Chess robots have come a long way over the years. The Square Off from a couple of years ago ran Stockfish. The Fidelity 6100 Phantom and Milton Bradley Grandmaster are robotic chessboards from 1988 and 1981 respectively. We recently had the chance to test both of these chess robots. They have a very similar design and still work after all these years. The Fidelity Phantom 6100 has a stronger engine with 24 levels and an estimated rating of 1835.
The Grandmaster has an estimated rating of 1450 ELO. Both units are built like a tank and rarely make a mistake moving the pieces. They have a magnetic robotic arm under the board that moves the pieces. There are slight differences between these models. For example, while both have an automatic mode, the Phantom keeps resetting and playing against itself while the Grandmaster stops after one game. They both have a lock underneath that protects the mechanism when you have to move the boards.
These robotic chessboard are rare but you can still find them on eBay. The Chesster model which has voice is much harder to find.
[HT]
