HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: davewood@bruno.cs.colorado.edu (David Rex Wood)
Subject: Re: CM3000 Strength
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 22:06:12 GMT

In article <35070@twics.co.jp> dawes@twics.co.jp writes:
>
>
>	Chessmaster 3000 ratings:
>These are not USCF ratings, they are FIDE elo ratings; add approx 100 for
>USCF.
>
>CM 3000 on a 486 PC, 2096 elo
>CM 3000 on a 386 PC, 1966 elo
>CM 3000 on a 286 PC, 1936 elo
>CM 3000 on a bog standard PC, 1807 elo
>
>	 I copied these from Eric Hallsworth's list of computer program
>strengths. Eric sell computers and software from the U.K., I just ordered
>a Kasparov Risc 2500 from him, a?edicated machine running a version of
>'The King' written for PCs. According to information so far, this machine
>is similar in strength to MChess Pro on the fastest hardware, can anyone
>confirm this?
>
>	Eric sells dedicated machines and software, phone +44 258 840 285
>or write to: The Specialists, PO Box 759, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 5YH, U.K.
>
>Peter Dawes, Tokyo. 

Chessmaster 3000 has a bunch of different computer opponents.  Does anyone
have ratings for the different opponents? (For a 386-33 MHz)

Thanks.
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Rex Wood -- davewood@cs.colorado.edu -- University of Colorado at Boulder
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: pals@ipact.com (R. J. Pals)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Outlaw Adjournments?
Date: 8 Jan 93 12:43:04 CDT
Organization: IPACT, Valparaiso IN

The subject of time controls occasionally comes up in this group (and
when it hasn't for a while, I bring it up ;-)).  My pet peeve is the
tournament which trys to pack too much chess into too little time,
and I have suggested rules on time controls/rounds per day as a
solution.  These suggestions have met with (no surprise) some opposition.

While filling out the USCF survey in the February issue, it occurred to me
that there is an altogether simpler rule change that may garner more
support and have more benefits: outlaw adjournments.

The benefits of this are pretty clear.  The problem of pairing the
adjournment (frequently a trouble spot) disappears.  No more between
sessions cheating, which is against the rules but everyone openly admits to
anyway.  Players could plan ahead better, knowing that they would only be
playing at the scheduled round times.  And of course, organizers would be
virtually forced to set time controls and schedule rounds in a reasonable
fashion, as adjournment wouldn't be available as the "solution" to a badly
formulated schedule. 

Any opinions?  In particular, can anyone advance an argument showing 
that keeping adjournments has greater benefits than outlawing them?

-- 
Randy Pals                |pals@ipact.com
IPACT, Inc.               |
From: monaghan@cac.washington.edu (Tracy Monaghan )
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Re: I will accept DMC's challenge!!
Date: 4 Jan 1993 23:07:41 GMT
Organization: UW Computing
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: red2.cac.washington.edu

In article <1993Jan4.172000.818@uoft02.utoledo.edu> dcrosgr@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes:
>
>Possibly because we don't have the definitive program written yet for chess,
>like we have for checkers. (No human can beat the programs that are out there
>right now for checkers.)
>

Your knowledge of current events (checker's champion is still human) is as
suspect as your ability at chess.
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
From: carabalo@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David G. Caraballo)
Subject: Re: Request Book Recommendations
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 07:39:06 GMT

In article <1993Jan10.061716.27788@parc.xerox.com> coombs@asta.UUCP (James H. Coombs) writes:

>Also, there is a book on Capablanca's Endgames, by Reinfeld I think.
>More advanced, but well annotated.

Capablanca is a great one to study.  I recently purchased Chernev's
_Capablanca's Best Chess Endings_ at a local bookstore.  This book is
phenomenal.  It's worth at least five times what I paid for it -- $6.95
(it's a Dover book)!  I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants
to master the endgame and see the connection with the middle game.

Chernev gives 60 complete games, fully annotated, and manages
to show a strong link between the opening, middle game, and endgame.  These
endgames are not manufactured, being taken from actual game play, so this
connection does actually exist.  I've never seen such a good endgame study.
Several diagrams are given for each game, and each game is given more than
four pages of attention, on average.  To top it off, the analysis is amusing,
in addition to being detailed.

David Caraballo
From: jay@tweekco.uucp (Jay Whitley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: The Best Question
Date: Fri, 08 Jan 93 16:10:56 PST
Organization: Tweek-Com Systems BBS, Moraga, CA (510) 631-0615

Re: Hanon Russell's "The Best Question" awarded in the Feb 1993 CL
in EVANS ON CHESS...
 
Hanon:  How would you answer your own question:
 "How strong is Bobby?"
and what free book did you take for your award?  :)
From: jarmo@ae.tut.fi (Jarmo Sorvari)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Re: Robatch Defense -- any ideas?
Date: 11 Jan 93 11:08:47
Organization: Tampere Univ. of Technology, Finland.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: ae.tut.fi
In-reply-to: mkukkone@klaava.Helsinki.FI's message of Fri, 8 Jan 1993 17:37:22 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.173722.27014@klaava.Helsinki.FI> mkukkone@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Mika Kukkonen) writes:

   So 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c4! (In my opinion this is most critical, as the
   point in Pirc is to prevent white getting this wide center.) 3.-d6 4.Nc3
   Nc6 (Othe lines are either too passive or allow white a transposition to
   King's Indian) 5.d5! (Formerly thought good for black) 5.-Nd4 6.Be3 c5
   7.Nge2 Qb6 8.Nxd4! cxd4 9.Na4 and now:

   9.-Qa5+ 10.Bd2 Qc7 11.c5! dxc5 12.Bb5+ Bd7 13.Bxd7+ Qxd7 14.Nxc5 +=,
   Seirawan - Keene, 1982

If White is content with a draw, he can force it:

10. b4 Qxb4 11. Bd2 Qa3 12. Bc1 etc.  If Black declines the b-pawn,
White gets a clear advantage.  Any news in this line?
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
! Jarmo Sorvari                         Control Engineering Laboratory      !
! jarmo@ae.tut.fi                       Tampere University of Technology    !
--------------------------------------- BOX 527, 33101 Tampere, Finland -----
From: monaghan@cac.washington.edu (Tracy Monaghan )
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Re: I will accept DMC's challenge!!
Date: 4 Jan 93 18:11:36 GMT
Article-I.D.: shelley.1i9ukoINNdnm
Organization: UW Computing
NNTP-Posting-Host: red2.cac.washington.edu

In article <1993Jan3.112801.794@uoft02.utoledo.edu> dcrosgr@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes:

>been crying to find out my skills for a long time, as if somehow my skills on
>the chessboard would influence the validity of my posts here. (No one has yet
>explained the reasoning behind that view, but the (il)logic still runs
>rampant.)
>

Your chess ability would influence your posts ONLY if your posts were
chess-related ;^)


[Gawd here I go again.  Please someone, stop me before I post again!!!]
From: 506-5054%wwiv@tweekco.uucp (Craig Jefferies #506 @5054)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Botvinnik Autobiography, Game 35
Date: Sun, 03 Jan 93 20:34:02 GMT

In Hanon W. Russell's post of No. 35
Queen's Gambit M. Botvinnik-G. Kasparyan
Semi-Finals, 7th USSR Championship Moscow, 1931
The move listed (when I read it anyway) as
13 ...        Bc7-b7

should be
13 ...        Bc8-b7

I enjoy the posted games here, but what often appear to be
games exported from chess software(?) probably aren't exported
as such since they sometimes contain errors (or is it an
exporting error?  or a modem/transmission error?)  I have
Software Toolwork's ChessMaster 3000 which is buggier than a
mosquito-infested pond, so I guess anything is possible.
From: dcrosgr@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Re: this has got to stop
Date: 4 Jan 93 16:43:14 EST
Organization: University of Toledo, Computer Services

In article <1i9tfvINNcim@shelley.u.washington.edu>, monaghan@cac.washington.edu (Tracy Monaghan ) writes:
> In article <1hvtvbINNgti@agate.berkeley.edu> jeff@emily10.Berkeley.EDU (Jeffrey C. Ely) writes:
>>
>>Please, everybody just ignore this asshole.
> 
> I could not have put more eloquently.

Well,if you consider THAT eloquent, it is a good thing you didn't try!


Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
From: cass8806@elan.rowan.edu (Kyle Cassidy)
Subject: Re: DON WEDDING RESPONDS -- ONLY ONCE
Organization: Rowan College of New Jersey
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 21:29:25 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.152730.1@csvaxe.csuohio.edu> frakes@csvaxe.csuohio.edu writes:
>In article <1993Jan8.113712.912@uoft02.utoledo.edu>, dweddin@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes:
>> ....
>> the system managers name is BRIAN NELSON, his account is BRIAN at this 
>> address. you can call computer services here at UT is 419-537-2511.
>
>Let me guess.  Is this "BRIAN" a buddy of Don's or yet another example of
>a fraudulantly used UT account?  It looks like Don has recently been hard
>at work covering all the bases at UT.  Smart move, Don!
>
oh come off it people. stop bickering and lets get back to serious topics 
such as bobby fischer's sexual preferences.

Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
From: alacron!ai386u!adb@uunet.UU.NET (Alan David Brunelle)
Subject: Re: Gardner's Lecture Notes
Organization: Chessnews list (chessnews-request@tssi.com)
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 18:06:49 GMT



One way in which to make these comments easier to understand, or at least
a way to put physical games along with these comments, is to read the
Nunn/Griffith's book _Secrets of Grandmaster Play_ or some such title...
It really is quite a good book, and illustrates those themes about which
Gardner talked about. 

In particular there is a repeated emphasis that good chess involves good
placement of *pieces*, and the tactical utilization of these well
placed *pieces*. As to the various comments about the lack of positional
understanding implicit in these sorts of statements, I believe that
you cannot differentiate positional and tactical plans! If a *good* plan is
"positionally" motivated, then it must by its very nature be "tactically"
correct as well! The creation of "positional" strong or weak points are
carried out using "tactical" moves, and good "tactical" moves must 
carry out a good "positional" plan. Another way of looking at this is
to study some of Reshevsky's games - he was always called a great
"positional" player, but if you study his self-annotated games, they are
almost always highly tactical in nature.

As a final bit of rambling: How do you take advantage of "positional
weaknesses"? How do you create "positional weaknesses"? With *actively*
placed *pieces*.
From: sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Smithsonian article (Jan 1993)
Date: 6 Jan 93 14:50:38 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In article <z+921d_@rpi.edu> xor@clotho.acm.rpi.edu (Joe Schwartz) writes:

   There's an article about pinball in the January 1993 issue of
   Smithsonian magazine.  I haven't read it yet, but it has some
   nice photos, including a full-page color photo of a TAF playfield.

You know, I *thought* I was going to be in that article.  I was
involved in not one but *two* photo shoots at Broadway, I was
interviewed, a Smithsonian fact-checker even called me at home to
make sure they got all the details just right.

Then nothing!  How disappointing...  :-)

There is a good picture of one of Broadway's resident wizards, Joel
Grant, whose nickname ("MOE") graces the high score lists on most of
our games. He even gets a quote or two, as does Steve Epstein.

Guess I wasn't photogenic enough, or quotable enough, or they had to
cut the article down to make room for an extended piece on ice fishing
in the Antarctic...   :-)

Oh well.  Maybe they found out I wasn't a subscriber...  :-)

--
    Steve Baumgarten       |  "New York... when civilization falls apart,
    PANIX, New York, NY    |   remember, we were way ahead of you."
                           |  
    Email: sbb@panix.com   |                            - David Letterman
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: schieb@shark.gsfc.nasa.gov (Brian D. Schieber)
Subject: still looking for X based pinball
Organization: Lab for Hydrospheric Processes
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 19:30:36 GMT

does anyone know where I can get one?

thanks,
 Brian
From: ba005@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Stacey Armstrong)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Creature from the Black Lagoon
Date: 12 Jan 1993 16:18:02 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


I have always just gotten two balls during the multiball.  The
one that I locked to start it, and the one the machine gives me.
 
That is during the movie multiball though.  I have never gotten
multiball through the snackbar, so I can not say if they are
the same.
 
Speaking of the snackbar, is it totally random what you get, or
does your score or progress on the game play a part?  I usually
get a hamburger or a soft drink, but sometimes I get special.  I
am just really curious as to what happens when you get "a new car"
or "hula hoop".
 
-- 
Stacey Armstrong
ba005@cleveland.freenet.edu
 
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: bowen@leland.Stanford.EDU (Bowen P Kerins)
Subject: Re: FishTales Super Jackpot
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 93 18:58:52 GMT

In article <C0F574.1ur.1@cs.cmu.edu> dstewart+@cs.cmu.edu (David B Stewart) writes:

>Here is another question.  When the jacpots reset after the super jackpot and
>end-of-multiball, the jackpots seem to be worth double there original value;
>i.e. 40M,60M, 80M.  (I only got up to the 40M, so I can't confirm the other,
>and nobody was there to watch the backglass if it gave any info about it!)  Is
>the super jackpot also up to 200,000,000 by that time?  Can anyone confirm
>that this is in the FT rule sheets?  What happens the 3rd time (if anybody
>has ever gotten that far!)
>
	From what I saw, yup, the jackpots are all double, including the Super
Jackpot.  Strange that one simple little shot is worth 2OO million points...
though I suppose the same could be said about the 9 ball in Cue Ball Wizard.
Sorry, though, I'm not enough of a maniac to get to the third multiball.
	Related question: any FT in the Bay Area (and don't say "What bay?"),
preferably the Peninsula area?

Bowen
From: jchamber@ecst.csuchico.edu (John William Chamberlain)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Need Schematic and Parts!!!
Date: 11 Jan 93 08:03:27 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu

Hello,
  I have been trying to restore my 1963 Gottlieb Swing-A-Long, but I have run
into problems requiring a schematic for this machine.  If you have one please
let me know and I would be glad to purchase either the origional ot a copy.
I also need some springs for the steppers, if you know of a source please let me know.

Thanks,

John
From: sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Rocky & Bullwinkle (was: I liked Black Rose...)
Date: 6 Jan 93 14:58:46 GMT
	<SBB.92Dec30184603@panix.com> <1993Jan4.174424.6799@rtsg.mot.com>
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In article <1993Jan4.174424.6799@rtsg.mot.com> iott@rtsg.mot.com (Joel K. Iott) writes:

   Finally, if the manufacturers always want to reduce average game
   time, why do they keep putting in time-consuming video displays???
   R&B has the longest bonus countdown I have ever seen, and you can't
   hurry it up like in Creature.  R&B also has "mini-movies" like LW3.
   It sure would be nice if you could abort these time-wasters by
   pressing a flipper button.

Someone asked this at the industry talk ("Future of Pinball") at the
Expo.  The answer is pretty much what'd you'd expect: they have to
balance increased ball time with the extra profits that are gained
when novices give the game a try because of all the entrancing
dot-matrix animation.

You have to admit, two of the best things about DE's games at this
point have nothing much to do with pinball as we knew it some years
ago: sound and video.  I mean, can you imagine what KISS might have
been like a decade ago had Bally been able to use DE's dot-matrix
animation and sound technology?  Or how boring LW3 (and especially
STAR WARS) would be today without all the special effects?

--
    Steve Baumgarten       |  "New York... when civilization falls apart,
    PANIX, New York, NY    |   remember, we were way ahead of you."
                           |  
    Email: sbb@panix.com   |                            - David Letterman
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: sgsimon@srv.PacBell.COM (Steve Simon)
Subject: Star Wars problem
Organization: Pacific * Bell
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 18:55:18 GMT


I was playing a few games of Star Wars yesterday, when I
ran into a strange problem.  The machine was just going into
it's "Shoot the Death Star" mode, and had lowered the door
to the deathstar.  I immediately shot the ball in, but it
never registered!  The machine kept going through it's "Shoot
the Death Star" routine, with the big arrow on the display
pointing to the still open door.

The machine eventually started it's lost ball routine, but still
couldn't find the ball.  I eventually had to get the attendant,
and all he could do was power cycle the machine.  When we 
powered the machine back up it took a long time in the start-up
mode, did a single ball search sequence and then went into attract
mode (with no indication of 1 ball missing).  The attendant took
the machine out of service at that point.

Has anybody seen a SW lose a ball like this before?  Do you 
suppose it fell off of the track inside the machine, or is
there simply some internal resting place (ie. inside the DS) that
the software doesn't know to check?

-Steve Simon



-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Simon	  					San Ramon,
Pacific*Bell						California
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: ctribm3@caa.mrs.umn.edu
Subject: Tristan players?
Organization: University of Minnesota, Morris
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 18:35:54 GMT

	I recieved a copy of Tristan for christamas (A 1990 game? somewhere 
around there.) And Think It's ok, as far as pinball goes.  I think that in 
the push for a true "simulation" they enhanced the difficulty of the table, 
overstressing the players' flaws.  For example, When I play on a real pin, I 
don't bat the ball down the drain with my flipper a tenth of the times that 
I do on Tristan.  (I forgot the technical name that was in the documentation 
for it.)
	I did however, enjoy the graphics, and the documentation. I do not 
have a SVGA card, so I was not able to view the 256 color board, but I 
thought the 16 color board was Fantastic!! Why did they have to go through a 
SVGA card for 256 colors? Any knowers out there? Just because of the speed 
invloved?  But anyways, The instructions were REALLY nice.  I enjoyed 
reading them, even though the rules for pinball aren't all THAT tough :).

	I have noticed though, that 99.9% of my score always comes from one 
ball.  I can extend the life of the ball by getting the extra balls, or 
locking one ball in the top saucer, and then losing the free ball, etc. , 
but I can never score consistently for all three balls.  For example, my 
high score on one ball is 21,000,000 or so, while the total for the game was 
only 23,000,000 or so.  (That is my High game, as well) What do other 
players get on this?  I can conceiveably understand 999,999,999 simply 
because of the relative ease of extending the life of a ball. 

	If you own this game, please send me your comments (and high scores) 
to me.  Thanks a lot.

Nate Miller
Millernr@cab.mrs.umn.edu
From: u6066061@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Restoring a playing field...
Date: 6 Jan 93 11:05:50 +1100
Organization: The University of Melbourne



I have a Williams "Phoenix" (1978) which is in fair condition.

I am after some suggestions on how to restore the playing field...
like, which paints should I use to touch it up, is there a surface protector
such as a wax or a spray on application which will reduce future wear, etc...

OH! and I have found that the lights inset in the playing field have developed
a slight curve/dip to them although their edges are flush to the rest of the
table (does that make sense?)   ahh, ok here is a 'diagram':
                        Transection through a table
        
                             Table->  |
                     Light fixture->  (    
                             Table->  |

is there a neat way of fixing this without having to replace the light fixture?
(some of them are unique to Phoenix, and would be difficult to replace...)

Does anyone else own a Phoenix table?  I am still waiting on an order for a
replacement CPU board and have yet to play it...(pant,pant)

Thanks in advance,

drew.

(Botany, University of Melbourne, Australia)
From: nrp@csug3.cs.reading.ac.uk ("Experimental convalescent bacon acne" Neilski)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Actual reality
Date: 11 Jan 93 10:11:49 GMT
Reply-To: nrp@csug.cs.reading.ac.uk
Organization: University of Reading

Well, I was flicking through the teletext pages the other day, seeing what
was avilable on the new franchise, and I came across the arcade section -
where they'd decided to review Fish Tails!  The review includes one of the
best definitions of pinball I've ever seen.  The review goes something like
this:

What's pinball?  Before the days of little blue hedgehogs and things,
arcades were full of pinball machines.  Pinball involves hitting a _real_
ball up a _real_ table.

"Actual reality," you might call it.

Fish Tails is a good example of today's pinballs.  It's got lots of whizzy
ramps and things that go boing.

Like most pinballs these days there's an LED display at the back with
animations for those who like something a bit more "techno".

Anyway, it's well worth a go.

GRAPHICS: *
SOUND:    ****
PLAY:     ****
OVERALL:  ****

-- neilski
still playing TAF

-- 
 "That is just a smear."  |  _ __        _          |"I'm giving you 48 hours."
"It may be just a smear to| ' )  )      //     /    |"I'll need longer." "Fine-
you, but it's life & death|  /  / _  o // _   /_  o | 36." "24." "12." "Split  
  to some poor wretch!"   | /  (_</_<_</_/_)_/ <_<_ |   the difference - 6."
From: a_donati@fennel.cc.uwa.oz.au
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Fishtales
Date: 10 Jan 93 10:35:04 +0800
Organization: University of Western Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: fennel.wt.uwa.edu.au


Is it my imagination, or am I the only person who finds FishTales really hard?
I have yet to get more than 50m on it, and still have not managed a multiball,
50% of shots at the captive ball rebound straight down the middle, the lock
and stretch the truth/monster fish shots are nearly impossible, and I only seem
to get 1 ball returned for every 99 that go down the drains !

I would be inclined to think that it was just me except that I have no trouble
getting 500m+ on the WhiteWater which sits right next to it.

Any comments/suggestions as to what I might be doing wrong would be greatly
appreciated.  :)


Adrian,   Uni of West Oz