On Robots

[Robert Weck]

Hello Steve,

I was surprised to read in the manual of the 2Robot, that the polarity of the DC-adaptor is center=positive! (i measured it and it is correct)

This is the first time, that a Novag chess computer needs this polarity! All other DC-Novags that i know, have center=negative!

So, you may not use any other Novag adaptor for the 2Robot!!

I think, that the voltage regulator was fried with this wrong adaptor...


Robert

P.S.: With the Diablo-adaptor you surely would have damaged the 2Robot, as it is an AC-adaptor and the 2Robot only can manage DC

[Steve B]

So, you may not use any other Novag adaptor for the 2Robot!!

I think, that the voltage regulator was fried with this wrong adaptor...
Robert

now you tell me

well the second 2Robot i bought had the right adaptor and worked perfectly
i used the correct adaptor on the first 2Robot and it is still dead as a door nail
so i am going to sue the pants off of the seller

Regards From The Elders(Legal Dept.)
Steve

[Robert Weck]

now you tell me

i just received my 2Robot yesterday, so no chance to warn you...

I played a testgame between the 2Robot and the CXG Star Chess (IMO the best 4KB-program)

It became a typical Star Chess/Enterprise S game: The Star Chess played well in the first stages (captured one pawn after the other from the 2Robot), but it managed to lose this easily won game!

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2008.11.29"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Novag 2Robot, lv we7 30s"]
[Black "CXG Star Chess, lv 7 30s"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[PlyCount "137"]
[SourceDate "2008.11.29"]

1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qe6+ 5. Be2 Qg6 6. Nf3 Qxg2 7. Rg1 Qh3 8.
Rg3 Qh6 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nb5 Na6 11. Nbxd4 Nc5 12. Bb5+ Bd7 13. Bxd7+ Nxd7 14.
Bd2 Qb6 15. Bc3 Ngf6 16. Qe2 Nd5 17. Rd1 Nxf4 18. Qd2 Nd5 19. Ne2 N7f6 20. Bd4
Ne4 21. Bxb6 Nxd2 22. Rxd2 Nxb6 23. Nf4 Nc4 24. Rd4 Nxb2 25. Ne5 f6 26. Ned3 e5
27. Re3 Be7 28. Nd5 Nxd3+ 29. Rdxd3 Kf7 30. Nxe7 Kxe7 31. h4 Rac8 32. Kd2 Rc4
33. h5 Rhc8 34. c3 Ra4 35. Rg3 Rxa2+ 36. Ke3 Kf8 37. Ke4 Ra4+ 38. Kf5 Rf4+ 39.
Ke6 Re8+ 40. Kd5 e4 41. Rde3 Rh4 42. Rh3 Re5+ 43. Kd4 Rxh3 44. Rxh3 e3 45. Rxe3
Rxh5 46. c4 Kf7 47. Ra3 Rh4+ 48. Kd5 Rh5+ 49. Kd6 a6 50. Re3 b5 51. c5 f5 52.
Re7+ Kf8 53. Kd7 f4 54. Re8+ Kf7 55. Re7+ Kf6 56. Re6+ Kf7 57. Re7+ Kg6 58. c6
f3 59. c7 Rd5+ 60. Kc6 f2 61. c8=Q f1=Q 62. Qe6+ Qf6 63. Kxd5 a5 64. Qe4+ Kg5
65. Re5+ Kh6 66. Qh1+ Qh4 67. Qxh4+ Kg6 68. Qh5+ Kf6 69. Qf5# 1-0


Surprisingly the 2Robot sacrificed a pawn in move nr. 6, where it easily could have protected it (Fritz 10 also found this sac very good, what surprised me even more! )


Robert

[Steve B]

And the final concluding game ...

was a wild melee with the 2Robot opening with the English and then going on a bizarre sacrificial rampage giving up a Queen and pawn for R+N
this time the Irresistible Phantom Force announces a mate in three at move 44

[Event "Chess Robot Match Of The Century"]
[Date "2008.11.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Novag 2Robot"]
[Black "Excalibur Phantom Force"]
[Time Control "1 Min Per Move"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.d4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Ndb5 O-O 7.Bf4 Ne4
8.Qd3 Nc5 9.Qd6 Nb3 10.Qxf8+ Qxf8 11.axb3 Nc6 12.O-O-O e5 13.Nc7
Rb8 14.Bd2 Nd4 15.N7d5 Nxb3+ 16.Kb1 Nxd2+ 17.Rxd2 Ba5 18.e3 d6 19.b4 Bd8 20.Bd3 a5 21.Rhd1 axb4 22.Nxb4 Ra8 23.Nbd5 Bg4 24.f3 Bd7 25.Rb2 Bc6 26.Bf5 Kh8 27.Ne4 g6 28.Bg4 f5 29.Bxf5 Qxf5 30.Rdd2 Kg7 31.Rbc2 Qe6 32.Rd3 Ra4 33.Nd2 b5 34.e4 bxc4 35.Nxc4 Bxd5 36.exd5 Rb4+ 37.Kc1 Bg5+ 38.Nd2 Qe7 39.Kd1 Qa7 40.Ke2 Qg1 41.Rc7+ Kh6 42.Rcc3 Qxg2+ 43.Kd1 Bxd2 44.Rb3 Rc4 45.Rb1 Qf2 46.Re3 Qxe3 47.Ra1 Qe1# 0-1

FINAL POSITION
[d] 8/7p/3p2pk/3Pp3/2r5/5P2/3b3P/R2Kq3 w - - 0 48[/fen]

FINAL SCORE 3-0..A clean sweep for the Force
chances are the 2Robot could not take 1/2 a point from the Phantom in 50 games


Wipe Out Regards
Steve

[Steve B]

I played a testgame between the 2Robot and the CXG Star Chess (IMO the best 4KB-program)

It became a typical Star Chess/Enterprise S game: The Star Chess played well in the first stages (captured one pawn after the other from the 2Robot), but it managed to lose this easily won game!

Surprisingly the 2Robot sacrificed a pawn in move nr. 6, where it easily could have protected it (Fritz 10 also found this sac very good, what surprised me even more! )

i am glad to see the 2Robot somehow manage to win a game
perhaps this is the first win ever for the 2Robot

this brings up an interesting question
which Robot is the weakest ever sold?
the Novag Adversary was rated about 1400 Elo and heretofore held the dubious honor of being the weakest
however its quite possible that it could be stronger then the 2Robot
sadly..both of my Adversary's are defective so this question must be answered by others
either way..the two weakest Robots were one armed bandits


4K4Ever Regards
Steve

[Robert Weck]

i am glad to see the 2Robot somehow manage to win a game
perhaps this is the first win ever for the 2Robot

this brings up an interesting question
which Robot is the weakest ever sold?
the Novag Adversary was rated about 1400 Elo and heretofore held the dubious honor of being the weakest
however its quite possible that it could be stronger then the 2Robot

could be a close battle; i would estimate the 2Robot also at around 1400


Robert

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[Steve B]

Well after that trouncing at the hands(claws) of the Phantom Force i guess the only question left unanswered for the 2Robot is .
is it stronger or weaker or the same as the Star Beryl which Novag shows as having all of the same hardware specs,and Rating?
so far the speculation is that perhaps the programs are basically the same ,with the 2Robot having a better book to compensate for some lost Engine code needed to operate the arm and related features

to try to answer this question i am holding another three game match
2Robot v Star Beryl
1 minute per move

Game one had the 2Robot forcing the SB's King into the center of the board early on and in a mating net
sadly the Robot lets the White King escape and then..even though up in material ..off the hook with a Perpetual

[Date "2008.11.30"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Novag Star Beryl"]
[Black "Novag 2Robot"]
[Time Control "1 Min. per Move"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.f3 c5 4.dxc5 d4 5.Ne4 Nxe4 6.fxe4 e6 7.Nf3 Bxc5 8.Bg5 Qb6 9.c3 dxc3 10.bxc3 Bf2+ 11.Kd2 Qb2+ 12.Kd3 Nd7 13.e3 b6 14.Rb1 Qxa2 15.Kd4 Qa3 16.Bb5 O-O 17.Bxd7 Bxd7 18.Qc2 Qc5+ 19.Kd3 Bb5+ 20.c4 Qd6+ 21.Ke2 Bxc4+ 22.Kxf2 Qd3 23.Rhc1 Qxc2+ 24.Rxc2 Bd3 25.Rcb2 Bxb1 26.Rxb1 Rfc8 27.Rd1 Rc2+ 28.Kg3 f6 29.Bf4 e5 30.Nxe5 g5 31.Ng4 gxf4+ 32.exf4 Kf7 33.Rd7+ Ke6 34.Rxh7 Rc3+ 35.Kf2 Rc2+ 36.Kf3 Rc3+ 37.Kf2 Rc2+ 38.Kf3 Rc3+ 39.Kf2
1/2-1/2

FINAL POSITION
[d] r7/p6R/1p2kp2/8/4PPN1/2r5/5KPP/8 w - - 0 39[/fen]

Game Two Soon Regards
Steve

[sje]

Still unanswered is the question of why Novag didn't spend an extra US$10 on the 2Robot to put in the same H8/300 processor that's in the Citrine that plays an honest 2000 elo with a 24 K opening book. And that H8 includes a serial port, too.

[Steve B]

also unanswered is why does the 2Robot manual say the arm movement can be disabled by simply toggling the "Takeback " key when its not nearly as easy as that ?
there is a whole series of keys that need to be pressed to disable the arm
trial and error is the only way to find it

Exhausted Regards
Steve