behaviour). It comes with the original box and styrofoam  packaging, original manual in English, the original chesspieces and  integral power supply. Price - £175          SOLD

Tiger Grenadier

A very interesting chess computer with some advanced features including rating of your play, analysis, why not? blunder warnings and user  programmable evaluation functions. Currently rated at 1882 Elo in the  Wiki Active list  it shares with the identical but unreleased Millennium Genesis the only dedicated chess computer program written by Christian  Donninger. Chrilly Donninger was the main programmer for the Hydra  project whose aim pre-Rybka etc was chess world domination.

This  Grenadier is in excellent, fully working condition. It comes with the  box, original pieces and bag, and the four manuals in the photograph  (English, German, French and Dutch). It runs on six C€� batteries or a  suitable adaptor (not supplied).

Price - £100          SOLD
 

Novag Constellation

One of the strongest chess computers around when it first appeared in 1984. Currently rated 1695 on the Wiki Active Chess list.

The chess computer is in fully working order with some signs of wear and  tear. It comes with the box, the set of chesspieces and copy manual in  English. It works from six C batteries or suitable adaptor (not  supplied).

Price - £40            SOLD
 

Systema Talking Chess Professor

This model is similar to the Tiger Chess Voice Master. It features a voice  teaching mode, player rating system and 5,000 move opening book. It is  well built, comes with an informative manual and might suit someone who  is improving beyond the beginner stage.

This one is in very good  condition, fully working and comes with the box, chesspieces and manuals (in English). It requires 4 x AA batteries (not supplied).

Price - £12
 

Mephisto Teufelchen

This is a Chess King Pocket Micro De Luxe by any other name. Manufactured by Chess King and sold by Mephisto. They are not seen outside Germany very often.

This one is in good condition except for the plastic  damage shown in the photo (right). The damage is not very noticeable  when the chess computer board is opened and does not affect play. The  Teufelchen comes with the chesspieces, battery, pouch and copy manual in German.

Price - £10

SciSys Executive Chess

1981 vintage. An interesting early portable machine. Rated 1187 Elo on the latest Wiki Active list.

In good condition and perfect working order. Comes with the copy manual.  It runs off six AA batteries or adaptor (not supplied).

Price - £12

Vtech Chess Master

These are fairly rare. Similar idea to a Mattel Computer Chess but much smaller, measuring only 12.3 x 7.5 x 1.5 cm.

This one is in very good, fully working condition. It comes with the box, copy manual and batteries.

Price - £20        SOLD

Fidelity EOC openings module Extract from manual - “This module contains all the openings in which White plays 1.e4 and Black replies by pushing the King Pawn one or two squares. eg. French, Ruy Lopez, King’s Gambit, Vienna, Petroff, Scotch, Danish  Gambit.” The module is working correctly and comes with a copy of the  manual. Price - £60            SOLD

SciSys Sensor Chess
Hypermodern Super Strong cartridge

In addition to the hypermodern openings (Reti, English, Nimzovitch and  various fianchetto openings for white;  Pirc, Gruenfeld, Nimzo-Indian,  King’s Indian, Queen’s Indian, Modern and Alekhine for black) it is  claimed that the program extends these strategies into the middle game.  The cartridge also incorporates additional  hint and legal functions.  The manual is in English and German.

Price - £30         SOLD

Mephisto Manuals

Atlanta x 2 (G)
Milano Pro x 2 (G)
Milano (E,G)
Rebell 5.0 x 2 (E)
Portorose 16/32 bit (G)
Portorose 16/32 bit (E,G)
Mondial 68000XL x 2 (E)
Mondial 68000XL (F)
MM V (E,G)
Marco Polo (E)
Modular II/Exclusive II/Munchen II (G)
Modular IV/Exclusive IV/Munchen IV (G)
Modul HG 550 (G) (not shown in photo)

Novag Manuals Ruby (F,S,P) Sapphire x 2 (G) Diamond (G) Diamond II (copy) (E) Obsidian x 2 (S)

Fidelity Manuals

Designer Mach III Master x 2 (E)
Par Excellence x 2(E)
Voice Sensory (E)
Chess Challenger 10 (CCX) x 2 (E)