Reading these specifications
This first research batch covers ten manual-based entries, selected program lineages and explicitly unresolved documentation. Figures are manufacturer declarations in the cited edition, not measurements of every collection specimen. A half-move (ply) is one move by either player; it is not a pair of moves.
Manuals remain linked to their hosting websites. No third-party manual scan or collector photograph is republished here.
Novag Citrine, model 1032
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Processor / nominal clock | H8/300H; 20 MHz |
| Memory | 56K bytes ROM; 3K bytes RAM |
| Opening book | Approximately 24,000 half-moves |
| Playing levels / take-back | 64 levels; 112 half-moves |
| Board dimensions | 370 × 370 × 35 mm |
| Power | 9 V DC; centre-negative adaptor |
Standard Citrine specifications. They do not establish the dimensions, electronics or manufacturer provenance of the collection’s Grand Citrine.
Source: Novag Citrine instruction manual
Collection records: Citrine , Model 1032
Novag Obsidian
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Processor | H8/3214, as specified by the manual |
| Memory | 32K bytes ROM; 1K bytes RAM |
| Opening book | More than 8,900 half-moves |
| Playing levels / take-back | 112 levels; 112 half-moves |
| Input / display | Pressure-operated board; six-character LCD |
| Board dimensions | 370 × 266 × 35 mm |
| Battery supply | Six C cells |
The manual’s clock notation is ambiguous and its adaptor-current values differ between sections. Neither is normalized into a definitive hardware specification. The combined collection record describes two models; this manual has not been assigned to each specimen individually.
Source: Novag Obsidian instruction manual
Collection records: About the Novag Obsidian and its 2 models...
Novag Sapphire II
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Processor / nominal clock | H8 family; 32 MHz |
| Memory | 160K bytes ROM; 129K bytes RAM |
| Hash table | 118K bytes |
| Playing levels | 64 |
| Battery supply | Four AAA cells |
| Game storage / take-back | Up to 64 games or approximately 10,000 half-moves; 400 half-moves take-back |
| Portable unit dimensions | 157 × 82 × 21 mm |
Dimensions refer to the portable computer, not the Universal Chessboard bundle. The manual describes learning and selectable search extensions. Its claimed rating advantage is not presented as an independently measured Elo result.
Source: Novag Sapphire II instruction manual
Collection records: Sapphire II de Luxe with Universal Chessboard, Model 38712
Novag Super Expert: search settings
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Selection 0 | Examines all moves to the current search depth |
| Selective modes | Restrict late search plies to forcing or promising moves |
| Solve Mate | Uses selection 0 |
This is a search addendum, not a complete hardware sheet. Its scope and revision still need matching to the A/B/C programs. No CPU, clock, memory or Elo figure has been copied across versions.
Source: Novag Super Expert search addendum
Collection records: Super Expert A 6MHz, Model 879 · Super Expert B · Super Expert C
Saitek Centurion, model K08 catalogue record
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Nominal clock in consulted manual | 10 MHz |
| Controls / display | 17 keys; 48-segment, five-digit LCD |
| Battery supply | Four C cells |
| Dimensions / mass | 336 × 252 × 40 mm; 1 kg without batteries |
| Adaptor in consulted manual | 9 V, 300 mA; centre-positive |
These are declarations in the consulted manual edition. They have not been checked against the collection specimen or later hardware revisions. The manual does not identify the processor or memory here.
Source: Saitek Centurion manual
Collection records: Centurion , Model K08
Saitek Cosmos, model K06 catalogue record
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Battery supply | Four AA cells |
| Move entry | Pressure-operated sensory board |
| Take-back | Up to 50 half-moves |
| Playing options | Tournament, blitz, mate search, training and self-adaptive weak levels; Bronstein clock |
Only the retrieved manufacturer sections are summarized. CPU, clock and memory remain unfilled because the technical-specification page was not successfully retrieved.
Source: Saitek Cosmos user manual
Collection records: Cosmos , Model K06
Fidelity Chesster, model 6120
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Move entry | Pressure-operated board |
| Speech | Voice functions described in section 1.15 |
| Take-back | Up to 200 half-moves |
| Study functions | Position verification and game replay |
The cover identifies model 6120. These functions do not certify the specifications of motorized Phantom 6124 or EyeBall 6126 units.
Source: Fidelity Chesster 6120 owner’s manual
Collection records: Chesster , Model 6120
Fidelity Travel Master, model 6122
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Processor / nominal clock | H8/330; 10 MHz |
| Memory | 16K bytes program memory; 0.5K bytes storage memory |
| Playing levels | 64 |
| Opening book | 2,000 positions; transposition handling |
| Display / information | 48-segment LCD; evaluation, depth and principal variation |
| Power | 9 V DC supply specified |
Figures come from section 7 and the introduction of the model 6122 manufacturer manual; the actual collection unit has not been opened or tested.
Source: Fidelity Travel Master 6122 owner’s manual
Collection records: Travel Master Chess Challenger, Model 6122
Fidelity Excel 68000, model 6094
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Board indication | 64 square LEDs |
| Take-back | Up to 256 half-moves |
| Study functions | Position setup, fixed-depth and mate-search modes |
The manual cover explicitly identifies 6094. It does not verify the separate Mach II, III or IV hardware. The catalogue’s variant entry remains subject to specimen-level comparison.
Source: Fidelity Excel 68000 6094 owner’s manual
Collection records: Excel Club 68000, Model 6094 · Excel Club 68000, Model 6094, Variant
Excalibur Phantom Force, model 740D family
| Field | Manufacturer documentation |
|---|---|
| Movement / speech | Self-moving pieces; voice functions |
| Battery supply | Six C cells |
| Playing modes | Beginner, fixed time, sudden death and tournament |
| Analysis modes | Fixed depth (PLY) and mate search (MATE) |
The manual is labelled 740D. Matching its revision to the collection’s 740D6-ML6-US suffix remains open; the QU153 rebadge is not assigned these specifications automatically.
Source: Excalibur Phantom Force 740D manual
Collection records: Phantom Force, Model 740D6-ML6-US
Mephisto: Richard Lang’s program lineage
In his 2003 interview, Richard Lang identifies these seven families as his Hegener & Glaser programs, written in 68000 assembly. He cautions that some dates may be approximate. Assembly language does not identify each module’s processor, clock or memory.
| Mephisto program family | Year recalled by its creator |
|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 1985 |
| Dallas | 1986 |
| Roma | 1987 |
| Almeria | 1988 |
| Portorose | 1989 |
| Lyon | 1990 |
| Vancouver | 1991 |
Lang describes a substantial rewrite between Roma and Almeria. He also reports that his approach later scaled poorly on fast PC hardware. This is the creator’s retrospective explanation, not a measured weakness of each listed module.
Intelligent Software: creator attribution
Lang’s 2003 interview lists Chess 2001, L’Empereur and L’Regence among his programs from the Intelligent Software period, using Z80 assembly. His Chess 2001 date is tentative (1982?). This establishes an attributed software lineage, not a verified circuit specification or tournament identity for each collection object.
Documentation requiring comparison
Novag Star Diamond
Michael Watters reports that the 2002 manual describes a different processor, memory and opening-book size from the machine and 2003 box he discusses. The primary manual’s technical page was not retrieved in this batch. These hardware fields remain unfilled until the editions and the collection specimen can be compared; Watters’s report is credited as a collector account, not converted into verified specimen data.
Source: Novag Star Diamond: documentation discrepancy
Novag Obsidian
The consulted manual’s clock notation and inconsistent adaptor-current values need comparison with the printed page and hardware. No definitive clock or current has been assigned.
Grand Citrine and Fidelity Prestige
The standard Citrine manual does not resolve who built the Grand Citrine. Fidelity tournament results do not identify the EPROM installed in any particular Prestige.
Manuals located for further review
The Chess House index lists Grandmaster 747K, King Arthur 915-3, additional Novag manuals and a Mephisto Expert/Cosmos manual. Several PDFs failed to load; their contents are not marked verified. The King Arthur listing consulted points to a Spanish manual.
Source: Electronic chess manual index
A collector host also links SciSys Chess Champion Mark V manufacturer manuals. The linked document was not retrieved; no technical specification is inferred from the host’s own summary.