Saitek Renaissance
(with Brute Force module)

This is a nice Saitek Renaissance board. Close to mint condition apart from a bump to the rear corner shown in the photograph. It is working correctly and has the original Renaissance manual, copy Brute Force manual, chesspieces with their wooden box, power adaptor, outer box and packaging, all as shown in the photos.
The board is Sparc compatible.
The standard Renaissance program without the addition of a module has a rating of 1729 Elo (Source - Selective Search) but its strength is greatly improved by the Brute Force module. With a program by Frans Morsch, this module adds another 32 levels, up to 256KB for hash tables and 100,000 opening ‘sequences’ according to the manual and has a rating of 2022 Elo.

Price - £800
SOLD

Fidelity Sensory SE12

The Sensory SE12 is a Special Edition Fidelity which bridged the gap between the original Sensory 12 (3Mhz, Budapest program) and the Sensory 12B (4MHz, improved program). The SE12 processor runs at 3.6MHz and the program is the Budapest with slight improvements, according to Computer Chess Digest 1985. No doubt it was released to seek an advantage over the then recently upgraded Novag Constellation 3.6MHz. You can read about the SE12 and the other Sensory 12s here (link).

The one for sale is in good, fully working condition. It comes with a set of the original plastic chesspieces, copy manual and adaptor (Euro type).

The SE12 was soon superceded by the 12B and therefore is quite rare, particularly so in Europe.

Price - £90
SOLD
 

Peri Beta

Peri chess computers were manufactured in small numbers in Austria. All five models are rare, though the Beta is easier to find than the Alpha, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon. It has the same electronics and Ron Nelson program as the Fidelity Designer 1500. Its advantage over the Fidelity being the quality of the build and accessories and, for German speakers, the German manual.

This Beta is in very good condition and comes with the original manual, chesspieces and box. It works correctly with 4 x AA batteries or adaptor (not supplied).

Price - £100
 

Elektronika IM-01T

A brief review of Soviet Bloc chess computers can be found here (link) and there is a webpage about the IM-01T in my ‘Rare’ section (link).

Whilst more IM-01Ts are now finding their way onto Ebay it is still quite a rare chess computer outside Russia. It now has a page on Schachcomputer.info but has yet to acquire a rating.

This IM-01T is in very good condition. It works perfectly though the display is typically slightly askew and the 4th character a little dimmer than the others. It works from an integral power supply with the attached cable and Euro plug normally stored in the rear compartment. Included are a good condition manual and a rear compartment cover, but no chesspieces.

Price - £75

SOLD
 

Destiny Mini Master?

Very little difference between a Destiny Prodigy and a Mini Master. However the Mini Master is rare (link).

It is a strong portable for 1982, the year in which it was released. The current Schachcomputer.info rating is 1570 Elo. It is also a very responsive chess computer. Easy to play whether you use the peg sensory board or just the keypad, and possibly unique in having both methods of input?

This one is in very good condition, fully working though not tried with a mains adaptor. It uses 6 x ‘C’ batteries (not supplied). It comes with the box, packaging, copy Mini Master (German) and Prodigy (English) manuals, chesspieces and plastic lid all as shown in the photos.

Price - £60              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 onto 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. It works with 3 x ‘AA’ batteries (not supplied).

Price - £50               SOLD
 

Fidelity Elite A/S ‘A’

A nostalgalic photograph (above), the hexadecimal evaluation taking you back to the early days of wooden auto sensory chess computers. This is an Elite A/S ‘A’, which is somewhat rarer than the Elite A/S Budapests or Glasgows which followed. It has the original Dan & Kathe Spracklen Prestige program rated 1688 Elo by Selective Search.

This Elite is in very good condition as can be seen from the photographs. It is fully working and comes with the original set of chesspieces, original English manual and power adaptor (US type) which is heavily taped but works well.

I bought one of these in May 1984 and have played more games of chess with it than with any other chess computer. The strong program (for that time), the rotating display of information, control over sound including speech, the printer output and the well made and attractive board all made for a classic of the breed.

Price - £500
SOLD
 

Mephisto Mega IV

The Mega IV dates from 1988. It contains a strong Ed Schroder 8-bit program rated 1931 Elo by Selective Search.

The one for sale is in very good condition. It is working correctly either with a mains adaptor or 4 x ‘AA’ batteries (not supplied). It comes with the original pieces as shown and a copy of the German manual. English manuals for similar Schroder programs can be found online.

Price - £60                 SOLD
 

Fidelity Sensory 9B

The Sensory 9 was a classic chess computer of its day (1982/83). With a Dan & Kathe Spracklen program it was rated 1528 Elo by Selective Search. The 9A, which ran at
1.5MHz, was then superceded by the 9B running a version of the Budapest program at 2.0MHz in October 1983.

The item for sale is a high serial number 9B. It is in very good condition, and works correctly with the supplied adaptor (USA type) or 4 x ‘C’ batteries. It comes with the box, styrofoam tray, chesspieces and manual shown.

                          Swapped
 

SciSys Rapier

This is another chess computer which is reasonably hard to find. It appears in only a few collections and there are not a lot of sales on Ebay outside the UK.

It provides a hobby/beginner standard of chess from the 4 bit program. The Rapier runs on one CR2032 battery.

The item for sale includes the original box, chess pieces and manual in English. It is fully working and in very good condition.

Price  -  £25
 

SciSys Chess Partner 4000

The Chess Partner 4000 features an unusual method for setting the level of play, a sliding lever. Although a mass market beginner’s machine they are not easy to find these days, especially with the box.

This one includes the box, a set of original pieces and manual. It is fully working.

Operates off a 9V battery (not supplied).

Price - £15
 

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 - £15
 

CXG Computachess II

In good condition and fully working, this Computachess II comes with the chesspieces, copy manual and box. It works with either an adaptor or 4 ‘AA’ batteries (not supplied).

Price - £10
SOLD
 

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, batteries plus a spare set of batteries!

There is some corrosion in the battery compartment but this does not affect its working.

Price - £30                 SOLD
 

Novag Micro II

The Novag Micro II is an early portable dating from 1982.
It has a Dave Kittinger program and faster hardware than the original Novag Micro.

This one comes with the perspex lid, chesspieces and a copy of the manual (in German). It runs off 4 x AA batteries or adaptor (not supplied) and is in very good fully working condition.

Price - £15
 

SciSys Explorer

The Explorer is one of the nicest portables built in the first few years of chess computer production, in terms of looks, solid functional design, handy size and features. It also has the 4K Kaare Danielsen program.

This one comes as it is with the perspex lid and chesspieces, including spare pawns and queens. It is in very good, fully functional condition and works with 3 x AA batteries (not supplied).

Price - £15
 

Conchess Monarch 

This Conchess Monarch board comes complete with its original program module, power supply, manual, chess pieces, box and styrofoam trays.

The program, by Ulf Rathsmann, is rated 1539 Elo at Active Chess by Schachcomputer.info Wiki.

Whilst this Monarch plays a full game of chess and all features are working there are two LEDs, at g2 and c3, which are not lighting. Therefore I am selling the chess computer as faulty.

The board itself is in fair condition with some scratches and bumps around the edges.

Price - £125               SOLD
 

Fidelity Thermal Printer

This is a very rare item and is offered in the hope that someone can take on the challenge of repairing it back to full working order.

The pictures show that the printer does in fact print but it does not correctly print out either the board or the moves. Also its printing is very slow.

In other respects the item is in good condition. It comes with a roll of thermal paper and the paper holder, but not the Fidelity SE12 it is attached to in the photo (right).

Price - £100
SOLD
 

Fidelity CB9      (Challenger Book Openings 1)

One of those hard to find Fidelity openings modules that is compatible with the Sensory 9, Sensory 12, Elegance, Elite A/S, Elite Privat and Private Line, Playmatic S, early Elite Avant Gardes and the Prestige (with adaptor).

The CB9 contains 8.160 positions, divided among 381 lines played to an average depth of 30 ply. It is the narrower and deeper of the CB9 and CB16 openings module pair.

This module has been tested and is working fine. It comes with a copy of the manual.

Price - £100
SOLD
 

Conchess Library Module

It took me the best part of ten years to acquire my first one of these. Every collector seems to have items which elude them. This was one of mine.

The Library module is fitted in the Conchess spare module slot and works alongside the standard program module replacing its very restricted opening book. The Library module contains about 3,000 positions and selects at random playing the more popular/better lines more often and can handle transpositions. A list of the openings which can be played is included in the technical guide.

The module has been tested and is working correctly and comes with a copy of the technical guide.

Price - £75

SOLD