The Chesster Phantom “Eyeball” is one of the most entertaining of chess computers. In addition to the deliberately distracting comments of Chesster there is a movement sensor in the front of the machine which alerts Chesster to your presence. It will not be long before you suffer the “Hey you”... “Yes you”. “Come over here”.......... “Hi I’m Chesster. How about a nice game of chess..........”

For a video of the Eyeball try this from Ismenio Sousa’s website (link). It is 32 MB so takes a while to load, unless you have one of those fast connections I only hear about.

Kurt Kispert’s Rare section puts the numbers released at around 2,500. Four or five a year appear on Ebay, where they make around £500. In Ebay auctions chess computer enthusiasts vie with those who are just interested in having an entertaining showpiece in the lounge or study. Perhaps the more accurate description for the Eyeball is sought after rather than rare.

As with nearly all Eyeballs this one came from the USA and cost me $810.