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'''[[Main Page|Home]] * [[Engines]] * El Ajedrecista'''<br/>
'''[[Main Page|Home]] * [[History]] * El Ajedrecista'''
'''El Ajedrecista''',[[File:ajedrecista200x206.jpg|thumb|right|link=]| El Ajedrecista <ref>A New Photograph of “El jugador ajedrecista,” the World’s First Chess Computer by Nathan Bauman, July 16th, 2006</ref>]]
the [[Electro-Mechanical|electro-mechanical]] [[KRK]] solver by [[Leonardo Torres y Quevedo]]. In 1910 Torres began (other sources state 1890, or 1901 <ref>[http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter25.html#4525._The_first_chess_computer_C.N.s The first chess computer] Chess Notes Archive by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_%28chess_historian%29 Edward Winter] (note 4525, 4547)</ref> ) to construct the chess automaton. In [[Timeline#1912|1912]] it was able to automatically play a white king (initially on a8) and white rook (initially on b7) against the lonesome black king placed on any square, except 7th or 8th rank. The algorithm was suboptimal, but could win in less than 50 moves against any defense <ref>[[David Levy]] in [[Computer Chess Compendium]], Special Purpose Software and Hardware, pp. 266</ref> . It used mechanical arms to make its moves and electrical sensors to detect its opponent's replies.
A second, mechanical but not algorithmic improved El Ajedrecista was built by Leonardo Torres Quevedo's son '''Gonzalo''' in 1922, under the direction of his father. At the 1951 Paris Cybernetic Congress the advanced machine was introduced to a greater audience and explained to [[Norbert Wiener]] <ref>[http://mindell.scripts.mit.edu/homepage/ David Mindell], [http://jerome-segal.de/ Jérôme Segal], [http://web.mit.edu/slava/homepage/ Slava Gerovitch] ('''2003'''). ''[http://www.infoamerica.org/documentos_word/shannon-wiener.htm Cybernetics and Information Theory in the United States, France and the Soviet Union]''. in [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Walker Mark Walker]], [http://books.google.com/books/about/Science_and_Ideology.html?id=0Nz7Gs-C-9MC&redir_esc=y Science and Ideology]: A Comparative History » [[Claude Shannon]], [[Norbert Wiener]], covers the 1951 Paris Cybernetic Congress</ref> . Even if only playing KRK, El Ajedrecista can be considered as the world’s '''first''' chess computer, even a [[Dedicated Chess Computers|dedicated]] [[Robots|robot]] able to move its own pieces. It is still functional and can be visited at the Torres Quevedo Museum of Engineering, Institute of Civil Engineering at the [[Technical University of Madrid|Universidad Politécnica de Madrid]] <ref>[http://www.upm.es/institucional/UPM/MuseosUPM/MuseoTorresQuevedo Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Museo "Torres Quevedo"] (Spanish)</ref>. During the [[WCCC 1992]], hosted by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the original El Ajedrecista was an exhibit in the tournament hall <ref>[[Jaap van den Herik]], [[Bob Herschberg]] ('''1992'''). ''The 7th World Computer-Chess Championship. Report on the Tournament''. [[ICGA Journal#15_4|ICCA Journal, Vol. 15, No. 4]]</ref>.
=Photos=
==El Ajedrecista I==
[[File:PrimerAjedrecista.jpg|none|border|text-bottom|504px|link=https://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Archivo:PrimerAjedrecista.jpg]]
Front view of the 1911 chess playing automation. The chessboard is shown in the lower right of center. Horizontal and vertical arms moved the pieces (which were actually [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_connector electrical jacks]) [[Origin Square|from square]] [[Target Square|to square]], and the logic circuitry consisted of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_%28electricity%29 battery] driven [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relay relays] arranged in a logical tree structure <ref>[https://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Archivo:PrimerAjedrecista.jpg Fotografía del primer ajedrecista. Del libro Obra e Inventos de Torres Quevedo. José García Santesmases. Editado en 1980 por el Instituto de España en la "Colección Cultura y Cienci], [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Im%C3%A1genes_del_Aut%C3%B3mata_ajedrecista Imágenes del Autómata ajedrecista] - [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Portada Torres Quevedo] (Spanish)</ref> <ref>[http://www.devili.iki.fi/library/author/1504.en.html James M. Williams] ('''1978'''). ''[https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1978-09/1978_09_BYTE_03-09_Graphic_Manipulations#page/n83/mode/2up Antique Mechanical Computers, Part 3: The Torres Chess Automation]''. [[Byte Magazine#BYTE309|BYTE, Vol. 3, No. 9]]</ref>
==El Ajedrecista II==
[[File:saz15Torresson.jpg|none|border|text-bottom|504px|link=]]
Gonzalo Torres y Quevedo and [[Norbert Wiener]] <ref>A New Photograph of “El jugador ajedrecista,” the World’s First Chess Computer by Nathan Bauman, July 16th, 2006</ref> <ref>[http://mindell.scripts.mit.edu/homepage/ David Mindell], [http://jerome-segal.de/ Jérôme Segal], [http://web.mit.edu/slava/homepage/ Slava Gerovitch] ('''2003'''). ''[http://www.infoamerica.org/documentos_word/shannon-wiener.htm Cybernetics and Information Theory in the United States, France and the Soviet Union]''. in [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Walker Mark Walker], [http://books.google.com/books/about/Science_and_Ideology.html?id=0Nz7Gs-C-9MC&redir_esc=y Science and Ideology]: A Comparative History » [[Claude Shannon]], [[Norbert Wiener]], covers the 1951 Paris Cybernetic Congress</ref>
=Description=
On March 17, 2007, the [[IEEE|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] (IEEE) recognized Torres’ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_control#History Telekine] <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_P%C3%A9rez_Yuste Antonio Pérez Yuste], [http://www.ieeeaps.org/offandadcom.html Magdalena Salazar Palma] ('''2004'''). ''The First Wireless Remote-Control: The Telekine of Torres Quevedo''. [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/images/Yuste.pdf pdf]</ref> with an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IEEE_milestones IEEE Milestone] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering Electrical Engineering] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computing Computing] <ref>[http://wvegter.hivemind.net/abacus/CyberHeroes/Quevedo.htm Cyber Heroes of the past: Leonardo Torres y Quevedo]</ref> . The dedication was held at the Torres Quevedo Museum of Engineering, Institute of Civil Engineering, [[Technical University of Madrid|Universidad Politécnica de Madrid]], and following description of El Ajedrecista was given in the Celebration Ceremony Booklet ''Early Developments in Remote-Control, 1901 - The Telekine'' <ref>[http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/images/TelekinoMilestone2007.pdf Torres-Quevedo Museum of Engineering - Early Developments in Remote-Control, 1901 - The Telekine] (pdf, Spanish/English) [http://www.caminos.upm.es/ Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos] (Institute of Civil Engineering) - [[Technical University of Madrid|Universidad Politécnica de Madrid]]</ref> <ref>[http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Luis_L%C3%B3pez_Aranguren José Luis López Aranguren], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madrid Complutense University of Madrid]</ref> :
<code>Roughly speaking, the movement of white pieces depends on the movement of the black king. Each of the 64 squares of the chess board (8 rows x 8 columns) are formed by three metallic pieces separated each other by an insulating material; the central piece is circular and is connected to the positive terminal whereas the side pieces are triangular and are respectively connected to two conductors, one horizontal and one vertical.</code>
<code>The black king has a silver mesh-base that connects the central piece of the square to the triangular ones, thus closing two electrical circuits that move two respective sliding bars, one horizontal and one vertical, until they reach two positions that determine the black king position on the chess board. Similarly, positions of the white king and rook are defined by four sliding bars, two for each of the pieces. When the black king moves into a position, the corresponding sliding bars move and close, by means of suitable contacts, the electrical circuits which act in turn on the white pieces making them move according to the game strategy. The white pieces have a steel ball in their base and are driven by electromagnets, which are placed under the table and suitably activated for each black king position.</code>
<code>When a check situation occurs, a phonographic disc pronounces the sentence “check to the king”. When checkmate occurs, the disc pronounces the corresponding sentence and a warning light indicating mate is turned on. In these cases, an electromagnet removes the tension from the board, thus ending the game. The automaton won. Although the chess automaton function was limited to particular chess endgames, Torres Quevedo proved that further advances in computer technology were possible at a time when the information about “artificial intelligence” was very limited. At the time of this invention Torres Quevedo was President of the Academy of Sciences of Madrid, Spain.</code>
=The Robot=
A detailed explanation of El Ajedrecista can be found in ''Les Automates'' by [[Henri Vigneron]] <ref>[[Henri Vigneron]] ('''1914'''). ''Les Automates''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Nature La Nature], [http://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Automates-La-Nature-Torres-1914.pdf pdf] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com], Translation by [[David Levy]] as ''Robots'' in [[David Levy]], [[Monroe Newborn]] ('''1982'''). ''All About Chess and Computers''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media Springer], pp. 14-23, also in [[David Levy]] (ed.) ('''1988'''). ''[[Computer Chess Compendium]]'', pp. 273-278.</ref> :
<code>If the opponent plays an illegal move, a light comes on and the robot refuses to make a move. Once three such illegal moves have been made, the robot ceases to play altogether. If, on the contrary, the robot will carry out one of six operations, depending upon the position of the (just moved) black king. In order to archive this, Mr Torres use two zones on the chessboard: the one on the left consisting of the a-, b-, c-files, and the corresponding one on the right consisting of the h-, g-, and f-files (and a center zone consisting of d-, and e-file). We then have six operations as shown in the figure:</code>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|colspan="6"| The (defending) black King
|-
| is in the same
zone as the
(white) rook
|colspan="5"| is not in the same zone as the rook and the vertical
distance between the black king and the rook is
|-
|
| more than
a square
|colspan="4"| one square, with the vertical distance<br/>between the two kings being
|-
|
|
| more than<br/>two squares
|colspan="3"| two squares, with the number<br/>of square representing their<br/>horizontal distance apart being
|-
| || || || odd || even || zero
|-
| The rook<br/>moves<br/>away<br/>horizontally
| The rook<br/>moves<br/>down one<br/>square
| The king<br/>moves<br/>down one<br/>square
| The rook<br/>moves one<br/>square<br/>horizontally
| The white<br/>king moves<br/>one square<br/>towards the<br/>black king
| The rook<br/>moves<br/>down one<br/>square
|-
| 1 || 2 || 4 || 5 || 6
|}
==Assembly==
[[File:Quevedo-Hauptschaltung.png|none|border|text-bottom|740px]]
El Ajedrecista - principle assembly diagram <ref>[[Henri Vigneron]] ('''1914'''). ''Les Automates''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Nature La Nature], image pp. 61, [http://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Automates-La-Nature-Torres-1914.pdf pdf] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com]</ref>
==Making own Moves==
Eight [[Electro-Mechanical|electro-mechanical]] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actuator actuators] [[Make Move|make]] the robot's own white king (left, right, down) or rook (left, right, down one square, horizontally to a- and h-file) [[Moves|moves]] and [[Incremental Updates|update]] its internal [[Board Representation|board representation]]. They are build using a disc (D) under [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction friction] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque torque] of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindle_%28tool%29 spindle] (O) driven by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight weights] suspended from a cord wrapped around a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulley pulley] <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_%28clockwork%29#Mechanical_movements Mechanical movements - Movement (clockwork) from Wikipedia]</ref>. The disc has one sawtooth to prevent motion by an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_%28device%29 pawl] unless an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnet electromagnet] (E) shortly attracts [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armature_%28electrical_engineering%29 armature] (A), allowing a full disc rotation, running a kind of mechanical microprogram for a specific piece movement. Using vertical and horizontal sliding arms, the robot addresses the [[Origin Square|origin square]], grasps the piece from the board's plug hole, moves it over the [[Target Square|target square]] to reinsert it into the board again.
<gallery>
File:ElAjedrecistaActuator.jpg|Actuator principle ...
File:ElAjedrecistaActuatorDisc.jpg|and photo detail <ref>Detail photos cropped from A New Photograph of “El jugador ajedrecista,” the World’s First Chess Computer by Nathan Bauman, July 16th, 2006</ref>
File:ElAjedrecistaBoardAndArms.jpg|Board with sliding arms
</gallery>
=See also=
* [[History|History of Computer Chess]]
* [[Mate-in-two]] by [[Dietrich Prinz]]
* [[Tihamér Nemes#Machine|Nemes' Chess Machine]] by [[Tihamér Nemes]]
=Publications=
* [[Henri Vigneron]] ('''1914'''). ''Les Automates''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Nature La Nature], [http://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Automates-La-Nature-Torres-1914.pdf pdf] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com], Translation by [[David Levy]] as ''Robots'' in [[David Levy]], [[Monroe Newborn]] ('''1982'''). ''All About Chess and Computers''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media Springer], pp. 14-23, also in [[David Levy]] (ed.) ('''1988'''). ''[[Computer Chess Compendium]]'', pp. 273-278.
* Anonymmous ('''1915'''). ''Torre and His Remarkable Automatic Devices''. [[Scientific American]], [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XwUiAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA296&dq=%22Torres+and+his+remarkable+automatic+devices%22&hl=en&ei=oBhxTvGkNrS80AHrxoysCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22Torres%20and%20his%20remarkable%20automatic%20devices%22&f=false Supplement 80, Number 2079, November 06, 1915]
* [[Donald Michie]] ('''1977'''). ''King and Rook Against King: Historical Background and a Problem on the Infinite Board''. [[Advances in Computer Chess 1]]
* [http://www.devili.iki.fi/library/author/1504.en.html James M. Williams] ('''1978'''). ''[https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1978-09/1978_09_BYTE_03-09_Graphic_Manipulations#page/n83/mode/2up Antique Mechanical Computers, Part 3: The Torres Chess Automation]''. [[Byte Magazine#BYTE309|BYTE, Vol. 3, No. 9]]
* [[David Levy]] ('''1982'''). ''Robots''. Translation of [[Henri Vigneron]] ('''1914'''). ''Les Automates''. in [[David Levy]], [[Monroe Newborn]] ('''1982'''). ''All About Chess and Computers''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media Springer], also in [[David Levy]] (ed.) ('''1988'''). ''[[Computer Chess Compendium]]'', pp. 273-278. [http://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Levy-Torres-Vigneron-Translation.pdf pdf] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Randell Brian Randell] ('''1982'''). ''From Analytical Engine to Electronic Digital Computer: The Contributions of Ludgate, Torres, and Bush''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_Annals_of_the_History_of_Computing Annals of the History of Computing], Vol. 4, No. 4, October 1982, [http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/publications/articles/papers/398.pdf pdf] <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_Engine Analytical Engine from Wikipedia]</ref> <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Ludgate Percy Ludgate from Wikipedia]</ref> <ref>[[Mathematician#VannevarBush|Vannevar Bush]]</ref>
* [[Ulrich Thiemonds]] ('''1999'''). ''Ein regelbasiertes Spielprogramm für Schachendspiele''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Bonn University of Bonn], [http://idb.informatik.uni-bonn.de/publications/DA Diploma Thesis], [http://www.iai.uni-bonn.de/%7Eidb/diplomarbeiten/thiemonds99.ps.gz zipped ps], [http://idb.informatik.uni-bonn.de/publications/da/da_thiemonds_1999.pdf pdf], pp 34-36 "Historischer" Ansatz von Torres y Quevedo" (German)
=Forum Posts=
* [http://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=422897 "El Ajedristica" Programming Challenge] by Ricardo Gibert, [[CCC]], April 25, 2005
* [http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41801 One hundred years ago, the first chess computer] by [[Steven Edwards]], [[CCC]], January 05, 2012
* [http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?topic_view=threads&p=490496&t=45840 Re: Programmer wanted to write chess game for an exhibition] by [[Harm Geert Muller]], [[CCC]], November 04, 2012 (El Ajedrecista algorithm)
* [http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51226 chess-playing automaton , circa 1914] by Tom Glenn, [[CCC]], February 10, 2014
=External Links=
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ajedrecista El Ajedrecista from Wikipedia]
* [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ajedrecista El Ajedrecista from Wikipedia.es] (Spanish)
* [http://www.upm.es/institucional/UPM/MuseosUPM/MuseoTorresQuevedo Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Museo "Torres Quevedo"]
* [http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter24.html#4470._The_first_chess_computer The first chess computer] Chess Notes Archive by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_%28chess_historian%29 Edward Winter] (note 4470, 4482)
* [http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter25.html#4525._The_first_chess_computer_C.N.s The first chess computer] Chess Notes Archive by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_%28chess_historian%29 Edward Winter] (note 4525, 4547)
* [https://sites.google.com/site/caroluschess/chess-computers/1911-el-ajedrecista 1911 El Ajedrecista] from [https://sites.google.com/site/caroluschess/home Carolus Chess]
* [http://cyberneticzoo.com/not-quite-robots/1911-20-chess-playing-machines-leonardo-torres-y-quevedo-spanish/ 1911-20 - Chess Playing Machines - Leonardo Torres y Quevedo] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com]
* [http://history-computer.com/Dreamers/Torres_chess.html History of Computers and Computing, Automata, Leonardo Torres's chess-machine]
* [http://wvegter.hivemind.net/abacus/CyberHeroes/Quevedo.htm Cyber Heroes of the past: Leonardo Torres y Quevedo]
* [http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mechanical-chess-opponent/ Mechanical Chess Opponent | Modern Mechanix]
* [http://www.tri.org.au/chess/Spain55.html Spain, September 6, 1955 - Leonardo Torres Quevedo: inventor of the first chess machine El Ajedrecista in 1911]
* [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Im%C3%A1genes_del_Aut%C3%B3mata_ajedrecista Imágenes del Autómata ajedrecista] - [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Portada Torres Quevedo] (Spanish)
* [http://www.schachklub-tempelhof.de/?q=quevedo Die Schachautomaten des Torres Quevedo] by [[Hans-Peter Ketterling]], [http://www.schachklub-tempelhof.de.vu/ Schachklub Tempelhof] (German)
* [http://www.andreadrian.de/schach/ Computer Schach] by [[Andre Adrian]], see Torres y Quevedo, Endspielautomat (German)
* [http://en.chessbase.com/post/torres-y-quevedo-s-rook-endgame-automaton The Rook Endgame Machine of Torres y Quevedo] by Ramón Jiménez, [[ChessBase]], July 20, 2004
* [http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/2011/09/el_ajedrecista.php "El Ajedrecista" - an analog chess-playing computer from 1912], September 14, 2011 <ref>El Ajedrecista deals with discrete states and should not considered as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_computer analog computer]</ref>
* [http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/09/torres-quevedo-chess-player-automaton/ Chess and the Automaton Endgame] by [http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/jon-turi/ Jon Turi], February 9th, 2014 <ref>[http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51226 chess-playing automaton , circa 1914] by Tom Glenn, [[CCC]], February 10, 2014</ref>
* Leonardo Torres Quevedo Chess Automaton 1951, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube YouTube] Video
: {{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoZ389Rs5s8|alignment=left|valignment=top}}
=References=
<references />
=What links here?=
'''[[History|Up one level]]'''
''
'''[[Main Page|Home]] * [[History]] * El Ajedrecista'''
'''El Ajedrecista''',[[File:ajedrecista200x206.jpg|thumb|right|link=]| El Ajedrecista <ref>A New Photograph of “El jugador ajedrecista,” the World’s First Chess Computer by Nathan Bauman, July 16th, 2006</ref>]]
the [[Electro-Mechanical|electro-mechanical]] [[KRK]] solver by [[Leonardo Torres y Quevedo]]. In 1910 Torres began (other sources state 1890, or 1901 <ref>[http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter25.html#4525._The_first_chess_computer_C.N.s The first chess computer] Chess Notes Archive by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_%28chess_historian%29 Edward Winter] (note 4525, 4547)</ref> ) to construct the chess automaton. In [[Timeline#1912|1912]] it was able to automatically play a white king (initially on a8) and white rook (initially on b7) against the lonesome black king placed on any square, except 7th or 8th rank. The algorithm was suboptimal, but could win in less than 50 moves against any defense <ref>[[David Levy]] in [[Computer Chess Compendium]], Special Purpose Software and Hardware, pp. 266</ref> . It used mechanical arms to make its moves and electrical sensors to detect its opponent's replies.
A second, mechanical but not algorithmic improved El Ajedrecista was built by Leonardo Torres Quevedo's son '''Gonzalo''' in 1922, under the direction of his father. At the 1951 Paris Cybernetic Congress the advanced machine was introduced to a greater audience and explained to [[Norbert Wiener]] <ref>[http://mindell.scripts.mit.edu/homepage/ David Mindell], [http://jerome-segal.de/ Jérôme Segal], [http://web.mit.edu/slava/homepage/ Slava Gerovitch] ('''2003'''). ''[http://www.infoamerica.org/documentos_word/shannon-wiener.htm Cybernetics and Information Theory in the United States, France and the Soviet Union]''. in [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Walker Mark Walker]], [http://books.google.com/books/about/Science_and_Ideology.html?id=0Nz7Gs-C-9MC&redir_esc=y Science and Ideology]: A Comparative History » [[Claude Shannon]], [[Norbert Wiener]], covers the 1951 Paris Cybernetic Congress</ref> . Even if only playing KRK, El Ajedrecista can be considered as the world’s '''first''' chess computer, even a [[Dedicated Chess Computers|dedicated]] [[Robots|robot]] able to move its own pieces. It is still functional and can be visited at the Torres Quevedo Museum of Engineering, Institute of Civil Engineering at the [[Technical University of Madrid|Universidad Politécnica de Madrid]] <ref>[http://www.upm.es/institucional/UPM/MuseosUPM/MuseoTorresQuevedo Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Museo "Torres Quevedo"] (Spanish)</ref>. During the [[WCCC 1992]], hosted by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the original El Ajedrecista was an exhibit in the tournament hall <ref>[[Jaap van den Herik]], [[Bob Herschberg]] ('''1992'''). ''The 7th World Computer-Chess Championship. Report on the Tournament''. [[ICGA Journal#15_4|ICCA Journal, Vol. 15, No. 4]]</ref>.
=Photos=
==El Ajedrecista I==
[[File:PrimerAjedrecista.jpg|none|border|text-bottom|504px|link=https://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Archivo:PrimerAjedrecista.jpg]]
Front view of the 1911 chess playing automation. The chessboard is shown in the lower right of center. Horizontal and vertical arms moved the pieces (which were actually [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_connector electrical jacks]) [[Origin Square|from square]] [[Target Square|to square]], and the logic circuitry consisted of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_%28electricity%29 battery] driven [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relay relays] arranged in a logical tree structure <ref>[https://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Archivo:PrimerAjedrecista.jpg Fotografía del primer ajedrecista. Del libro Obra e Inventos de Torres Quevedo. José García Santesmases. Editado en 1980 por el Instituto de España en la "Colección Cultura y Cienci], [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Im%C3%A1genes_del_Aut%C3%B3mata_ajedrecista Imágenes del Autómata ajedrecista] - [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Portada Torres Quevedo] (Spanish)</ref> <ref>[http://www.devili.iki.fi/library/author/1504.en.html James M. Williams] ('''1978'''). ''[https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1978-09/1978_09_BYTE_03-09_Graphic_Manipulations#page/n83/mode/2up Antique Mechanical Computers, Part 3: The Torres Chess Automation]''. [[Byte Magazine#BYTE309|BYTE, Vol. 3, No. 9]]</ref>
==El Ajedrecista II==
[[File:saz15Torresson.jpg|none|border|text-bottom|504px|link=]]
Gonzalo Torres y Quevedo and [[Norbert Wiener]] <ref>A New Photograph of “El jugador ajedrecista,” the World’s First Chess Computer by Nathan Bauman, July 16th, 2006</ref> <ref>[http://mindell.scripts.mit.edu/homepage/ David Mindell], [http://jerome-segal.de/ Jérôme Segal], [http://web.mit.edu/slava/homepage/ Slava Gerovitch] ('''2003'''). ''[http://www.infoamerica.org/documentos_word/shannon-wiener.htm Cybernetics and Information Theory in the United States, France and the Soviet Union]''. in [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Walker Mark Walker], [http://books.google.com/books/about/Science_and_Ideology.html?id=0Nz7Gs-C-9MC&redir_esc=y Science and Ideology]: A Comparative History » [[Claude Shannon]], [[Norbert Wiener]], covers the 1951 Paris Cybernetic Congress</ref>
=Description=
On March 17, 2007, the [[IEEE|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] (IEEE) recognized Torres’ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_control#History Telekine] <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_P%C3%A9rez_Yuste Antonio Pérez Yuste], [http://www.ieeeaps.org/offandadcom.html Magdalena Salazar Palma] ('''2004'''). ''The First Wireless Remote-Control: The Telekine of Torres Quevedo''. [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/images/Yuste.pdf pdf]</ref> with an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IEEE_milestones IEEE Milestone] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering Electrical Engineering] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computing Computing] <ref>[http://wvegter.hivemind.net/abacus/CyberHeroes/Quevedo.htm Cyber Heroes of the past: Leonardo Torres y Quevedo]</ref> . The dedication was held at the Torres Quevedo Museum of Engineering, Institute of Civil Engineering, [[Technical University of Madrid|Universidad Politécnica de Madrid]], and following description of El Ajedrecista was given in the Celebration Ceremony Booklet ''Early Developments in Remote-Control, 1901 - The Telekine'' <ref>[http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/images/TelekinoMilestone2007.pdf Torres-Quevedo Museum of Engineering - Early Developments in Remote-Control, 1901 - The Telekine] (pdf, Spanish/English) [http://www.caminos.upm.es/ Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos] (Institute of Civil Engineering) - [[Technical University of Madrid|Universidad Politécnica de Madrid]]</ref> <ref>[http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Luis_L%C3%B3pez_Aranguren José Luis López Aranguren], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complutense_University_of_Madrid Complutense University of Madrid]</ref> :
<code>Roughly speaking, the movement of white pieces depends on the movement of the black king. Each of the 64 squares of the chess board (8 rows x 8 columns) are formed by three metallic pieces separated each other by an insulating material; the central piece is circular and is connected to the positive terminal whereas the side pieces are triangular and are respectively connected to two conductors, one horizontal and one vertical.</code>
<code>The black king has a silver mesh-base that connects the central piece of the square to the triangular ones, thus closing two electrical circuits that move two respective sliding bars, one horizontal and one vertical, until they reach two positions that determine the black king position on the chess board. Similarly, positions of the white king and rook are defined by four sliding bars, two for each of the pieces. When the black king moves into a position, the corresponding sliding bars move and close, by means of suitable contacts, the electrical circuits which act in turn on the white pieces making them move according to the game strategy. The white pieces have a steel ball in their base and are driven by electromagnets, which are placed under the table and suitably activated for each black king position.</code>
<code>When a check situation occurs, a phonographic disc pronounces the sentence “check to the king”. When checkmate occurs, the disc pronounces the corresponding sentence and a warning light indicating mate is turned on. In these cases, an electromagnet removes the tension from the board, thus ending the game. The automaton won. Although the chess automaton function was limited to particular chess endgames, Torres Quevedo proved that further advances in computer technology were possible at a time when the information about “artificial intelligence” was very limited. At the time of this invention Torres Quevedo was President of the Academy of Sciences of Madrid, Spain.</code>
=The Robot=
A detailed explanation of El Ajedrecista can be found in ''Les Automates'' by [[Henri Vigneron]] <ref>[[Henri Vigneron]] ('''1914'''). ''Les Automates''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Nature La Nature], [http://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Automates-La-Nature-Torres-1914.pdf pdf] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com], Translation by [[David Levy]] as ''Robots'' in [[David Levy]], [[Monroe Newborn]] ('''1982'''). ''All About Chess and Computers''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media Springer], pp. 14-23, also in [[David Levy]] (ed.) ('''1988'''). ''[[Computer Chess Compendium]]'', pp. 273-278.</ref> :
<code>If the opponent plays an illegal move, a light comes on and the robot refuses to make a move. Once three such illegal moves have been made, the robot ceases to play altogether. If, on the contrary, the robot will carry out one of six operations, depending upon the position of the (just moved) black king. In order to archive this, Mr Torres use two zones on the chessboard: the one on the left consisting of the a-, b-, c-files, and the corresponding one on the right consisting of the h-, g-, and f-files (and a center zone consisting of d-, and e-file). We then have six operations as shown in the figure:</code>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|colspan="6"| The (defending) black King
|-
| is in the same
zone as the
(white) rook
|colspan="5"| is not in the same zone as the rook and the vertical
distance between the black king and the rook is
|-
|
| more than
a square
|colspan="4"| one square, with the vertical distance<br/>between the two kings being
|-
|
|
| more than<br/>two squares
|colspan="3"| two squares, with the number<br/>of square representing their<br/>horizontal distance apart being
|-
| || || || odd || even || zero
|-
| The rook<br/>moves<br/>away<br/>horizontally
| The rook<br/>moves<br/>down one<br/>square
| The king<br/>moves<br/>down one<br/>square
| The rook<br/>moves one<br/>square<br/>horizontally
| The white<br/>king moves<br/>one square<br/>towards the<br/>black king
| The rook<br/>moves<br/>down one<br/>square
|-
| 1 || 2 || 4 || 5 || 6
|}
==Assembly==
[[File:Quevedo-Hauptschaltung.png|none|border|text-bottom|740px]]
El Ajedrecista - principle assembly diagram <ref>[[Henri Vigneron]] ('''1914'''). ''Les Automates''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Nature La Nature], image pp. 61, [http://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Automates-La-Nature-Torres-1914.pdf pdf] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com]</ref>
==Making own Moves==
Eight [[Electro-Mechanical|electro-mechanical]] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actuator actuators] [[Make Move|make]] the robot's own white king (left, right, down) or rook (left, right, down one square, horizontally to a- and h-file) [[Moves|moves]] and [[Incremental Updates|update]] its internal [[Board Representation|board representation]]. They are build using a disc (D) under [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction friction] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque torque] of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindle_%28tool%29 spindle] (O) driven by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight weights] suspended from a cord wrapped around a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulley pulley] <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_%28clockwork%29#Mechanical_movements Mechanical movements - Movement (clockwork) from Wikipedia]</ref>. The disc has one sawtooth to prevent motion by an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_%28device%29 pawl] unless an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnet electromagnet] (E) shortly attracts [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armature_%28electrical_engineering%29 armature] (A), allowing a full disc rotation, running a kind of mechanical microprogram for a specific piece movement. Using vertical and horizontal sliding arms, the robot addresses the [[Origin Square|origin square]], grasps the piece from the board's plug hole, moves it over the [[Target Square|target square]] to reinsert it into the board again.
<gallery>
File:ElAjedrecistaActuator.jpg|Actuator principle ...
File:ElAjedrecistaActuatorDisc.jpg|and photo detail <ref>Detail photos cropped from A New Photograph of “El jugador ajedrecista,” the World’s First Chess Computer by Nathan Bauman, July 16th, 2006</ref>
File:ElAjedrecistaBoardAndArms.jpg|Board with sliding arms
</gallery>
=See also=
* [[History|History of Computer Chess]]
* [[Mate-in-two]] by [[Dietrich Prinz]]
* [[Tihamér Nemes#Machine|Nemes' Chess Machine]] by [[Tihamér Nemes]]
=Publications=
* [[Henri Vigneron]] ('''1914'''). ''Les Automates''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Nature La Nature], [http://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Automates-La-Nature-Torres-1914.pdf pdf] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com], Translation by [[David Levy]] as ''Robots'' in [[David Levy]], [[Monroe Newborn]] ('''1982'''). ''All About Chess and Computers''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media Springer], pp. 14-23, also in [[David Levy]] (ed.) ('''1988'''). ''[[Computer Chess Compendium]]'', pp. 273-278.
* Anonymmous ('''1915'''). ''Torre and His Remarkable Automatic Devices''. [[Scientific American]], [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XwUiAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA296&dq=%22Torres+and+his+remarkable+automatic+devices%22&hl=en&ei=oBhxTvGkNrS80AHrxoysCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22Torres%20and%20his%20remarkable%20automatic%20devices%22&f=false Supplement 80, Number 2079, November 06, 1915]
* [[Donald Michie]] ('''1977'''). ''King and Rook Against King: Historical Background and a Problem on the Infinite Board''. [[Advances in Computer Chess 1]]
* [http://www.devili.iki.fi/library/author/1504.en.html James M. Williams] ('''1978'''). ''[https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1978-09/1978_09_BYTE_03-09_Graphic_Manipulations#page/n83/mode/2up Antique Mechanical Computers, Part 3: The Torres Chess Automation]''. [[Byte Magazine#BYTE309|BYTE, Vol. 3, No. 9]]
* [[David Levy]] ('''1982'''). ''Robots''. Translation of [[Henri Vigneron]] ('''1914'''). ''Les Automates''. in [[David Levy]], [[Monroe Newborn]] ('''1982'''). ''All About Chess and Computers''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media Springer], also in [[David Levy]] (ed.) ('''1988'''). ''[[Computer Chess Compendium]]'', pp. 273-278. [http://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Levy-Torres-Vigneron-Translation.pdf pdf] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Randell Brian Randell] ('''1982'''). ''From Analytical Engine to Electronic Digital Computer: The Contributions of Ludgate, Torres, and Bush''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_Annals_of_the_History_of_Computing Annals of the History of Computing], Vol. 4, No. 4, October 1982, [http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/publications/articles/papers/398.pdf pdf] <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_Engine Analytical Engine from Wikipedia]</ref> <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Ludgate Percy Ludgate from Wikipedia]</ref> <ref>[[Mathematician#VannevarBush|Vannevar Bush]]</ref>
* [[Ulrich Thiemonds]] ('''1999'''). ''Ein regelbasiertes Spielprogramm für Schachendspiele''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Bonn University of Bonn], [http://idb.informatik.uni-bonn.de/publications/DA Diploma Thesis], [http://www.iai.uni-bonn.de/%7Eidb/diplomarbeiten/thiemonds99.ps.gz zipped ps], [http://idb.informatik.uni-bonn.de/publications/da/da_thiemonds_1999.pdf pdf], pp 34-36 "Historischer" Ansatz von Torres y Quevedo" (German)
=Forum Posts=
* [http://www.stmintz.com/ccc/index.php?id=422897 "El Ajedristica" Programming Challenge] by Ricardo Gibert, [[CCC]], April 25, 2005
* [http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41801 One hundred years ago, the first chess computer] by [[Steven Edwards]], [[CCC]], January 05, 2012
* [http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?topic_view=threads&p=490496&t=45840 Re: Programmer wanted to write chess game for an exhibition] by [[Harm Geert Muller]], [[CCC]], November 04, 2012 (El Ajedrecista algorithm)
* [http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51226 chess-playing automaton , circa 1914] by Tom Glenn, [[CCC]], February 10, 2014
=External Links=
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ajedrecista El Ajedrecista from Wikipedia]
* [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ajedrecista El Ajedrecista from Wikipedia.es] (Spanish)
* [http://www.upm.es/institucional/UPM/MuseosUPM/MuseoTorresQuevedo Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Museo "Torres Quevedo"]
* [http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter24.html#4470._The_first_chess_computer The first chess computer] Chess Notes Archive by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_%28chess_historian%29 Edward Winter] (note 4470, 4482)
* [http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter25.html#4525._The_first_chess_computer_C.N.s The first chess computer] Chess Notes Archive by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_%28chess_historian%29 Edward Winter] (note 4525, 4547)
* [https://sites.google.com/site/caroluschess/chess-computers/1911-el-ajedrecista 1911 El Ajedrecista] from [https://sites.google.com/site/caroluschess/home Carolus Chess]
* [http://cyberneticzoo.com/not-quite-robots/1911-20-chess-playing-machines-leonardo-torres-y-quevedo-spanish/ 1911-20 - Chess Playing Machines - Leonardo Torres y Quevedo] from [http://cyberneticzoo.com/ cyberneticzoo.com]
* [http://history-computer.com/Dreamers/Torres_chess.html History of Computers and Computing, Automata, Leonardo Torres's chess-machine]
* [http://wvegter.hivemind.net/abacus/CyberHeroes/Quevedo.htm Cyber Heroes of the past: Leonardo Torres y Quevedo]
* [http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mechanical-chess-opponent/ Mechanical Chess Opponent | Modern Mechanix]
* [http://www.tri.org.au/chess/Spain55.html Spain, September 6, 1955 - Leonardo Torres Quevedo: inventor of the first chess machine El Ajedrecista in 1911]
* [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Im%C3%A1genes_del_Aut%C3%B3mata_ajedrecista Imágenes del Autómata ajedrecista] - [http://www.torresquevedo.org/LTQ10/index.php?title=Portada Torres Quevedo] (Spanish)
* [http://www.schachklub-tempelhof.de/?q=quevedo Die Schachautomaten des Torres Quevedo] by [[Hans-Peter Ketterling]], [http://www.schachklub-tempelhof.de.vu/ Schachklub Tempelhof] (German)
* [http://www.andreadrian.de/schach/ Computer Schach] by [[Andre Adrian]], see Torres y Quevedo, Endspielautomat (German)
* [http://en.chessbase.com/post/torres-y-quevedo-s-rook-endgame-automaton The Rook Endgame Machine of Torres y Quevedo] by Ramón Jiménez, [[ChessBase]], July 20, 2004
* [http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/2011/09/el_ajedrecista.php "El Ajedrecista" - an analog chess-playing computer from 1912], September 14, 2011 <ref>El Ajedrecista deals with discrete states and should not considered as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_computer analog computer]</ref>
* [http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/09/torres-quevedo-chess-player-automaton/ Chess and the Automaton Endgame] by [http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/jon-turi/ Jon Turi], February 9th, 2014 <ref>[http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51226 chess-playing automaton , circa 1914] by Tom Glenn, [[CCC]], February 10, 2014</ref>
* Leonardo Torres Quevedo Chess Automaton 1951, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube YouTube] Video
: {{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoZ389Rs5s8|alignment=left|valignment=top}}
=References=
<references />
=What links here?=
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