SC 2
Schachcomputer SC 2,
a dedicated chess computer manufactured from 1981 until 1983 by VEB Funkwerk Erfurt, in 1983 renamed to VEB Mikroelektronik „Karl Marx“ Erfurt.
The SC 2 ran on an 8-bit U880 CPU, which was an unlicensed Z80 clone, and had 9 KB ROM and 1 KB RAM. The chess program was an apparently re-engineered, slightly modified clone [2] [3] [4] of Ron Nelson's program of the Chess Challenger 10 C manufactured by Fidelity Electronics.
Quotes
Excerpt from Holger Schacht's March 2011 article in, Berliner Kurier [5]:
Developer Rüdiger Worbs: "The SC2 was the first device manufactured by ten female laborer on the assembly line, they built about 1000". But despite various presentations at trade shows, it did not lead to the desired export. The slightly revised program was stolen from a U.S. inventor, the market is already saturated in the West. In the GDR, only a few hundred items were available over the counter. 2180 East mark costs the electrical brain - about three months' wages for ordinary people. Meanwhile, the "SC2" is considered a "collector's item". At the last auction on the Internet, he went away for 49 Euro.
See also
Publications
- Udo Dietsch, Herbert Deppe (1983). Schachcomputer SC 2. rfe, H3, S144-147 (German)
- Dr. Manfred Wilke (1983). Wie denkt ein Schachcomputer. Jugend und Technik, jpg 1, jpg 2, jpg 3, jpg 4 (German) [6]
- Christian Posthoff, Günter Reinemann (1987). Computerschach - Schachcomputer. Berlin: Akademie-Verl., ISBN-13: 978-3055002281, with cooperation of Rainer Knaak, Michael Schlosser, Rainer Staudte, Rüdiger Worbs (German)
- Karsten Bauermeister (1999). Deutsch-Deutsche Geschichte(n). Computerschach und Spiele. No. 5, October-November 1999, pp 32-33 (German)
- Ingo Althöfer (2020). Computer Chess and Chess Computers in East Germany. ICGA Journal, Vol. 42, Nos. 2-3
Forum Posts
- Info: Honeckers Schachcomputer by Steffen A. Jakob, Schachcomputer.info Community, July 22, 2008 (German) [7]
- hardware clone: RFT SC2- Intelligent chess by Thorsten Czub, CCC, March 31, 2009
External Links
- SC2, Schachcomputer in der DDR from Wikipedia.de (German)
- SC 2 from Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
- OEM und Sonstiges - Schachcomputer "SC 02" from Robotron-net.de (German)
- Schachcomputer from robotrontechnik.de (German)
- Schachcomputer SC2 from KC85-Museum (German)
- SC 2 aus Erfurt from Kurt´s Schachcomputer Homepage by Kurt Kispert (German)
- JKCEMU als SC2-Emulator from JKCEMU - DDR-Kleincomputer-Emulator by Jens Müller (German)
- ROMs und EPROMs aus DDR Produktion from DDR-Bauteile.de.vu
- SC 2 circuit diagram hosted by Robotron-net.de
- Rechner trieb den Staatschef der DDR zur Weißglut und war dennoch ein großer Verlierer: Dieser Computer setzte Honecker schachmatt by Holger Schacht, Berliner Kurier, March 04, 2011 (German)
- Chemnitz : Deutsches Spielemuseum Chemnitz verführt die Besucher, Lausitzer Rundschau, March 09, 2011 (German)
References
- ↑ Kombinat Mikroelektronik Erfurt (KME) from Wikimedia Commons, Photo by Erdmann Schleinitz
- ↑ VEB Mikroelektronik Erfurt - Zweite Auflage from Schachcomputer.info - Wiki (German)
- ↑ Karsten Bauermeister (1999). Deutsch-Deutsche Geschichte(n). Computerschach und Spiele. No. 5, October-November 1999, pp 32-33 (German)
- ↑ Copyright und illegal genutzte westliche Software from robotrontechnik.de (German)
- ↑ Rechner trieb den Staatschef der DDR zur Weißglut und war dennoch ein großer Verlierer: Dieser Computer setzte Honecker schachmatt by Holger Schacht, Berliner Kurier, March 04, 2011 (German)
- ↑ Images from Schachcomputer SC2, KC85-Museum
- ↑ On March 6, 1990, Erich Honecker's own chess computer, a VEB Funkwerk SC 2 was seized, after his detention at January 29, 1990