Frank Tortorice

ChessEval Journal
About Dedicated Chess Computers

Frank Tortorice: a selective collector

Written by Frank Tortorice, MD
First edited | 01/26/2014 | by MMO
Last edited | 02/04/2016 |
Additional Information: ftort@sbcglobal.net
Reference to cite: Tortorice F, A selective collector, ChessEval Journal, 1, September 2015, ChessEval.com

The number of Dedicated Chess Computer collectors is very small and in the Bay Area, very few can meet. Frank is one of the rare exception to this rule: he is living at some miles of distance of Stanford University and we regularly meet. Since we are both physicians, our discussions are essentially about our hobby.
He contacted me first to ask if it was possible to repair one of his computers. Following this first contact, we took the custom to meet regularly to exchange about Chess Computers. He visited several times my ChessEval Collection and my Center. We became friends, discussing Chess and medical milieu.
Frank has collected very rare pieces of collection guided by his own taste for Chess competition.
He has also accumulated an impressive sum of knowledge on these computers and on the way to play them.

MMO

The story of Frank

I was interested in chess in high school and college but never had much time for serious study.

While enrolled in medical school in Rome, I came home to USA one summer and saw the Fidelity Chess Challenge Sensory 8 and bought it immediately.
This was my first chess computer and it was easy to play since you simply played your moves on its sensory board. I brought it back to Rome but with study I was able to beat it repeatedly.

Some years later I needed a stronger opponent that was portable and so the Novag Super VIP became my second chess computer.

While I was finishing my medical residency in Ohio I purchased the Fidelity Elite Avantgarde 2265 (Version 2) with the Impact Printer.

About that time the early Chessmaster computer programs were becoming popular, stronger, and inexpensive so for a number of years I would simply upgrade this Chessmaster program with maybe an occasional program like Battle Chess as well.

I first played the wooden Mephisto and Fidelity computers in Italy in the 1980s.
They were beautiful, strong, but much too expensive at that time for me.
I was busy in my profession, so I acquired no chess computers for twenty years.
After I finished my postgraduat medical training in the United States, I went into private practice near San Francisco.

Towards the end of 2010 or the beginning of 2011, I wondered if I could find a wooden Mephisto chess computer like I had played 20 years earlier.
I had no idea that there was a community of chess computer collectors (and later friends) out there all over the world. I simply wanted to relive the fun I had going to my friend's home in Rome and playing against his beautiful wooden Mephisto.

I now could afford to buy one for myself.
I went on eBay never realizing anyone else in the world also had these same aspirations, and was fortunate enough to be the winning bidder for a Mephisto Portoroso 68020 with original wooden case from Germany.
Since that time I have been fortunate to acquire another 85 or so computers that make up my small collection.
I don't really consider myself a serious collector since I am not interested in having every major make or model of computer, but simply those I like, think are beautiful, and would like to play computer chess games against.
The two exceptions would be my collecting of the hand held series of Novag computers like the VIP, Super VIP, Ruby, Sapphire and Sapphire II, and the Saitek wooden Leonardo, Galileo, and Renaissance boards with the various Sparc, Brute Force, Maestro, and Analyst modules.

When I had only five or ten computers, each was my favorite and I was able to play frequent matches with all of them.

A great find was the book "Chess: A Psychiatrist Matches Wits with Fritz".
This 400 page book was written by Ernest F. Pecci, MD and published in 2001.
I have used his methods to beat some of my computers for the first time, although still not an easy matter.
I recall it took nearly 60 games to finally beat Fidelity Elite Avantgarde 2325 version 6.
I always write down the moves of these matches and study them.
Again, I enjoy playing these chess computers when I have free time and not simply storing them never to see the light of day.

My twenty or so favorite chess computers, by F. Tortorice, MD

In no particular order:

1. Phoenix Chess Systems Revelation II with Zagreb 1959 pieces

2. Fidelity Elite Avantgarde version 2 with Printer

3. Mephisto Portoroso Exclusive 68020 with wooden case

4. Saitek Renaissance with Sparc Module

5. CXG Sphinx 50 Plus

6. Tasc R30 Version 2.5

7. Fidelity Prestige with EAG version 11 and case

8. Fidelity Elite Premiere

9. Fidelity Elite Private

10. Conchess Monarch with T8, T6, S5, P and M modules

11. Fidelity EAG version 6

12. Saitek Risc 2500 v. 1.04 with 528 KB

13. Mephisto Montreux

14. Saitek Leonardo

15. Mephisto III with ESB 6000 board

16. Sargon ARB 2.5 with 4.0 module

17. Novag Diablo

18. Fidelity Chesster Phantom

19. Fidelity Elegance

20. Fidelity Playmatic S

21. Fidelity Sensory Chess Challenger 12, 12 B, and 12E

22. Fidelity Decorator Challenger

Wiki ELO – Liste  
 Phoenix Chess Systems Revelation II Tasc  R30 Version 2.5 Fidelity Prestige ( EAG version 11) Mephisto Genius 68030 33 MHz Saitek Renaissance / SPARC 20 MHz Saitek RISC 2500 v. 1.04, 528 KB Mephisto Risc 1 Mephisto Montreux Saitek RISC 2500 128 mb Mephisto Atlanta Saitek Leonardo/ Analyst D++ 16 MHz Mephisto Portoroso    68020 Novag Star Diamond Novag Sapphire II Fidelity Elite Premiere Mephisto Senator Mephisto Milano Pro Novag Sapphire Fidelity Elite Avantgarde 2325 V6 Kasparov Brute Force Radio Shack 2250 XL Novag  Citrine Novag Diablo Saitek President Fidelity Elite Avantgarde 68000 Fidelity Mach III Mephisto Nigel Short Fidelity Elegance at 8MHz Mephisto  MM V / HG 550 Tiger Grenadier Mephisto Monte Carlo IV LE Mephisto Mondial 68000 XL Novag Super Expert C  6 MHz Mephisto Milano Mephisto Montreal 68000 Mephisto  Academy 5 MHz Fidelity Mach II Saitek Corona  8 MHz Radio Shack Master 2200 X Mephisto MM IV Mobile Sargon ARB 4.0 – 16 MHz Mephisto Modena Saitek Virtuoso CXG Sphinx Dominator CXG Sphinx 50 Plus Novag Ruby CXG Sphinx Galaxy Fidelity Chesster Challenger Fidelity Chesster Phantom Saitek Corona Saitek Leonardo/Maestro B  6 MHz Kasparov Stratos Saitek Renaissance/Analyst D Excalibur Grandmaster Novag Constellation Expert Conchess Monarch Conchess Monarch Excalibur Mirage Robot Fidelity Excellence     3 MHz Fidelity Voice Excellence Peri Gamma CXG Sphinx 50 Novag Super Constellation Fidelity Elite Privat Fidelity Sensory Novag Super VIP Fidelity Playmatic S @ 5 MHz Fidelity Sensory Fidelity Sensory Sargon ARB 2.5 with 4.0 module Excalibur Alexandra the Great Fidelity Champion Septennial Novag VIP Fidelity Super 9 Deluxe Fidelity Elite A/S (Prestige) Fidelity Little Chesster CXG Chess 3000 Fidelity Champion Saitek Galileo CXG Chess 2001 Mephisto III + ESB 6000 Board Chess Master Diamond Novag 2Robot Conchess Ambassador  AO  module Conchess Escorter SciSys Sensor Fidelity Decorator Challenger Fidelity Chess Challenger Mephisto Junior Fidelity Micro Chess Challenger Millennium Chess

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