Chess Champion MK I

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NovCCM1.jpg
The Chess Champion MK I was Novag's first dedicated chess computer released in September 1978. It had a Fairchild F8 8-Bit processor running at 1.78 MHz, with 2 KiB ROM and 256 byte RAM.

The program was a clone of the Data Cash Systems Inc. CompuChess program, which was developed by David B. Goodrich & Associates [1] , while other sources assume David Levy was involved in the development [2] [3] .

Since the cloned software was already more than a year old, it was a weak program even for that early time. Additionally the program could only play with Black, accepted illegal moves, and could even play without Kings. With its strongest level 6, it usually replied not until several days with a move found [4]. It was marketed in the US by JS&A, and in Germany by Horten [5] and Quelle in different outward variations [6].
Chess Champion MK I [7]

Karpov Challenge

The MK I was sold in the USA by Joseph Sugarman's company as JS&A Chess computer. They challenged World Champion Anatoly Karpov and offered him $50,000 and a percentage of each unit sold. Karpov first rejected, and later accepted to endorse the game, but offered to let JS&A spend the money on advertisement to spread the word [8] [9] .

Legal Actions


Data Cash Systems vs JS&A

In 1979 Data Cash Systems took legal action against JS&A for breach of copyright [10] , which failed because it transpired that the copyright had not been adequately protected in terms of USA law [11] [12] [13] [14].

Karpov's Endorsement

In the meantime Peter Auge had made his own arrangements with Anatoly Karpov, presumably with connections to FIDE president Florencio Campomanes and Alfred Kinzel, president of the German Chess Federation [15] [16], who was also involved the weak computer was distinguished in Germany with a "King's Diplom" [17]. Karpov appeared as advisor on the original Novag MK I boxes [18] [19]. The internals of Karpov's Novag advertisement salaries, not only for the MK I, but also subsequently the Chess Champion MK II [20], and Chess Champion Super System III [21], went public during the World Chess Championship 1985 when a first Spiegel article appeared in September 30, 1985, which according to Karpov was discrediting him, and the disturbance of the Jungwirth case [22][23] was allegedly one reason he lost the title to Kasparov, losing three of nine games short after in October 1985. Karpov's former German representative Helmut Jungwirth [24] was impeached of misappropriation of Karpov's salary afterwards [25]. Accordant to a further Spiegel article [26], Peter Auge had transcribed 22 checks to Jungwirth, in total $446,177.50 from December 8, 1978 to January 17, 1981. Jungwirth claimed he paid Karpov partly cash and was also endowed for other services, which Karpov categorical denied at a hearing of witnesses in Berlin [27].
CCmk1.jpg
Novag Chess Champion MK 1, German Edition, Box with Karpov Endorsement
and "King's Diplom" from the German Chess Federation [28]

See also


Publications


External Links


References

  1. ^ CompuChess from Schachcomputer.info - Wiki
  2. ^ Scisys and Novag : The Early Years from Chess Computer UK by Mike Watters
  3. ^ Chess Champion Mk 1 by Tom Luif
  4. ^ Novag - Chess Champion MK I by Hein Veldhuis, Dutch and German pdf
  5. ^ Horten macht's möglich: Schach-Computer für 250 Mark, October 13, 1978 Computerwoche 42/1978 (German)
  6. ^ Novag Chess Champion MK I from Schachcomputer.info - Wiki (German)
  7. ^ Chess Champion Mk 1 by Tom Luif
  8. ^ Karpov Accepts - Popular Science March 1979 - Google Books
  9. ^ The Adweek copywriting handbook: the ultimate guide to writing powerful ... - Google Books by Joseph Sugarman
  10. ^ DATA CASH Systems, Inc. v. JS&A Group, Inc., et al.
  11. ^ Scisys and Novag : The Early Years from Chess Computer UK by Mike Watters
  12. ^ Data Cash Systems v. JS&A Group - The IT Law Wiki
  13. ^ Data Cash Systems, Inc. v. JS&A GROUP, INC., 480 F. Supp. 1063 - Dist. Court, ND Illinois 1979 - Google Scholar
  14. ^ Data Cash Systems, Inc. v. JS&A GROUP, INC., 628 F. 2d 1038 - Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit 1980 - Google Scholar
  15. ^ 125 Jahre Deutscher Schachbund, May 11, 2002, ChessBase Events (German)
  16. ^ Risse im Netz, Der Spiegel 44/1985, October 28, 1985, (German) pdf
  17. ^ Schachcomputer: Markt und Müll, Der Spiegel 49/1979, December 03, 1979, (German) pdf
  18. ^ Novag Chess Champion MK 1 from Kurt´s Schachcomputer Homepage by Kurt Kispert (German)
  19. ^ Novag - Chess Champion MK I by Hein Veldhuis, Dutch and German pdf
  20. ^ CHESS CHAMPION MK II with Karpov on the box, from My Chess Computers - Prehistory
  21. ^ Scisys and Novag : The Early Years from Chess Computer UK by Mike Watters
  22. ^ Der Fall Jungwirth - Schachweltmeisterschaft 1985 from Wikipedia.de (German)
  23. ^ Die Affäre kostete mich den Titel, Der Spiegel 52/1988, December 26, 1988, (German) pdf
  24. ^ Weißer Bauer zieht, Der Spiegel 19/1976, May 03, 1976, (German) pdf
  25. ^ Anatolij Karpow, Der Spiegel 1/1987, December 29, 1986, (German) pdf
  26. ^ Toljas teure Sprüche, Der Spiegel 33/1988, August 15, 1988, (German) pdf
  27. ^ Haftstrafe für Helmut Jungwirth, Hamburger Abendblatt, December 01, 1988 (German)
  28. ^ Novag Chess Champion MK 1 from Kurt´s Schachcomputer Homepage by Kurt Kispert (German)

What links here?

Page Date Edited
Chess Champion MK I Jul 31, 2015
Chess Champion MK II Jul 30, 2015
Chess Champion Pocket Chess Sep 19, 2014
Chess Champion Super System III Sep 17, 2015
CompuChess Jul 31, 2015
Computerworld Sep 9, 2017
David B. Goodrich Nov 9, 2015
Engines Mar 10, 2018
Fairchild F8 Jul 31, 2015
Joseph Sugarman Jun 19, 2013
Novag Aug 19, 2015
Peter Auge Jul 13, 2017
SABA Videoplay 20 Sep 19, 2014
Stockholm MCCT 1979 Oct 12, 2013

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