Excalibur Deluxe Talking Touch Chess - the bug list

[JonP01]

After much experience with the Excalibur Deluxe Talking touch Chess, I have been able to create a list of bugs as follows:


1. The unit does not permit legal castling under certain circumstances. If either the King or castling Rook have been moved (except in an actual castling move itself) and then the moves are taken back to a point in the game prior to when either or both of these pieces were moved, the unit will no longer accept castling as legal.

Hypothetical example to demonstrate the bug:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 a6
4 Kf1 axb6

now takeback black's pawn capture and white's King move. Hereafter the unit will no longer permit legal castling.

2. The unit always loses on time in the instance where tournament time controls are used and the game equals or exceeds the number of moves in the selected time control (in a test of approximately 40 games at 40 moves in 2 hours, the unit either lost all of them on time or the games were decided before move 40.


3. The in-built countdown clock display corrupts when - using tournament time controls - the total number of minutes remaining on the clock is 200 minutes 0 seconds or greater. This will occur when the time control "refreshes". For example, in a game at 40 moves in 2 hours, if one or both players has 80 minutes or more on their clock after completing move 40, the clock displays will corrupt and become unintelligle. If both players, howver, have 79 minutes and 59 seconds or less on the clock at move 40, the clocks will not corrupt. Obviously this bug is more likely to occur the longer the time control or where time handicap games are played.


4. The in-built countdown clock display corruption when, using tournament time controls, either side loses on time. This occurs should the user wish to play on for some reason (and there are many legitmate reasons for wanting to continue the game - one very good reason being that the unit loses on time in most situations to begin with - which is why any other unit I have come across allows continuation of the game after a time forfeit).


5. The in-built countdown clock display corruption when, using tournament time controls, either side completes the last move of the time control at the same time their clock reaches 0 seconds. For example, on numerous occasions I have noted the unit completes it’s 40th move at the same time it’s clock reaches 0 seconds. The unit (correctly or not?) does record this as a forfeit for itself, so perhaps this issue is covered in item # 4 above anyway.

6. Display corruption on the lower portion of the LCD display after the unit has been left on for extended periods. I have noted that irrelevant segments can light up on the LCD display below the chessboard after the unit has been left on for extended periods. Usually this involves periods of around 4 hours or more, so it is quite a likely scenario at longer time controls.

As far as I am concerned, I consider this list of bugs to be unacceptable in a production unit. Since Excalibur's incoming customer email system appears to be set on "auto delete", I have taken the trouble to list the above bugs in much greater detail and have sent a formal, snail mail letter to Excalibur instead. At least if it goes through the shredder they will have had the inconvenience of having to open it, quickly read it and then wait for the shredder to gulp it down.


Jonathan

[Steve B]

well Jon your not gonna like my repsonse to your post .. but here goes anyway..

as a player or as someone wanting to pit the DTTC against other computers then i can feel your pain and you are right to be disappointed

but..as a collector...the unit is what it is..
bugs and all

there were MANY chess computers released over the years with varying types of bugs of every description

fora collector it just makes things interesting and sets apart one computer from the next

if i were to send of a letter of complaint to every company that released a computer with bugs in it i would have no time left to play the things in the first place

just offering you a different perspective on things is all

Alternatively yours regards
Steve

[Graham Banks]

I agree with Jon's perspective.

These particular faults are inexcusable.

[Steve B]

I agree with Jon's perspective.

These particular faults are inexcusable.

well then ..there is a BUG report page on Wiki
where anyone can post bugs:

http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/index.php/Bugs


Robert i am sure can help with the mechanics of how to make the entry

Steve