Before You Buy a Chess Computer

Excalibur was founded in 1992 by Shane Samole. His father Sidney owned Fidelity Electronics, a hearing-aid manufacturer which developed and sold the first commercial chess computer in 1977. With offices in Miami and Hong Kong, Excalibur 'manufactures electronic chess, chess accessories, parlor games, executive gifts' and much more. The company sponsors the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Manufacturing under the same name since the early 1980's, Novag is based in Hong Kong. The original Novag Constellation (powered by a 2 MHz processor!) and Super Constellation (4 MHz) have long since passed the baton to newer models named after precious stones, gems, and rocks. The Novag FAQ is a good, no-nonsense introduction to chess computers.

Founded in 1979 as a maker of computer game peripherals, Saitek was once known as Scisys. The company added the Mephisto brand to its product line in 1994 when it acquired Hegener and Glaser, which had previously bought Fidelity Electronics, another world-class maker of chess computers, in 1989. The company states proudly, 'Garry Kasparov has been personally associated with Saitek since 1983.'