Excalibur Model 974 The New York Times (2003) Electronic Travel Chess Computer

EXCALIBUR THE NEW YORK TIMES MODEL 974

Congratulations on your purchase of Excalibur Electronics’ The New York Times Electronic Chess. You'll enjoy owning both your own personal chess trainer and a full-featured chess computer that's always ready for a game. What's more, your computer offers you 501 chess problems by The New York Times weekly chess columnist, international grandmaster Robert Byrne. Byrne is a former US chess champion and world championship candidate who was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in Miami in 1994. You'll learn a lot of chess by working at the puzzles he has written for you!

Your New York Times Electronic Chess is packed with features! Each key has two labels. To activate the feature named below the key, just press the key. To enjoy the feature given above the key, first press NEXT/2nd and then the key.

MAIN EXCALIBUR THE NEW YORK TIMES MODEL 974 GAME CHARACTERISTICS

Tournament Strength
Threat Warning Indicator.
Selectable Opening Lines of Play and Learning.
Replays Historical Great Chess Games with Special Scoring.
501 Problems for you to Solve.
16 of the World's Greatest Games for you to play.
TEACH Mode for Beginner Players.
Mate Trainer for Advanced Players.
Auto-play to Watch Computer Play Both Sides.
INFO Mode to See What Computer is Thinking.

BOOK OPENING TRAINER

Excalibur The New York Times Electronic Chess makes it easy for you to learn the same openings that world chess champions play! At the beginning of a game, you may choose to learn one of 34 popular book openings ways to begin the game used by chess masters. Press MODE, then OPTIONS, to display OPEN, and then press the right or left DIRECTION to select the number of the opening you want to learn. (See below.) Then press the CLEAR key to return to normal play.

Now play a move. If your move is not the correct opening move, an error buzz will sound. To learn the correct move press HINT. When the computer comes back with its move, you will briefly see the word OPEN on the screen if you have another opening move to make. If the word OPEN does not appear, you may continue normal play. You have completed the training for that opening line. The names of the openings are:

1. Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation
2. Ruy Lopez, Closed Defense
3. Ruy Lopez, Open Defense
4. Ruy Lopez Archangel Defense
5. Giuoco Piano
6. Scotch Game
7. Four Knights
8. Petroff Defense
9. Vienna Game
10. Sicilian, Classical Defense
11. Sicilian, Accelerated Dragon
12. Sicilian, Rossolimo Attack
13. Sicilian, Dragon Variation
14. Sicilian, Scheveningen Variation
15. Sicilian, Najdorf Variation
16. Sicilian, Moscow Variation
17. Caro-Kann Defense
18. Panov-Botvinnik Attack
19. French Defense, Winawer Variation
20. French Defense, Classical Defense
21. French Defense, McCutcheon Variation
22. French Defense, Tarrasch Variation
23. Queen’s Gambit Accepted
24. Queen’s Gambit Declined
25. Queen’s Gambit, Semi-Slav Defense
26. Queen’s Gambit, Tarrasch Defense
27. Queen’s Gambit, Slav Defense
28. Nimzo-Indian Defense, Rubinstein Variation
29. Nimzo-Indian Defense, Classical Variation
30. Queen’s Indian Defense
31. Queen’s Indian Defense, Petrosian Variation
32. Bogo-Indian Defense
33. Gruenfeld Defense
34. King’s Indian Defense

THE NEW YORK TIMES CHESS PROBLEMS

Your mission is to find the master move for each position. If you do not play the master move, an error beep will sound. The HINT key may be pressed to see the master move. Electronic Chess will remember the last problem number you worked on for each of the five options. Before selecting a problem, first set the level to 72, so that you have a good opponent if you play on after the correct move.

MATE1: Select one of 66 mate-in-1 move problems.
MATE2: Select one of 196 mate-in-2 moves problems.
MATE3: Select one of 95 mate-in-3 moves problems.
MATE4: Select one of 9 mate-in-4 moves problems.
PrOb: Select one of 135 tactical problem positions. You are generally looking for moves that win material. But in some cases you may have a losing position and the master move is to force a draw.

Excerpts taken from the Excalibur The New York Time Model 974 user manual

MORE ABOUT EXCALIBUR THE NEW YORK TIMES MODEL 974 ELECTRONIC CHESS COMPUTER

In 1999 Ron Nelson spent 9 months in developing a new 4 Bit chess program which became the foundation for many future Excalibur models as well as its continued use by Excalibur's successor EB Electronics. The first 4 Bit Model 375 Excalibur LCD Chess was launched in the year 2000. This program can also be found inside many chess computer models sold by other companies such as Radio Shack.

This 4 Bit program seems to be per Nelson's comments an even further slimmed down version of the original Nelson H8 program, compressed into this much smaller hardware and trimmed with many of the features of the original stronger H8 program removed in order to squeeze a workable chess program into the lesser ram space available on the 4 Bit hardware. This included removal of many of the more sophisticated chess routines used in stronger chess programs such as Nelson's Attack Bit Map Tables, much smaller opening books, removal of any pondering routines and excess search routines.

Nelson commented on his great interest in developing a capable program suitable for any beginning or hobby chess player and thereby finding larger outlets of distribution for the Excalibur chess products. Excalibur The New York Times is a very playable and capable chess program ideal for most players was one of the many creations that followed as a result of this nine month period of new program development in 1999.

The manufacturing of Excalibur The New York times was contracted to Same Time Limited in Hong Kong.

Technical Specification

Excalibur The New York Times (2003)

Control Buttons

Computer Label

User Manual

Spacious Mind

Schachcomputer.Info

Active 2017

Tourn. 2015

1376

-

T1

T2

T3

T4

T5

Final

-

MANUFACTURER

PROGRAMMER

Excalibur Electronics, Inc

Ron Nelson

1750 USCF

6/2/2003

$69.95

Not Available

Year:

MFR ELO:

Original Price:

Wiki ELO:

Model #:

975

My Serial #:

Not Available

Processor OEM

Samsung

Processor:

SAM47 S3C72P9

Speed:

Type:

4 Bit

1.5 MHz

ROM:

32 KB

RAM:

1056 Byte x 4 Bit

Battery Type:

3 x LR44

Power Adapter:

Not Available

Display:

LCD Dot Matrix

Board Type:

LCD Chess Board

Overall Size:

Board Size:

2x2 in

2.5/8x5x5/8 in

Options Select:

Button Select

Play Levels:

73

Opening Book:

34 Book Opening

Take Back:

Available

Position Setup:

Available

Position Verify:

Available

Move Analysis:

Display Info:

Available

Solve Mate:

Mate in 4

Save Game:

Available

Ponder:

Not Available

Search Depth:

Not Known

Provide Hint:

Available

Teach Mode:

Available

Change Sides:

Available

Active Level:

TM Level:

72

Infinite Level:

73

30

Hardware Specification

Game Features

Matchplay & Test ELO Ratings

Computer Game Rating

Rating Test

Other Computer Chess Ratings

USCF

Spacious Mind

Human Rating

USCF

CCR

CCNS

Ply

FIDE

USCF

-

1543

1462

Class C Level Electronic Travel Chess Computer!