Saitek Expert Travel Chess Computer from Mephisto

There is one major advantage that this set has - that the pieces do not fall from the board and therefore this comes in very handy when you are traveling or are playing in bed in an akward position. I would say that is the only reason to get this set. I would say that the claim of the strength of this piece is overrated. I would rate myself as a "bright beginner" (I am rated about 1100 on chess.com) and so far I have beaten the computer on every level I've played (I wouldn't say it plays ridiculously and I am still having fun, but I do not find it to be as challenging as I would like). Now, I ust say that I have not tried the levels where the machine spends several (like 5-10) minutes per move thinking and it may be that it plays very well with that mode, but frankly I do not have the patience for a 5 hour game. So - if you are looking for a very strong game and a quick computer AND are planning to just play at home, do not get this machine. Also I have to say that it is quite flimsy and the pieces are poorly manufactured. I also have to say that all in all I would have probably still gotten this game because I travel a lot and want to be able to play on the plane, so for me this works as a good option. I also use it at home when my wife is on the computer; otherwise I play on chess.com, which is excellent (you can play against others or again a very strong computer where the moves are made nearly instantaneously).

Loved the chess computer. Service was great too.

ok

I have owned this computer for a long long time. It works perfectly. You have to spend time READING and learning the manual! I am a USCF 2160 player and I set mine up to play the strongest possible chess. If you spend time reading the manual you will see you can set it to play weaker, play weaker openings, not think on your time, etc! I bet that is why some of these reviewers were able to beat it. Set it up at the strongest level like I did and they will lose every time! I use it as a training partner to practice my openings and typical middlegame positions and tactics, so I bring an opening book along, force the first 10 to 15 opening moves and then play it. For me this is the best computer to have, I set it up in the infinite mode so it will always give me toughest game. I sometimes for fun play blitz or 10 minute chess. Before a tournament I play it at the same time control the tournament will be to get me ready to rumble. I lose most games but do get draws once in a while and even less so I do win sometimes, but rarely, but I enjoy playing a strong master player all the time to improve my chess. This is a great chess computer, peg style so the pieces stay in place, I do not mind playing with the cover so I won't be taking mine off! It is very easy to switch piece colors for the bottom of the board so I do not find a need to take cover off. Batteries last a long time, I use duracell rechargeable types and it lasts for over 40 hours of play. If you want to set yours up to play strongest here are the parameters: +Auto, +Snd, -Sil, -Coch, -tic, +cdn, -top, +aPd. I hope this helps you get strongest play from your computer.

Learned to play chess when I was a kid, but pretty much forgot about it. My grandson joined a chess club at school, so I decided to pick it back up a few months ago. Don't have my own computer, so I bought Chessmaster for our PS2 (which we have for my grandson) and then bought this so I'd have something portable to play. If you're already good at chess, ignore what I'm about to say. I'm sure this game would probably be fun and challenging. The problem I have with it is that there is no level of play that is neither too easy or too hard. There are many different levles of play. There are, for example, 8 "fun" levels. The "fun" levels are supposed to be for beginners and get increasingly harder as you progress through them. So I go to fun level 5 and basically, after a few moves, Mephisto will make a stupid move like trading its Queen for Knight. Okay, too easy, so I go to Fun Level 6. It kills me - over and over again. I then play Mephisto level F6 (black) versus a number of Chessmaster (white) computer "personalities". Mephisto easily beats 1900 rated players in Chessmaster (didn't try any higher than that). I can play pretty well against Chessmaster up to "players" rated around 1500-1600, but I have no chance against those rated at 1900. Anyway, the point is, you jump from level F5 where Mephisto makes boneheaded moves that essentially give you the game to 1900+ at level F6. Seems like they're missing some levels in between. All-in-all, it is a good learning tool, but it would be nice, with all the levels it has, to find something that's a challenging to beat but not too easy.

Très bon jeu, facile d'utilisation et très pratique de par sa taille. Chaque joueur y trouve son compte, multi niveaux et possibilité de jouer à deux.

Spielstark, gute Kombinationen, keine Langeweile bei den Eröffnungen und deutlich mehr Ruhe beim Spiel als bei Schach am PC. Für Training und Reise ideal.

Ich bin enttäuscht und überlege, ob ich Ihn zurückschicke.Hier mal ein Beispiel:Ich (Weiß) gegen Mephisto (Schwarz) im Turniermodus.1. c4 c5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Qa5 4. Nc3 Qxc3 5. dxc3 ?????Das kann doch nicht sein, da spielt ja jeder Anfänger besser. Habe ich irgendwas übersehen oder falsch eingestellt?Gruß