Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Hi,

I have had the opportunity to repair and thoroughly study the motherboards of these two Fidelity chess computers:

Fidelity Chess Challenger Grandmaster Voice (1980): link
Fidelity Decorator Challenger (1981): link

I have been able to verify that both motherboards are identical to the UVC (Fidelity Advanced Voice Chess Challenger) model, also regarding the ROM (identical to the UVC model).

So I wonder where this statement, that I can read on some sites like the Wiki, comes from:

Grandmaster: Gegenüber dem sonst identischen Schachprogramm im Fidelity Chess Challenger Voice Advanced wurden 46 vorprogrammierten Meisterpartien von Morphy bis Karpov hinzugefügt und die Eröffnungsbibliothek erweitert.

Decorator: Technisch ähnlich dem Fidelity Chess Challenger Grandmaster Voice, das Gehäuse ist etwas kleiner und steht auf Füssen. 46 vorprogrammierten Meisterpartien von Morphy bis Karpov.

Does anyone know where this information comes from? Maybe rumours? Maybe official announcements from Fidelity that didn't come true? Maybe there are some units that are indeed different from the UVC model?

Best,
Gerardo

AW: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Hello Gerardo,

I think the info comes from this document:

https://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_...er%20Voice.pdf

But that's just a guess.

Regards
Micha

Re: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Hello Micha,

That's what I had thought. But there are no quotes to other sources, and in the specs on page 5 the RAM and ROM data have a question mark.

But this...

Bibliothek: ca. 1200 Positionen. Eröffnungsvarianten mit 46 vorprogrammierten Meisterpartien von Morphy bis Karpov.

...I assume comes from some official Fidelity document or brochure. :confused:

I have modified the Wiki files with the data that we have been able to verify empirically, I hope you don't mind.

Best,
Gerardo

AW: Re: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Hi Gerardo,

Yes, of course. I'm happy about any new information.

Regards
Micha

AW: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Hi Gerardo,

in the german manual of the CC Voice the opening library is mentioned with 46 variants. You can choose each variant by a square f.e. A1= Mittelgambit, C5 = Wolga-Benkö-Gambit.

Maybe this should be the 46 Master Games.

Best, Peter

Re: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Hello Peter,

You are right. I have been looking at the VCC and UVC ("Fidelity Chess Challenger Voice" and "Fidelity Advanced Voice Chess Challenger" respectively) manuals and they both list this repertoire of 46 book opening variations, selectable with squares A1 to E8 (40), and in addition with F1 to F6 (6).

But if this was already true for the VCC and UVC models, the "Decorator" and "Grandmaster" models brought nothing new, and therefore the "Gegenüber dem sonst identischen Schachprogramm im Fidelity Chess Challenger Voice Advanced wurden 46 vorprogrammierten Meisterpartien von Morphy bis Karpov hinzugefügt und die Eröffnungsbibliothek erweitert" sentence is not correct. Right?

Best,
Gerardo

AW: Re: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Yes, nothing new in the Decorator/Grandmaster.

AW: Re: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Die Fidelity Geräte Chess Challenger Voice Advanced, Decorator Challenger und Chess Challenger Grandmaster Voice sind also alle programmgleich - gilt das auch für den Chess Challenger Sensory Voice ?

In einem Fidelity-Prospekt von 1981 zum Decorator heißt es: "Available in English, German, French and Spanish language."
War der Decorator wirklich polyglott - oder sprach er doch nur englisch ?

Gruß
Hans-Jürgen

Re: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Hi,

The "Fidelity Voice Sensory Chess Challenger" (Model VSC) cannot be easily compared, because it has a sensory board and more ROM. That extra ROM is presumably for the control of the sensory board, but there are other differences such as the 64 Greatest Games stored. I don't know what similarities it has in terms of engine, opening book, etc.

Regarding the speech language... Indeed, the Decorator brochure says that. I also read somewhere that the Grandmaster was intended for the German market (speech in German only?), but I don't have any more information.

In my case... the Decorator I repaired had the speech in English, and the Grandmaster in German. :-)

Best,
Gerardo

AW: Fidelity Grandmaster and Decorator
 

Both Grandmaster and Decorator should be identical with the Fidelity Advanced Voice Chess Challenger.

Grandmaster Voice was produced in Germany due to the high US-Dollar at the time being, with handmade inlays for each chess field.
Decorator is the US version with printed chess fields and feet below the board. The largest chess computer ever built.