Kasparov Sparc

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Kasparov Sparc (Saitek Sparc), a chess computer module by Saitek, with a SPARC processor, and a program by Kathe and Dan Spracklen, dedicated for the SciSys/Saitek module system Saitek Renaissance. A first version of the program played the WMCCC 1991 in Vancouver as Saitek-X, 5th with 4½/7. The loss versus Ed Schröder's ChessMachine Gideon at the WCCC 1992 in Madrid almost ended their involvement in computer chess when they didn't win that world title. Despite, Kasparov Sparc participated a last time at the WMCCC 1993 in Munich operated by Günter Niggemann. Unfortunately, Sparc suffered from hardware problems and finally a broken interface card in the last round.

=Quotes= by Kathe and Dan Spracklen, excerpt from their Oral History : When Sid Samole was ready to retire, he sold Fidelity. And he sold it to a German chess manufacturer who had, at the time, the then world champion program. Our program had slipped into second place and so ... And that company had bought Fidelity and so we're saying, well, they've got the world champion program and we're number two. What's our future? They're a German company and we're in California, you know, where are things going? And, at the same time, we were approached by... Eric Winkler.

And he asked us if we would come to work for him and create a chess program for him. And we did work for three years for Saitek and Eric Winkler had a dream of creating a chess program using the Sparc processor, a risc-based processor. And we did do that. We created it. We got Sparc workstations and we coded an entire chess engine in Sparc Assembly language.

Well, Saitek hoped to win a world championship and recapture the Royal Championship title and we took a program that almost won. We came very close to winning but... Yeah. We lost the final round... And did not win and so, at that point in time, Saitek said, "Oh, well, that was a good try. Good bye." =The Game= WCCC 1992, round 5, Kasparov Sparc - ChessMachine WK [Event "WCCC 1992"] [Site "Madrid, Spain"] [Date "1992.11.27"] [Round "5"] [White "Kasparov Sparc"] [Black "ChessMachine WK"] [Result "0-1"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Bd6 6.O-O O-O 7.c4 Bxe5 8.dxe5 Nc6 9.cxd5 Qxd5 10.Qc2 Nb4 11.Bxe4 Nxc2 12.Bxd5 Bf5 13.g4 Bxg4 14.Bf4 Nxa1 15.Rc1 c6 16.Be4 f6 17.Nc3 fxe5 18.Bxe5 Rad8 19.Rxa1 Rd2 20.b3 Rfxf2 21.Bg3 Rf7 22.Rf1 g6 23.Rxf7 Kxf7 24.Bf4 Rd7 25.Kf2 Bf5 26.Bxf5 gxf5 27.Na4 b6 28.Nb2 c5 29.Kf3 Kf6 30.Nc4 Ke6 31.Na3 a6 32.Nc4 Rd3+ 33.Ke2 Rd4 34.Ke3 b5 35.Nb2 Kd5 36.Nd3 a5 37.Bg3 Re4+ 38.Kd2 Re8 39.Bc7 a4 40.Kc3 b4+ 41.Kd2 axb3 42.axb3 c4 43.Nxb4+ Kc5 44.Kc3 Re3+ 45.Kd2 Rf3 46.Nc2 cxb3 47.Na3 Kd5 48.Bb6 f4 49.Ba7 Ke4 50.Kc1 Rh3 51.Nb1 Kd3 52.Kb2 Rxh2+ 53.Kxb3 f3 54.Na3 f2 55.Bxf2 Rxf2 0-1 =See also=
 * Saitek Brute Force
 * Saitek Renaissance

=Forum Posts=
 * Spark full width approach and why... by Fernando Villegas, Hiarcs Forum, May 25, 2008

=External Links=
 * Kasparov Sparc's ICGA Tournaments
 * Saitek Sparc from Schachcomputer.info Wiki
 * Saitek Renaissance Sparc from Chess Computer UK by Mike Watters
 * Modul Sparc / Kasparov from Schachversand Niggemann

=References= Up one level