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Date: 12 Jun 2006 20:41:17
From: Jerry Creed
Subject: Stand alones
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are the stand alone computers worth it, esp the expensive ones, for playing
a game by yourself without interacting with the computer
screen...........and avoiding bells and whistles................and
learning, etc?
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Date: 26 Jun 2006 12:42:00
From:
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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Good for you. I received the Mephisto Master last week and am having
lots of fun with it. Our first game was a draw, but I haven't won a
game yet--I only got *this* close to winning once. Already, I can't
count my losses. The machine is a monster. More often than not, at
tournament level it will strike upon the correct middlegame 'plan'
recommended in opening books. And it will try as hard as it can to
avoid a closed center. It's almost spooky. (I haven't played
competitively, although I guess I'm near expert-level strength, as I
have beaten other standalones--GK 2100, Novag Sapphire--at tournament
level.) As for the physical makeup of the beast, it appears to be very
sturdily built, with a tough, solid board and silver/pewter-style
pieces. Worth every penny I paid for it.
Jerry Creed wrote:
> I reveived the Grandmaster and am very happy with it so far. I think it is
> happy as well, having won every game.
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Date: 15 Jun 2006 07:54:11
From:
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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The GM is a very nice-looking standalone for the price...
tournament-size pieces.... I opted for the Mephisto since the extra
strength for me is important (program is by Frans Morsch), and also,
it's small enough to be actually portable. The 3D pieces aren't too
bad--king is about 2" tall. I haven't used anything from Excalibur, but
have owned Saitek/Mephisto products before (the GK2100) and found them
to be very durable and well made.
Jerry Creed wrote:
> As you point out, the screen, the mouse, switching back and
> forth..........more trouble than it's worth. I ordered the Grandmaster by
> Excalibur. It's returnable. The Mephisto Master was my alternative choice
> but the pieces are smaller.
>
> BTW, Last night I played chess with a buddy in the Village. It had been
> awhile. Nothing like the real game!!!
>
> Jerry..............thanks for your comment.
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Date: 22 Jun 2006 22:25:44
From: Jerry Creed
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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I reveived the Grandmaster and am very happy with it so far. I think it is
happy as well, having won every game.
<[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The GM is a very nice-looking standalone for the price...
> tournament-size pieces.... I opted for the Mephisto since the extra
> strength for me is important (program is by Frans Morsch), and also,
> it's small enough to be actually portable. The 3D pieces aren't too
> bad--king is about 2" tall. I haven't used anything from Excalibur, but
> have owned Saitek/Mephisto products before (the GK2100) and found them
> to be very durable and well made.
>
>
> Jerry Creed wrote:
>> As you point out, the screen, the mouse, switching back and
>> forth..........more trouble than it's worth. I ordered the Grandmaster
>> by
>> Excalibur. It's returnable. The Mephisto Master was my alternative
>> choice
>> but the pieces are smaller.
>>
>> BTW, Last night I played chess with a buddy in the Village. It had been
>> awhile. Nothing like the real game!!!
>>
>> Jerry..............thanks for your comment.
>
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Date: 24 Jun 2006 12:19:26
From: David Vancina
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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Hi Jerry. I'm toying with the idea of getting one of these (Excalibur
Grandmaster) too. Just tried to look at Excalibur's web site to see the
manual, but it's not available. (Sent a note to their customer service
folks, so I'll see what happens with that.)
Anyway, I'm wondering about a couple of features and maybe you'd be
willing to help...
First, the description mentions an LCD for both players. Does the board
function as a chess clock for timed games between two players?
Second, photos of the unit make me think maybe there's some kind of a
case or cover that snaps over the playing surface when not in use. Is
there? Is there any kind of a carrying case for the board and pieces?
Finally, what are the unit's overall dimensions?
Thanks very much for any information you can provide!
DJV
Jerry Creed wrote:
> I reveived the Grandmaster and am very happy with it so far. I think it is
> happy as well, having won every game.
>
>
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>The GM is a very nice-looking standalone for the price...
>>tournament-size pieces.... I opted for the Mephisto since the extra
>>strength for me is important (program is by Frans Morsch), and also,
>>it's small enough to be actually portable. The 3D pieces aren't too
>>bad--king is about 2" tall. I haven't used anything from Excalibur, but
>>have owned Saitek/Mephisto products before (the GK2100) and found them
>>to be very durable and well made.
>>
>>
>>Jerry Creed wrote:
>>
>>>As you point out, the screen, the mouse, switching back and
>>>forth..........more trouble than it's worth. I ordered the Grandmaster
>>>by
>>>Excalibur. It's returnable. The Mephisto Master was my alternative
>>>choice
>>>but the pieces are smaller.
>>>
>>>BTW, Last night I played chess with a buddy in the Village. It had been
>>>awhile. Nothing like the real game!!!
>>>
>>>Jerry..............thanks for your comment.
>>
>
>
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Date: 28 Jun 2006 18:47:33
From: Jerry Creed
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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"David Vancina" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi Jerry. I'm toying with the idea of getting one of these (Excalibur
> Grandmaster) too. Just tried to look at Excalibur's web site to see the
> manual, but it's not available. (Sent a note to their customer service
> folks, so I'll see what happens with that.)
>
> Anyway, I'm wondering about a couple of features and maybe you'd be
> willing to help...
>
> First, the description mentions an LCD for both players. Does the board
> function as a chess clock for timed games between two players?
yes, it times both players
>
> Second, photos of the unit make me think maybe there's some kind of a case
> or cover that snaps over the playing surface when not in use. Is there?
> Is there any kind of a carrying case for the board and pieces?
no, no cover or carrying case
>
> Finally, what are the unit's overall dimensions?
'bout an inch high, 20"x20" frame with board itself 16"x16" giving a 2"
border
>
> Thanks very much for any information you can provide!
>
> DJV
>
> Jerry Creed wrote:
>> I reveived the Grandmaster and am very happy with it so far. I think it
>> is happy as well, having won every game.
>>
>>
>> <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>The GM is a very nice-looking standalone for the price...
>>>tournament-size pieces.... I opted for the Mephisto since the extra
>>>strength for me is important (program is by Frans Morsch), and also,
>>>it's small enough to be actually portable. The 3D pieces aren't too
>>>bad--king is about 2" tall. I haven't used anything from Excalibur, but
>>>have owned Saitek/Mephisto products before (the GK2100) and found them
>>>to be very durable and well made.
>>>
>>>
>>>Jerry Creed wrote:
>>>
>>>>As you point out, the screen, the mouse, switching back and
>>>>forth..........more trouble than it's worth. I ordered the Grandmaster
>>>>by
>>>>Excalibur. It's returnable. The Mephisto Master was my alternative
>>>>choice
>>>>but the pieces are smaller.
>>>>
>>>>BTW, Last night I played chess with a buddy in the Village. It had been
>>>>awhile. Nothing like the real game!!!
>>>>
>>>>Jerry..............thanks for your comment.
>>>
>>
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Date: 14 Jun 2006 11:44:42
From:
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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Yes, I have tried your suggestion and was still distracted/annoyed. You
have to move two sets, the physical one and the screen version. Also,
you are mostly constrained to playing in the computer room, unless you
have a laptop or handheld. In the latter case, you will have to carry,
setup, and move two sets. These details are not a big deal to some
people, but they annoy others (like me) to the point of making them opt
for a strong standalone, at least for play or practice. To me, playing
with a standalone just feels right, like I'm playing 'real chess'--it's
the next best thing to having a human opponent across the board. Having
to fiddle around with a computer screen and mouse takes away much of
the charm of playing the game IMO.
David Richerby wrote:
> If you already have a reasonable computer, just use that and set up a
> board next to the computer if you want to. Any engine/interface
> should be able to beep to tell you it's moved; the better ones can
> even read out the move. (Fritz can do this, for example.)
>
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Date: 15 Jun 2006 09:48:21
From: David Richerby
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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<[email protected] > wrote:
> David Richerby wrote:
>> If you already have a reasonable computer, just use that and set up a
>> board next to the computer if you want to. Any engine/interface
>
> Yes, I have tried your suggestion and was still distracted/annoyed.
Fair enough.
Dave.
--
David Richerby Microsoft Sword (TM): it's like a
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ razor-sharp blade that's really hard
to use!
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Date: 14 Jun 2006 09:24:51
From:
Subject: Re: Stand alones
|
This is a really a personal issue. Objectively speaking, you get a lot
more bang for the buck with PC software as opposed to standalones. But
if playing in front of a computer screen bugs you a lot (as it does
me), then standalones are worth the extra cost. I have Fritz for
Windows, and one could hardly ask more from a chess program. But I use
it mainly for analysis and databases. For me, screen glare is a major
distraction, and also, I am hooked to playing on a real chess set. So I
recently got a Mephisto Master, which is inexpensive considering the
strength of the program and the quality of the computer. It plays at
around 2400+ USCF; I spent about $190 for it.
Jerry Creed wrote:
> are the stand alone computers worth it, esp the expensive ones, for playing
> a game by yourself without interacting with the computer
> screen...........and avoiding bells and whistles................and
> learning, etc?
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Date: 14 Jun 2006 19:38:38
From: Jerry Creed
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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As you point out, the screen, the mouse, switching back and
forth..........more trouble than it's worth. I ordered the Grandmaster by
Excalibur. It's returnable. The Mephisto Master was my alternative choice
but the pieces are smaller.
BTW, Last night I played chess with a buddy in the Village. It had been
awhile. Nothing like the real game!!!
Jerry..............thanks for your comment.
<[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> This is a really a personal issue. Objectively speaking, you get a lot
> more bang for the buck with PC software as opposed to standalones. But
> if playing in front of a computer screen bugs you a lot (as it does
> me), then standalones are worth the extra cost. I have Fritz for
> Windows, and one could hardly ask more from a chess program. But I use
> it mainly for analysis and databases. For me, screen glare is a major
> distraction, and also, I am hooked to playing on a real chess set. So I
> recently got a Mephisto Master, which is inexpensive considering the
> strength of the program and the quality of the computer. It plays at
> around 2400+ USCF; I spent about $190 for it.
>
>
> Jerry Creed wrote:
>> are the stand alone computers worth it, esp the expensive ones, for
>> playing
>> a game by yourself without interacting with the computer
>> screen...........and avoiding bells and whistles................and
>> learning, etc?
>
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Date: 14 Jun 2006 18:48:30
From: David Richerby
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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<[email protected] > wrote:
> This is a really a personal issue. Objectively speaking, you get a lot
> more bang for the buck with PC software as opposed to standalones. But
> if playing in front of a computer screen bugs you a lot (as it does
> me), then standalones are worth the extra cost.
If you already have a reasonable computer, just use that and set up a
board next to the computer if you want to. Any engine/interface
should be able to beep to tell you it's moved; the better ones can
even read out the move. (Fritz can do this, for example.)
This is what I do and I find it gives a thoroughly satisfactory chess
experience. Apart from anything else, my chess set, while not
particularly expensive, is probably much nicer than most dedicated
chess computers.
Dave.
--
David Richerby Crystal Radioactive Game (TM): it's
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ like a family board game but it'll
make you glow in the dark and it's
completely transparent!
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Date: 13 Jun 2006 09:01:09
From: Poco Bueno
Subject: Re: Stand alones
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nup
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