From: abbasi@star.enet.dec.com (My name is Nasser ABBASI)
Subject: Re: Anyone have info on the Mephisto RISC Chess computer ?
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 03:13:20 GMT


In article <moynihan.727902249@beige>, moynihan@rtsg.mot.com (Kieran D. Moynihan) writes...
> Hi,
>	Would anyone have any info ( strength qualities etc. ) on the Mephisto RISC chess computer ?
> 
>					Thanks,
>						Regards,
>							  Kieran Moynihan
>							  Cork,
>							  Ireland.

 for most accurate info your best bet is to call ICD at 1-800-645-4710 (in US) 
 or 516-424-3300 for calling from outside US, FAX is 516-424-3405. 

 mail at ICD corp. 21 WALT Whitman road, Huntington station, NY 11746 USA

 it is a 14 MHZ ARM-2 RISC cpu, 1 MEG hash table, wood board, position
 evaluation, etc..

 I played it a number of games , just to give an idea of its strength, (or
 my weakness ;-) these are 6 games i played at 30 minutes times control 
 (i.e. I have 30 minutes it has 30 minutes), iam now rated around 2120 USCF 
 (about 2020 FIDE), my highest rating was 2235 (about 2130 FIDE), the
 machine won 6-2.  at 5 minutes it is much stronger. this machine also
 has won action chess (30 minutes) against a number of GM's. it is
 said to be rated at 2450 USCF (2350 FIDE) at action chess, at 5 minutes
 I'd say from playing it it is about 2550 USCF (2450 FIDE) or there about.

 but if you want my advice, you might want to consider PRO-MCHESS from 
 ICD also, PRO-MCHESS is at $150 and also plays great chess. but the nice
 thing about the RISC machine, is that you set down and play it on a 
 board, not on a screen as with PRO-MCHESS (PRO-MCHESS is a software
 program). I also did not like the pieces for the RISC machine too much,
 although they were made of fine wood, i thought they were bit too big
 for the squares and not the standard design of pieces. other might not
 have problems with them. when i first got the RISC machine i could
 let it go, i sat down and kept playing chess with it for like the whole
 weekend! it is that much fun! it is just like having an IM or a FM sitting
 there in front of playing with you at time you feel like it !

 well, these are my games with the RISC machine. 

White(ABBASI, 2120 USCF)
Black(Mephisto, RISC)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 ed 3.Qd4 (to get out of book ;-)) Nc6 4.Qa4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bb4+
6.c3 Bc5 7.b4 Bb6 8.b5 Ne7 9.e5 Ng8 10.Qg4 Ng6 11.Bg5 d5 12.Qh5 Qd7 
13.Bd3 Qe6 14.oo h6 15.Bd2 Nge7 16.Na3 oo 17.Nc2 Qg4 18.Qg4 Bg4 19.Ncd4 Rfe8 
20.a4 c5 21.bc Nc6 22.Bg6 fg 23.Rfe1(?) Bd4 24.cd Bf3 25.gf3 Nd4
 0-1

white(ABBASI)
Black(Mephisto, RICS)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.b4 Bb4 5.c3 Bf8 6.oo Nf6 7.d4 ed 8.e5 Ne4
9.Re1 Nc3 10.Nc3 dc 11.Bc4 Be7 12.h4 Bh4 13.g3 Be7 14.Kg2 b7 15.Rh1 Bb7
16.Qd5 oo 17.Qe4 g6 18.Bd5 Kh8 19.Qf4 Ne5(desperations!) 
20.Bb7 ( [?!) Iam must be brain dead, why not Qh6!] Nf3 21.Bf3 h5
22.Rh5+ gh5 23.Qh6+ Kg8 [I was enjoying my self here;-)] 24.Be4 f5
25.Bd5+ Rf7 24.Qg6+ Kh8 25.Bf7 Qf8 26.Qh5+ Kg7 27.Qg6+ Kh8 28.Bf4 d5
29.Be5+ Bf6 30.Bf6+ Qg7 31. Rh1 mate

1-0

white(ABBASI)
Black(Mephisto, RICS)

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 e6 4.Nf3 d5 5.e5 Nge7 6.d3 Bd7 7.g3 a6 8.Bh3 b5
9.oo b4 10.Ne2 h6 11.a3 ba 12.Ra3 g6 13.Bd2 c4 14.d4 a5 15.Qa1 Nf5
16.Ra2 Nb4 17.Bb4 Bb4 18.Bf5 ef 19.Nc3 Bc6 20.e6 [give the pawn and then attack 
it, the idea almost worked] fe 21.Ne5 Qb6 22.Qd1 Rg8 23.Re1 a4 24.Re3 Ke7
25.Qe2 Ra6 26.Nd1 Bb5 27.c3 Bd6 28.Nf3 Bd7 29.h4 Qb3 30.Ra1 a3 31.ba Ra3
32.Ra3 Ba3 33.Ne5 Ba4 34.Nf2 Qb1+ 35.Kg2 Qc1 36.Nf3 Bd7 37.Ne5 Qb2
38.Qe1 Qb7 39.g4 Bd6 40.Qe2 Kf8 41.Kh3 Be5 42.fe f4 43.Rf3 g5 44.Kg2 Qb1
45.Nh3 Ba4 46.hg hg 47.Nf2 Rh8 48.Rh3 Rh3 49.Nh3 Bd1 50.Qe1 Bf3+ 
51.Kf2 Qh7 52.Qf1 Bg4

0-1

White(Mephisto, RICS)
Black(ABBASI)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 ed 4.Nd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb3 6.a4 a6 7.Nc3 Ne7 8.Bg5 f6
9.Bh4 oo 10.Qd2 d6 11.a5 Ba7 12.Bc4+ Kh8 13.f4 Bg4 14.Bf2 Ng6 15.Ba7 Ra7
16.oo Bd7 17.g3 Ra8 18.Nd4 Nd4 19.Qd4 Bc6 20.b4 Qd7 21.Rad1 Rad8
22.Nd5 Rfe8 23.Rf2 Bd5 [if ...Qc8 24.Nf6!] 24.Bd5 Qc8 25.Rfd2 Ne7
26.Bf7 Rf8 27.Bb3 Rde8 28.Ba4 Rd8 29.c3 Ng6 30.c4 Qg4 31.Qe3 Qc8
32.c5 dc 33.Bd7! Qb8 34.bc Ne7 35.h3 Nc6 36.Qc3 Na7 37.Qb3 h6 38.Rd3 Nc8
39.Kh1 Na7 40.Qc4 Nc8 41.R1d2 Qa8 42.Qe6 Na7 43.Rd2d1 Rb8 44.Qg4 Rd8
45.Qg6 Nc8 46.Bf5 Kg8 47.Rd7 [time]

1-0

White(Mephisto, RICS)
Black(ABBASI)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 c6 5.cd cd 6.Nf3 b6 7.Ne5 Bb7 8.Qa4+ Nfd7
9.oo a6 10.f4 b5 11.Qb3 Ne5 12.fe Be7 13.a4 b4 14.Be3 a5 15.Na3 Ba6
16.Nb5 Qb6 17.Rac1 Nc6 18.Bd5! Nb5 19.ab

1-0

White(Mephisto, RICS)
Black(ABBASI)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7
9.ooo Nbd7 10.g4 b5 11.Bf6 gf 12.f5 Ne5 13.Qh3 b4 14.Ne2 ef 15.ef Bb7
16.Bg2 Rc8 17.Bb7 Qb7 18.Nf4 Rc4 19.Rhe1 Kd7 20.Qh5 Kc8 21.h3 Kb8
22.Re3 a5 23.Qh6 a4 24.b3 Rc3 25.Rc3 bc 26.Qg7 Rc8 27.Nd3 Nd3 
28.Rd3 d5 29.Qh7 Re8 30.Rd1 Bc5 31.Qh6 ab 32.cb Qa6 33.a4 Qb6 
34.a5 Qd6 [Bd4 could also work resulting is good RR ending for black]
35.Nc2 d4 36.b4 Ba7 37.Rd3 Kb7 38.b5 Bc5 39.h4(?) Qh2 40.Rd1 Re2
41.a6+ Ka7 42.Kb1 Re2 43.b6+ Ka6 44.Qd2 Rd2 

0-1