Chess computers in popular culture

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

I don't think this has been posted before, but in Outer Limit's first 90ies season, episode three, the wheel-chaired engineer plays chess with yet another MB robot (this chess set was a movie star!):

Hilarious Julien

What model is this dedicated chess device

[JuLieN]

What model is this dedicated chess device

You'll have to ask Steve: he would tell the difference between the three models two miles away with naked eyes

[lucasart]

As I stumbled upon a chess computer story while reading a comic strip, I thought it would be a good idea to make a thread about chess computers and popular culture. Have you done such an encounter, then please share it with us.

Here's my finding. It comes from one of my favorite french/belgian comic strips : Génial Olivier. Olivier is a mischievous genius kid, always inventing new things (mostly designed to annoy his teacher, but not only). It first was published in the Spirou comic strips magazine on August the 8th, 1963, and up to the death of his author, Jacques Devos, in the early 90ies. It has been remorselessly ripped off by the American TV program "Jimmy Neutron" (even his robot dog was copied! )



Raw Translation

[0] Title:
Echec au fou : this is a word play, as the "bishop" is called "fou" (crazy/joker) in french. It means "check to the crazy/joker".

[1] First square:
Igor : Hi, Olivier and his friend.
Olivier: Oh! Hello Igor, please step in!
Flafla: Hello!

[2] Second square:
olivier: Igor Titurbine is a russian friend! He is a fanatic of chess. He received a new chess computer from a japanese diplomat. Right, Igor?
Igor: Da! But... Errr... To tell the truth... Errr...

[3] Third square:
Igor: Da-da! My tjapanese friend Tora Pathkado ("Uwont Getagift") gave to me! Him verrrry nice and me verrry happy receiving machine. Now its is kaputt!

[4] Fourth square:
Igor: This machine I defeating it in seven moves game and it say strange word! Me not understand!

[5] Fifth square:
Flafla: A talking machine?
Olivier: My friend, today, electronic devices talk, commenting your moves using a synthetic voice.
Flafla: Come on! Come on!

[6] Sixth square:
Igor : Machine said "c'est beaucoup" (it's a lot) afterrr me defeating it; then look, machine splitting in two! Look!?
Flafla: My goodness!
Olivier: Rats! "c'est beaucoup" is not a coined chess terminology!

[7] Seventh square:
Flafla: Eh! Are you sure this was this sentence? What if it was in a foreign language?
Olivier: That's possible! Let's check my universal electronic translator.
Igor: Boje moï.

[8] Eighth square:
Flafla: but why did this chessboard exploded in two parts like that?
Igor: this big big mysterrrium!
Olivier: Let's see?

[9] Ninth square:
Olivier: Careful, friends! I'm giving the sentence to my translator : "c'est beaucoup!"

[10] Tenth square:
Translator: Trik-trik-trik-trik-trik-trik! In-cor-rect pr--noun-cia-tion! Spea-ker pro-ba-bly meant "sé-pou-kou"!...
Igor: Yaas! This being this!

[11] Eleventh square:
Translator: "Seppuku" : noble name for "hara-kiri"! End. Trik-trik-trik!
Igor: Nitchevo!
Olivier: Yet another cultural conquest by electronics! Pfff!

lol, I loved the sepuku joke... a typical japanese computer. Unfortunately the joke just doesn't translate in English, as the rime doesn't work

maybe I can program a sepuku function in DoubheCheck: when it's losing, instead of continuing to play, it will crash and the executable argv[0] will be deleted. I can also declare a sepuku option to the UCI interface

Code: Select all

option name Sepuku type check default false

so it will lose in a true samurai way

The sepuku option would be a novelty going somewhat further than the usual resign xboard option

[Steve B]

What model is this dedicated chess device

You'll have to ask Steve: he would tell the difference between the three models two miles away with naked eyes

Looks like the Fidelity Phantom to me Julien
model 6100
might be the Fidelity Eyeball Chesster Phantom( model 6126) but i would need to see the front of the unit (facing the player) where the "eyes" or motion detectors were located

Squinting Regards
Steve

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

What model is this dedicated chess device

You'll have to ask Steve: he would tell the difference between the three models two miles away with naked eyes

Looks like the Fidelity Phantom to me Julien
model 6100
might be the Fidelity Eyeball Chesster Phantom( model 6126) but i would need to see the front of the unit where the "eyes" or motion detectors were located

Squinting Regards
Steve

Thanks buddy....

It looks pretty much solid and heavy device....at least that's my impression from the picture....
Dr.D

[JuLieN]

It looks pretty much solid and heavy device....at least that's my impression from the picture....
Dr.D

It is about the same computer as the one in this picture:
http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopi ... =&start=20
So you can have a closer view

I guessed it was used so often in movies/series because it's a robotized computer: the chess pieces move by themselves.

[Steve B]

It looks pretty much solid and heavy device....at least that's my impression from the picture....
Dr.D

It is about the same computer as the one in this picture:
http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopi ... =&start=20
So you can have a closer view

I guessed it was used so often in movies/series because it's a robotized computer: the chess pieces move by themselves.

It could be the MB Phantom but by the early 1990's the Milton Robot would be a very old computer as it was released in the early 1980's
The Fidelity Phantom Robots were released in the late 1980's-early 1990's and would have been much easeir to buy for the shooting of the movie

Upgrades Regards
Steve

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

It looks pretty much solid and heavy device....at least that's my impression from the picture....
Dr.D

It is about the same computer as the one in this picture:
http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopi ... =&start=20
So you can have a closer view

I guessed it was used so often in movies/series because it's a robotized computer: the chess pieces move by themselves.

Wow,it looks like a piano more than a dedicated chess device
Dr.D

[Steve B]

It looks pretty much solid and heavy device....at least that's my impression from the picture....
Dr.D

It is about the same computer as the one in this picture:
http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopi ... =&start=20
So you can have a closer view

I guessed it was used so often in movies/series because it's a robotized computer: the chess pieces move by themselves.

Wow,it looks like a piano more than a dedicated chess device
Dr.D

its not all that big Dr.D
fit perfectly on ones desk
no bigger then a full tournament sized board..but taller of course
here's an overhead view of it..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@N ... 0922174592

Bird's Eye View Regards
Steve

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

It looks pretty much solid and heavy device....at least that's my impression from the picture....
Dr.D

It is about the same computer as the one in this picture:
http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopi ... =&start=20
So you can have a closer view

I guessed it was used so often in movies/series because it's a robotized computer: the chess pieces move by themselves.

Wow,it looks like a piano more than a dedicated chess device
Dr.D

its not all that big Dr.D
fit perfectly on ones desk
no bigger then a full tournament sized board..but taller of course
here's an overhead view of it..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10261668@N ... 0922174592

Bird's Eye View Regards
Steve

Aha....that's more lke it

A beauty never the less regards,
Dr.D