Seoul Hero

Above photograph copied from the Museo Torres Quevedo, showing the first two chess computers side by side.

Readers may remember my earlier post on the first chess computers, analogue computing machines invented almost one hundred years ago by the famous Spanish inventor, Torres y Quevedo. At that time, I lamented the lack of photographic evidence of the first two machines on the internet. Thanks to the ongoing kindness of Edward Winter and the readers of his chess notes columns, that problem is now being remedied.

In Chess Notes 4482 (click and scroll down), Mr. Winter posts some fascinating information, including a link sent by reader Christian Sánchez to the webpage of the museum that houses the first chess machines. That page has three small, but very good pictures, and the one above is taken from that site. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a picture of the first machine that shows the chessboard it used.

In Chess Notes 4495, Mr. Winter posts another photograph, with more information, sent by reader Leonard Barden.