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'''[[Main Page|Home]] * [[People]] * Sidney Samole'''
[[FILE:Sidney_Samole.jpg|border|right|thumb|link=http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/index.php/Sid_Samole| Sid Samole <ref>[http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/index.php/Sid_Samole Sid Samole] from [http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/index.php/Hauptseite_En Schachcomputer.info - Wiki]</ref> ]]
'''Sidney (Sid) Samole''', (1935 - July 30, 2000)<br/>
was an American chess and computer chess promoter and businessmen, owner of [[Fidelity Electronics]] in 1976, and the man behind the first series of microcomputers that played a reasonable game of chess. Sidney worked with [[Ron Nelson]] and later with [[Dan Spracklen|Dan]] and [[Kathe Spracklen]]. Their chess computers won many world and national titles.
=Photos=
==WMCCC 1983==
[[FILE:AugeSamole1983.jpg|none|border|text-bottom|640px]]
[[WMCCC 1983]], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest Budapest]: Friendly President Match, [[Peter Auge]] of [[Novag]] vs. [[Sidney Samole]] <ref>Photo by [[László Lindner]], from [[Ben Mittman]], [[László Lindner]] ('''1983'''). ''Third World Microcomputer Chess Championship''. [[ICGA Journal#6_4|ICCA Journal, Vol. 6, No. 4]], pp. 24</ref>
==USOCCC 1986==
[[FILE:sid_samole_1986_2.JPG|none|border|text-bottom|640px|link=http://www.ismenio.com/fidelity.html]]
[[USOCCC 1986]] - [[Larry Kaufman]] talking with [[Sidney Samole]] (left) and [[Terry Everett]] <ref>[http://www.ismenio.com/fidelity.html Fidelity Electronics] from [http://www.ismenio.com/chess_computers.html chesscomputers.org], pictures from [[USOCCC 1986]]</ref> <ref>[[Larry Kaufman]] ('''1986'''). ''2nd U.S. Open Computer Chess Championship''. [[Computer Chess Reports]] 1986, Fall/Winter Edition</ref>
=Quotes=
Quote from the [[ICCA]] Obituary <ref>The Editor ('''2000'''). ''SIDNEY SAMOLE (1935-2000)''. [[ICGA Journal#23_4|ICGA Journal, Vol. 23, No. 4]]</ref>.
Sid Samole touched the lives of chess aficionados and computer-chess scientists alike. His characteristic proposal was: "How about a nice game of chess?"
Today it is hard to imagine the chess world without computers. And it is equally hard to imagine being able to appreciate fully American chess history without understanding the position of Sidney Samole. He was the man who dreamed, patented and produced the first commercial chess computer. Samole closely cooperated with Ron Nelson (his first protegee) and later with Dan and Kathe Spracklen. Together with them and through their computer programs he as the team captain holds many world and national titles. Here is a partial list of their championships.
[[Fidelity Electronics|Fidelity's creatures]] won the first four [[World Microcomputer Chess Championship|World Microcomputer Chess Championships]]: [[Chess Challenger]] won in [[WMCCC 1980|London 1980]], [[Fidelity|Fidelity X]] in [[WMCCC 1981|Travemünde 1981]], [[Elite|Elite A/S]] in [[WMCCC 1983|Budapest 1983]], and [[Elite|Elite X]] in [[WMCCC 1984|Glasgow 1984]]. Moreover, they won the first four [[United States Open Computer Chess Championship]], all held in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile,_Alabama Mobile, Alabama], in [[USOCCC 1985|1985]], [[USOCCC 1986|1986]], [[USOCCC 1987|1987]] and [[USOCCC 1988|1988]]. A remarkable performance is its first place in the [[ACM 1988]] Championship, tied with [[Deep Thought]].
In 1976, Sid owned and operated Fidelity Electronics, a hearing-aid manufacturing firm he had built up with contracts from the Veterans' Administration. Among its other cutting-edge technology, his firm produced high-tech, bio-medical products, such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromyography myo-electric] hands, prostheses that could actually be controlled by the brain impulses of amputees.
After building three working models and four non-working models, Sid decided to promote his new brainchild at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago Chicago's] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Show Consumer Electronics Show] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977 January 1977]. It was clear that Sid's, and his chess computer's, time had come. Under his both imaginative and careful management, Fidelity prospered. Chess computers were hot, and Sid's keyboard-entry models held the field for a time. He went on to produce computerized bridge, checkers, and Othello. He designed and manufactured computerized gin and cribbage, as well as other card games. Fidelity manufactured all its games in the US. By 1989, a recession was in the wind, and Sid was sensitive to its warning breezes. He sold Fidelity Electronics at the top of its value to [[Hegener & Glaser|Hegener and Glaser]], a German public firm. Largely as a result of his role in the tale of the chess-playing microcomputer's Sid became a multi-millionaire entrepreneur. Throughout his life he remained straightforward and self-deprecating about his success.
=See also=
* [[Chess Challenger]]
* [[Excalibur Electronics]]
* [[Fidelity Electronics]]
* [[Hegener & Glaser]]
* [[Ron Nelson]]
* [[Myron Samole]]
* [[Shane Samole]]
* [[Dan Spracklen]]
* [[Kathe Spracklen]]
=Publications=
* [[Sidney Samole]] ('''1980'''). ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=aQYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=Penrod+Memorial+Computer+Chess+Tournament&source=bl&ots=vot1MjdYMk&sig=C642qqnzAXoay6eiwRF5zxSXd80&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VJOwUKbaFo6RswaR-oDgBQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Genius Offspring]''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiplinger%27s_Personal_Finance Changing Times], refers [[Personal Computing]], February 1979
* [[Sidney Samole]] ('''1984'''). ''[[WMCCC 1983|Report from Budapest]]''. [[Computer Chess Reports|Computer Chess Digest Annual 1984]] pp. 35
* [[Göran Grottling]] ('''1988'''). ''Thank you Mister Spock! Ein Interview mit Sid Samole.'' [[Modul]] 4/88, pp. 36-38 (German), [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/12-1988,%20Modul,%20Interview%20mit%20Sid%20Samole.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]]
* [[Göran Grottling]] ('''1989'''). ''Interview - Sid Samole''. [[Selective Search|Computer Chess News Sheet]] 23, pp 4, [http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/SS_23.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Mike Watters]]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Alburt Lev Alburt], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Lawrence_%28chess_writer%29 Al Lawrence] ('''2000'''). ''"How About a Nice Game of Chess?" - Any Time. Sidney Samole (1935-2000)''. [http://www.chesscafe.com/ Chess Café], October 17, 2000, [http://www.chesscafe.com/text/leval06.pdf pdf] <ref>[https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=133725 Sidney Samole (1935-2000)] by [[José Antônio Fabiano Mendes]], [[CCC]], October 18, 2000</ref> <ref>[https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=134276 Re: The Fidelity vs. ICD/Your Move Lawsuit... The Epic] by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Lawrence_%28chess_writer%29 Al Lawrence], [[CCC]], October 20, 2000</ref>
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Alburt Lev Alburt], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Lawrence_%28chess_writer%29 Al Lawrence] ('''2001'''). ''The Ghosts of Chess Heroes Past''. [http://www.chesscafe.com/ Chess Café], December 3, 2001, [http://www.chesscafe.com/text/leval19.pdf pdf]
=Forum Posts=
* [https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=133725 Sidney Samole (1935-2000)] by [[José Antônio Fabiano Mendes]], [[CCC]], October 18, 2000
: [https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=133801 Re: Sidney Samole (1935-2000)] by [[Steven Schwartz]], [[CCC]], October 18, 2000 » [[ICD Corporation]]
* [https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=139224 Who was Sid Samole?] by Walter Koroljow, [[CCC]], November 16, 2000
* [http://www.hiarcs.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6768&start=108 Ron Nelson] by [[Ron Nelson|ChessChallenger]], [[Computer Chess Forums|Hiarcs Forum]], December 23, 2015
=External Links=
* [https://www.commerceflorida.com/person/4546120/samole-sidney Samole, Sidney - Miami - Florida]
* [http://www.ismenio.com/fidelity.html Fidelity Electronics] from [http://www.ismenio.com/chess_computers.html chesscomputers.org]
* [http://www.computerhistory.org/chess/search/?q=Sidney+Samole Search Sidney Samole from the Mastering the Game exhibition and on-line collection] from [[The Computer History Museum]]
* [https://patents.justia.com/assignee/sidney-samole Patents Assigned to Sidney Samole - Justia Patents Search]
* [https://www.google.com/patents/US3987498 Patent US3987498 - Electric elbow - Google Patentsearch]
=References=
<references />
'''[[People|Up one level]]'''
[[FILE:Sidney_Samole.jpg|border|right|thumb|link=http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/index.php/Sid_Samole| Sid Samole <ref>[http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/index.php/Sid_Samole Sid Samole] from [http://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/index.php/Hauptseite_En Schachcomputer.info - Wiki]</ref> ]]
'''Sidney (Sid) Samole''', (1935 - July 30, 2000)<br/>
was an American chess and computer chess promoter and businessmen, owner of [[Fidelity Electronics]] in 1976, and the man behind the first series of microcomputers that played a reasonable game of chess. Sidney worked with [[Ron Nelson]] and later with [[Dan Spracklen|Dan]] and [[Kathe Spracklen]]. Their chess computers won many world and national titles.
=Photos=
==WMCCC 1983==
[[FILE:AugeSamole1983.jpg|none|border|text-bottom|640px]]
[[WMCCC 1983]], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest Budapest]: Friendly President Match, [[Peter Auge]] of [[Novag]] vs. [[Sidney Samole]] <ref>Photo by [[László Lindner]], from [[Ben Mittman]], [[László Lindner]] ('''1983'''). ''Third World Microcomputer Chess Championship''. [[ICGA Journal#6_4|ICCA Journal, Vol. 6, No. 4]], pp. 24</ref>
==USOCCC 1986==
[[FILE:sid_samole_1986_2.JPG|none|border|text-bottom|640px|link=http://www.ismenio.com/fidelity.html]]
[[USOCCC 1986]] - [[Larry Kaufman]] talking with [[Sidney Samole]] (left) and [[Terry Everett]] <ref>[http://www.ismenio.com/fidelity.html Fidelity Electronics] from [http://www.ismenio.com/chess_computers.html chesscomputers.org], pictures from [[USOCCC 1986]]</ref> <ref>[[Larry Kaufman]] ('''1986'''). ''2nd U.S. Open Computer Chess Championship''. [[Computer Chess Reports]] 1986, Fall/Winter Edition</ref>
=Quotes=
Quote from the [[ICCA]] Obituary <ref>The Editor ('''2000'''). ''SIDNEY SAMOLE (1935-2000)''. [[ICGA Journal#23_4|ICGA Journal, Vol. 23, No. 4]]</ref>.
Sid Samole touched the lives of chess aficionados and computer-chess scientists alike. His characteristic proposal was: "How about a nice game of chess?"
Today it is hard to imagine the chess world without computers. And it is equally hard to imagine being able to appreciate fully American chess history without understanding the position of Sidney Samole. He was the man who dreamed, patented and produced the first commercial chess computer. Samole closely cooperated with Ron Nelson (his first protegee) and later with Dan and Kathe Spracklen. Together with them and through their computer programs he as the team captain holds many world and national titles. Here is a partial list of their championships.
[[Fidelity Electronics|Fidelity's creatures]] won the first four [[World Microcomputer Chess Championship|World Microcomputer Chess Championships]]: [[Chess Challenger]] won in [[WMCCC 1980|London 1980]], [[Fidelity|Fidelity X]] in [[WMCCC 1981|Travemünde 1981]], [[Elite|Elite A/S]] in [[WMCCC 1983|Budapest 1983]], and [[Elite|Elite X]] in [[WMCCC 1984|Glasgow 1984]]. Moreover, they won the first four [[United States Open Computer Chess Championship]], all held in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile,_Alabama Mobile, Alabama], in [[USOCCC 1985|1985]], [[USOCCC 1986|1986]], [[USOCCC 1987|1987]] and [[USOCCC 1988|1988]]. A remarkable performance is its first place in the [[ACM 1988]] Championship, tied with [[Deep Thought]].
In 1976, Sid owned and operated Fidelity Electronics, a hearing-aid manufacturing firm he had built up with contracts from the Veterans' Administration. Among its other cutting-edge technology, his firm produced high-tech, bio-medical products, such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromyography myo-electric] hands, prostheses that could actually be controlled by the brain impulses of amputees.
After building three working models and four non-working models, Sid decided to promote his new brainchild at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago Chicago's] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Show Consumer Electronics Show] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977 January 1977]. It was clear that Sid's, and his chess computer's, time had come. Under his both imaginative and careful management, Fidelity prospered. Chess computers were hot, and Sid's keyboard-entry models held the field for a time. He went on to produce computerized bridge, checkers, and Othello. He designed and manufactured computerized gin and cribbage, as well as other card games. Fidelity manufactured all its games in the US. By 1989, a recession was in the wind, and Sid was sensitive to its warning breezes. He sold Fidelity Electronics at the top of its value to [[Hegener & Glaser|Hegener and Glaser]], a German public firm. Largely as a result of his role in the tale of the chess-playing microcomputer's Sid became a multi-millionaire entrepreneur. Throughout his life he remained straightforward and self-deprecating about his success.
=See also=
* [[Chess Challenger]]
* [[Excalibur Electronics]]
* [[Fidelity Electronics]]
* [[Hegener & Glaser]]
* [[Ron Nelson]]
* [[Myron Samole]]
* [[Shane Samole]]
* [[Dan Spracklen]]
* [[Kathe Spracklen]]
=Publications=
* [[Sidney Samole]] ('''1980'''). ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=aQYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=Penrod+Memorial+Computer+Chess+Tournament&source=bl&ots=vot1MjdYMk&sig=C642qqnzAXoay6eiwRF5zxSXd80&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VJOwUKbaFo6RswaR-oDgBQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Genius Offspring]''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiplinger%27s_Personal_Finance Changing Times], refers [[Personal Computing]], February 1979
* [[Sidney Samole]] ('''1984'''). ''[[WMCCC 1983|Report from Budapest]]''. [[Computer Chess Reports|Computer Chess Digest Annual 1984]] pp. 35
* [[Göran Grottling]] ('''1988'''). ''Thank you Mister Spock! Ein Interview mit Sid Samole.'' [[Modul]] 4/88, pp. 36-38 (German), [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/12-1988,%20Modul,%20Interview%20mit%20Sid%20Samole.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]]
* [[Göran Grottling]] ('''1989'''). ''Interview - Sid Samole''. [[Selective Search|Computer Chess News Sheet]] 23, pp 4, [http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/SS_23.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Mike Watters]]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Alburt Lev Alburt], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Lawrence_%28chess_writer%29 Al Lawrence] ('''2000'''). ''"How About a Nice Game of Chess?" - Any Time. Sidney Samole (1935-2000)''. [http://www.chesscafe.com/ Chess Café], October 17, 2000, [http://www.chesscafe.com/text/leval06.pdf pdf] <ref>[https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=133725 Sidney Samole (1935-2000)] by [[José Antônio Fabiano Mendes]], [[CCC]], October 18, 2000</ref> <ref>[https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=134276 Re: The Fidelity vs. ICD/Your Move Lawsuit... The Epic] by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Lawrence_%28chess_writer%29 Al Lawrence], [[CCC]], October 20, 2000</ref>
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Alburt Lev Alburt], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Lawrence_%28chess_writer%29 Al Lawrence] ('''2001'''). ''The Ghosts of Chess Heroes Past''. [http://www.chesscafe.com/ Chess Café], December 3, 2001, [http://www.chesscafe.com/text/leval19.pdf pdf]
=Forum Posts=
* [https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=133725 Sidney Samole (1935-2000)] by [[José Antônio Fabiano Mendes]], [[CCC]], October 18, 2000
: [https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=133801 Re: Sidney Samole (1935-2000)] by [[Steven Schwartz]], [[CCC]], October 18, 2000 » [[ICD Corporation]]
* [https://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=139224 Who was Sid Samole?] by Walter Koroljow, [[CCC]], November 16, 2000
* [http://www.hiarcs.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6768&start=108 Ron Nelson] by [[Ron Nelson|ChessChallenger]], [[Computer Chess Forums|Hiarcs Forum]], December 23, 2015
=External Links=
* [https://www.commerceflorida.com/person/4546120/samole-sidney Samole, Sidney - Miami - Florida]
* [http://www.ismenio.com/fidelity.html Fidelity Electronics] from [http://www.ismenio.com/chess_computers.html chesscomputers.org]
* [http://www.computerhistory.org/chess/search/?q=Sidney+Samole Search Sidney Samole from the Mastering the Game exhibition and on-line collection] from [[The Computer History Museum]]
* [https://patents.justia.com/assignee/sidney-samole Patents Assigned to Sidney Samole - Justia Patents Search]
* [https://www.google.com/patents/US3987498 Patent US3987498 - Electric elbow - Google Patentsearch]
=References=
<references />
'''[[People|Up one level]]'''
