Mephisto Portorose

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Mephisto Portorose, a set of dedicated chess computer modules by Hegener & Glaser for their Mephisto module systems with a program by Richard Lang as successor of Mephisto Almeria. After Lang's fifth consecutive World Microcomputer Chess Championship title as member of the Mephisto team at the WMCCC 1989 in Portorož (Italian: Portorose, literally "Port of Roses"), the modules were released in 1989 in three versions. At the WMCCC, Mephisto Portorose was unchallenged in the Manufacturers group, and Mephisto X won in the Software group, assigning the World Micro Absolute Champion title to Mephisto Portorose, claimed to be identical with Mephisto X. Mephisto X aka Portorose also played the ACM 1989 in Reno some weeks later, where it upset Cray Blitz and Deep Thought, becoming third. Mephisto Portorose further played the First Harvard Cup 1989 and the Aegon 1990 where it won from David Bronstein. In April 1990 Mephisto Portorose won versus Anatoly Karpov during a simultaneous exhibition at the SKA-Mephisto-Tournament in Munich.

=Improvements= Improvements were mentioned in various game phases due to faster and deeper selective search and tweaked evaluation, and an enhanced 80,000 ply opening book with 10,000 variations.

=Versions= Three Portorose versions were shipped - with 68000 and 68020 processor, and the limited edition Mephisto Portorose Tournament machines with 68030 processor.

=Photos & Games=

ACM 1989
Richard Lang playing Mephisto X (Portorose) vs Deep Thought at ACM 1989 [Event "ACM 1989"] [Site "Reno USA"] [Date "1989.11.14"] [Round "5"] [White "Mephisto X"] [Black "Deep Thought"] [Result "1-0"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.Bxc4 e6 6.h3 Bh5 7.Nc3 Nbd7 8.g4 Bg6 9.Nh4 Be4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.Nf3 Nd6 12.Bb3 Qe7 13.Bd2 h5 14.Rg1 hxg4 15.hxg4 O-O-O 16.Ba5 b6 17.Bb4 a5 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.Qc2 Be7 20.O-O-O Rh3 21.Nd2 c6 22.Rh1 Rdh8 23.Rxh3 Rxh3 24.Ne4 Qc7 25.Kb1 g5 26.Rc1 Kb7 27.Ba4 Nb8 28.Nd2 Qd7 29.Bb3 Na6 30.Qe4 Nb4 31.a3 Nd5 32.Qg2 Rh8 33.Ne4 f6 34.Qg3 Rg8 35.Rh1 f5 36.gxf5 exf5 37.Qh3 Rf8 38.Nd2 Bf6 39.Qh7 Rf7 40.Qh6 Qe6 41.Qg6 Rg7 42.Rh7 Rxh7 43.Qxh7+ Be7 44.Kc1 Kc7 45.Nf3 Kd8 46.Ne5 g4 47.Qh8+ Kc7 48.Kd2 Kb7 49.Nxc6 Qxc6 50.Qe5 Nc7 51.Qxe7 Qg2 52.Qh4 f4 53.exf4 Qe4 54.Qxg4 Qxd4+ 55.Kc1 Qxf2 56.Qf5 Qf3 57.Kc2 Kc6 58.Qe5 Nd5 59.Qe6+ Kc5 60.Bxd5 Qxd5 61.Qxd5+ Kxd5 62.Kd3 a4 63.Kc3 Kc5 64.f5 1-0
 * Game on Lichess.org

Karpov Simul
Anatoly Karpov vs Mephisto Portorose operated by Jeroen Noomen @ 63...Rxh1 SKA-Mephisto-Tournament, Munich, April 1990 [Event "Karpov Simul"] [Site "Munich GER"] [Date "1990.04.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Anatoly Karpov"] [Black "Mephisto Portorose"] [Result "0-1"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bg4 6.Ne5 Bh5 7.f3 Nfd7 8.Nxc4 e5 9.Ne4 Bb4+ 10.Bd2 Qh4+ 11.g3 Qe7 12.Bxb4 Qxb4+ 13.Qd2 Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 exd4 15.Ned6+ Ke7 16.Nxb7 Na6 17.Bh3 Rab8 18.Nba5 Rhc8 19.f4 f6 20.e3 dxe3+ 21.Kxe3 Nb4 22.Kf2 Nd3+ 23.Kg2 Nxb2 24.Rhe1+ Kd8 25.Nd6 Rc7 26.g4 Bg6 27.f5 Ne5 28.fxg6 hxg6 29.Rab1 Rb4 30.g5 Ke7 31.Re4 Rxe4 32.Nxe4 Nxa4 33.Ra1 Nb6 34.Nc5 Ke8 35.Nab7 Nf7 36.gxf6 gxf6 37.Rxa7 Ke7 38.Ra6 Nd5 39.Kg3 Ne5 40.Bg2 Ne3 41.Bh1 g5 42.Na5 Kd6 43.Ne4+ Ke7 44.Nc5 Kd6 45.Ncb7+ Kd7 46.Ra8 c5 47.Rh8 Ke6 48.Nb3 Nf5+ 49.Kf2 Nd3+ 50.Ke2 c4 51.Na1 Nf4+ 52.Ke1 c3 53.Nc2 Rc4 54.Kd1 Rc7 55.Re8+ Kf7 56.Rd8 Ke7 57.Nb4 Ne3+ 58.Ke1 c2 59.Nxc2 Rxc2 60.Rd2 Rc1+ 61.Kf2 Nc4 62.Rd4 Ne6 63.Re4 Rxh1 64.Rxc4 Rxh2+ 65.Kg3 Rb2 66.Na5 f5 67.Rc3 Kf6 68.Nc4 f4+ 69.Kf3 Rh2 70.Rc1 Rh3+ 71.Ke4 g4 72.Re1 Rb3 73.Rg1 g3 74.Rg2 Rc3 75.Nd2 Re3+ 76.Kd5 Kf5 77.Nf1 Rd3+ 78.Kc4 Rd4+ 79.Kc3 Kg4 80.Rg1 Kf3 81.Nd2+ Kf2 82.Rf1+ Ke2 83.Rg1 Rd3+ 0-1
 * Game on Lichess.org

=See also=
 * Demonology
 * Mephisto Almeria
 * Mephisto Lyon
 * Phoenix Chess Systems

=Publications=
 * Hans-Peter Ketterling (1990). Neues aus Nürnberg, Computerschachankündigungen auf der Speilwarenmesse (Teil 2 - Mephisto). Europa-Rochade 06-1990, hosted by Hein Veldhuis

=Postings=
 * Mephisto Portorose - GM Stephan Kindermann 1-0 [Berlin Summer Open 1990] by ?, CCC, April 04, 2000
 * Richard Lang World Champion Emulation by Bryan Whitby, CCC, July 07, 2009 » Phoenix Chess Systems, Resurrection, Revelation
 * Mephisto Portorose 68030 by Mark Weeks, March 22, 2015

=External Links=
 * Comp Mephisto Portorose chess games - 365Chess.com
 * Module Portorose 32 Bit from The Spacious Mind
 * Mephisto Almeria Turniermaschine from Chess Computer UK by Mike Watters » Mephisto Almeria
 * IX World Microcomputer Chess Championship PORTOROSE 1989, ChessEval, July 2014
 * Mephisto Portorose 68000 from Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
 * Mephisto Portorose 68020 from Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
 * Mephisto TM Portorose from Schachcomputer.info Wiki (German)
 * Schachcomputer - Geschichte - 26 (German) by Karsten Bauermeister, hosted by Kurt Kispert
 * Schachcomputer - Geschichte - 27 (German) by Karsten Bauermeister, hosted by Kurt Kispert


 * Mephisto Portorose 68000 from Museo Español de Computadoras de Ajedrez (Spanish)

=References=

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