REALLY THE BEST? (10 june 2005)
In yesterday's weblog, you could read how I paid 160 dollars for a 72-dollar computer.
Talking Touch Chess
But this computer was claimed to be the World's Best Portable Chess Computer. A good way to find out how much truth there is in this claim is by pitting it against another computer.
A good opponent -- which had cost me less (105 euros) -- was Novag Star Ruby, not exactly the most user-friendly computer in the market. But how well would it play against the World's Best Portable Chess Computer?
Novag Star Ruby
OK, here are the five games they played:
In the first game, on black's 69th move, the rook tries to attack the black pawns from behind, but is closed in.
Game 1
White: Novag Star Ruby
Black: Excalibur Talking Touch chess
Game 2
White: Excalibur Talking Touch chess
Black: Novag Star Ruby
Game 3
On the 27th move, the black knight captures the pawn on f2, but is punished for his greed.
White: Novag Star Ruby
Black: Excalibur Excalibur Talking Touch chess
Game 4
It can sometimes be comfortable to have two knights that defend each other ... unless (as we see on the 26th move) one of them is attacked by a pawn and the other can be captured by the queen:
White: Excalibur Excalibur Talking Touch chess
Black: Novag star Ruby
Game 5
After 33 moves, black seems to be no more than one pawn down, but his pawns are scattered around and easy prey for white's rooks.
White: Novag Star Ruby
Black: Excalibur Excalibur Excalibur Talking Touch chess
Although the Excalibur computer lost all the games, it did not play like a beginner. But would you still call it the World's Best Portable Chess Computer?
