en computerschaak
On December 7, 2002, CSVN (Computer Chess Association Netherlands) was invited to a duel against the 1st team of Discendo Discimus (DD) from The Hague. The event was organized as part of DD's 150th anniversary. DD's home for more than 75 years has been the legendary Nationaal Schaakgebouw. A large mansion where world champions such as Lasker and Euwe have played and where the office of the world chess federation FIDE was located from its foundation in 1924. The attractive game rooms on the second floor of the building breathe the atmosphere of yesteryear. Tall display cases house many chess memories, such as the magnificent Havana cigar that once belonged to the prize arsenal. Grandmaster and writer Jan Hein Donner visited there almost weekly and once won a glass pawn in Venice. That pawn also got a place, not in the Donner Room but in the Rueb Room.
As a participant, I naturally see many old acquaintances present as operators or spectators. Some have since passed away. You don't dwell on it but it has also been 22 years, although it seems rather like yesterday! What beautiful old chess boards they still have in use there. The digital age had not yet arrived because they still played with classic mechanical Garde and Koopman clocks. And smoking in the playing room was still allowed. That was of course grist to the mill for our chairman, because Cock de Gorter was a passionate pipe smoker!
After a few minutes, we see Ruud Martin as a spectator. It was for him the very first public introduction between strong club chess players and chess computers. I did not know him, but I could see that he was very interested. He stands at one point near my Mephisto Modular with RISC module, and I ask him offhand if he would like to act as operator for a moment. Completely confident Ruud was not, as he might just ruin my game by some wrong actions. I was confident and told him to lift the chess pieces high while moving them, and not to touch the program module with the connection for the AC adapter with ''the high pin''. I told him that if he touched ''the high pin'', the computer would reset itself! While Ruud operated my computer, I could quietly film for a while. This is how we got to know each other, and this is how Ruud got sucked into the world of computer chess!
The CSVN team managed to win the duel 7-3. We certainly did not expect this to happen. The most notable loss was that of our chairman Cock de Gorter with his TASC R40 against J.J. Lindner with an Elo rating of 2093. With about 280 more Elo points than his opponent, this must have been a serious setback for Cock. A very nice victory for J.J. Lindner, who did not give the TASC R40 any chance to counter. A closed center that the TASC R40 could not handle at all. Truly a beautiful game to play and analyze! (See the weblink below.) My own game was less interesting, as it ended in a draw. But what a great day we all had, especially for myself because I got to know a new friend.
External weblink
CSVN Supplement Site
With kind regards from Hein Veldhuis, dated 28 November 2024