Hello from Fabrice

Our members could tell us how they became chess computers amateurs...

Moderators: Sargon72, CHVL, fdimeglio

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fdimeglio
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Full Name: Fabrice
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Hello from Fabrice

Unread post by fdimeglio » Sun Feb 02, 2020 4:05 pm

Hello Maurice, Hans and all,

I am Fabrice, French, leaving in California and I am found of Chess computers since I am about 8yo, meaning the early 70s...

I learned Chess around 3yo and wanted a computer because I would be able to play with it all the time (my grand father and father were not always available for playing with me). It also made me be interested in many kind of computers (HP calculators or early desktop computers for example - I have a decent collection of HP calculators actually) and put me on the path of software engineering and Artificial Intelligence. I am a Physics Engineer and a dropped out Phd in AI but I spent all my professional career as a Software Engineer. If you have an Android phone, you are probably running some of my code ;-)

The first chess computer I could see in real was the famous blue Boris Diplomat at my school's Chess club. Looked amazing and kinda mysterious at that time. Later on, as I was subscribed to the French magazine called "Jeux Et Strategies" (I have all of its printed issues) and I was loving all the news about chess computers and their progression.

The second one I met in person was the real Mephisto Brikett (Mephisto 1) when I was in Munchen in 1980. I could play with it during a demo done in a store. That was super fun but I could not afford it as it was too expensive for me.

Well, after I got my first job and salary I bought ... a Mephisto Vancouvers 16bit and played 5min blitz "non stop" with it for about 6 months and went to the local Chess club in Toulouse and defeated two GMs at blitz... I decided to stop playing Chess at that time as it would have been difficult to have a normal life.

Later on, I did some chess machines testing for a small Chess magazine in Paris and I got to play with the Renaissance Sparc or the Tasc R30 for example and a few others famous ones.

Funnily I contracted the Othello / Reversi "virus" and trained and played a lot and became one of the world top player and retired from competitions in 2005.

My initial machine collection started with the Vancouver 16bit and then I got a Milano and a Novag Saphire II and then a TASC board for playing with Chess Genius 1.0 and others on my desktop machine. I sold most of them (stupid move) when I moved from France to the US.

My current collection is mainly composed of wood machine including Mephistos (I have quite a few modules and several Exclusive / Munchen / Modular boards and also Montreal(s) and Monte Carlo, an Atlanta, a Milano Pro and of course Brikett 1 and 2). I have also one Revelation II (serial #8 with the extra AE module) and all emulations, a Revelation Module Set in a Munchen board (this one exactly: https://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/i ... Module_Set). I have also all the last Millenium wood machines (Chess Genius Exclusive, King Lasker and King Performance), a DGT Centaur and a DGT USB board (one of the first) and then a few others like a Chafitz Morphy Encore, SciSys CC MK V, Boris Master + Diplomat (several versions), a real Fidelity CC1 (yes no typo), an Excel 68K and a few other Fidelity machines (CC7, SCC 9, 12, 12B).

For games other than Chess, I have several Fidelity Reversi Challengers (of course !), Checkers, Backgammon, Saitek Backgammons and a few bridge ones too. I also have an Odin cartridge for the GGM (but no more any GGM) and the original Othello cartridge for the Gameboy (given to me when I went to Japan in 2005 for playing the Othello Meijin tournament)

The machine I like the most in my collection is actually the Mephisto Amsterdam in an Exclusive board (and a very sturdy Mountain Case) as it was the first consumer machine to cross the mythical 2000 Elo points.

I want to say that I like the ChessEval site because there is quite a lot of unique and interesting infos about rare chess machines. Maurice collection is indeed amazing !!

Feel free to contact me anytime thru a PM. BTW I am searching a nice Fidelity Dames 10x10 and a Mephisto Glasgow :-)

Cheers,

Fabrice

CHVL
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Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:02 pm
Location: Los Altos, CA
Full Name: Maurice M Ohayon
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Re: Hello from Fabrice

Unread post by CHVL » Sun Feb 02, 2020 6:14 pm

Hi Fabrice,

Welcome to the ChessEval Forum.
We share a lot of common characteristics: French, living in California, in the Bay Area, near San Francisco and... a common passion for Chess.

I am thinking... I would be curious to know how many other collectors are from California..
... and first, as members of our forum and second at large...

I hope you will enjoy our forum.
It would be interesting to know what are the dedicated computers you have presently in your collection: you have a special section to do it on the Forum.
See you soon,

Maurice

fdimeglio
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Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2020 7:44 pm
Full Name: Fabrice
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Re: Hello from Fabrice

Unread post by fdimeglio » Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:21 pm

Hello Maurice,

Thank you ... yes, and our first names have the same ending letters ;-)

All the machines I mentioned in my post are effectively in my possession and I surely missed a few of them too.

Let me know how I can add that to your collector pages.

Cheers,

Fabrice

CHVL
Posts: 519
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:02 pm
Location: Los Altos, CA
Full Name: Maurice M Ohayon
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Re: Hello from Fabrice

Unread post by CHVL » Sun Feb 02, 2020 8:06 pm

Very simple: go in the section collectors and create a new topic with a title including your name.
This is the same way that you created the present topic.
kr,

Maurice

fdimeglio
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Full Name: Fabrice
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Re: Hello from Fabrice

Unread post by fdimeglio » Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:14 pm

Sorry Maurice, don't quite understand what you mean by "go to the section collectors and create a new topic". I can see that page :

http://chesseval.com/ChessEvalJournal/Intro.htm

but then I don't see how I can create a new topic/page.

Fabrice

fdimeglio
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Re: Hello from Fabrice

Unread post by fdimeglio » Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:24 pm

Also, concerning other collectors, I think there is also Greg aka "fourthirty" from HIARCS (http://hiarcs.net/forums/profile.php?mo ... ile&u=2716). There maybe some others.

Maybe we should try creating a small meetup with all the California or Bay Area collectors.

Cheers,

Fabrice

CHVL
Posts: 519
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:02 pm
Location: Los Altos, CA
Full Name: Maurice M Ohayon
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Re: Hello from Fabrice

Unread post by CHVL » Mon Feb 03, 2020 10:22 pm

Sorry, I was speaking of the collections of our members on the Forum.
For the ChessEval Journal, it is a little more complicated and i have to integrate your page on the ChessEval website, but it is feasible: I need your text in a Microsoft word document.
Maybe we should try creating a small meetup with all the California or Bay Area collectors.
Great idea!
A small meeting of all the Bay Area collectors is handsome...
You are in charge? :)
Best,

Maurice
[/quote]

Sargon72
Posts: 112
Joined: Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:52 am
Location: Netherlands
Full Name: Hans van Mierlo
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Re: Hello from Fabrice

Unread post by Sargon72 » Sat Feb 08, 2020 4:05 am

Hello Fabrice,

Welcome to the Forum!
U have a nice collection
Ah sounds great ,tournament at the Bay area in CA ,to far for mine Car :lol:
This is a dream of me to go to USA and visit Maurice and maybe other collectors ,also to see the USA
But of course wife will come with me.
Looking forward to interesting topics ,discussions

Kr,Hans

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