Microchess, by Peter R. Jennings, was originally a microcomputer
ChessChess is a board game played between two players. The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from a similar, much older game of Indian origin...
Program for the
MOS TechnologyMOS Technology, Inc., also known as CSG , was a semiconductor design and fabrication company based in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is most famous for its 6502 microprocessor, and various designs for Commodore International's range of home computers.-History:MOS Technology, Inc...
KIM-1The KIM-1, short for Keyboard Input Monitor, was a small 6502-based microcomputer kit developed and produced by MOS Technology, Inc. and launched in 1975...
microcomputer, first released on December 18, 1976. Microchess, as small as it was in terms of program size, could still play passable chess on the KIM-1 with its
6502The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
microprocessor, 1
kibibyteA kibibyte is a unit of information or computer storage, established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000. Its symbol is KiB...
of memory, simple hex keyboard and tiny segment display.
Microchess was later expanded into a more fully-featured program with graphics for the
Commodore PETThe PET was a home/personal computer produced by Commodore starting in 1977. It was a top seller in the Canadian, US, and UK educational markets, and was Commodore's first full-featured computer and would form the basis for their entire 8-bit platform.-Origins and the early models:In the 1970s,...
, Apple II and
AtariAtari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Infogrames Entertainment SA ....
400/800 computers.
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Microchess, by Peter R. Jennings, was originally a microcomputer
ChessChess is a board game played between two players. The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from a similar, much older game of Indian origin...
Program for the
MOS TechnologyMOS Technology, Inc., also known as CSG , was a semiconductor design and fabrication company based in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is most famous for its 6502 microprocessor, and various designs for Commodore International's range of home computers.-History:MOS Technology, Inc...
KIM-1The KIM-1, short for Keyboard Input Monitor, was a small 6502-based microcomputer kit developed and produced by MOS Technology, Inc. and launched in 1975...
microcomputer, first released on December 18, 1976. Microchess, as small as it was in terms of program size, could still play passable chess on the KIM-1 with its
6502The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
microprocessor, 1
kibibyteA kibibyte is a unit of information or computer storage, established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000. Its symbol is KiB...
of memory, simple hex keyboard and tiny segment display.
Microchess was later expanded into a more fully-featured program with graphics for the
Commodore PETThe PET was a home/personal computer produced by Commodore starting in 1977. It was a top seller in the Canadian, US, and UK educational markets, and was Commodore's first full-featured computer and would form the basis for their entire 8-bit platform.-Origins and the early models:In the 1970s,...
, Apple II and
AtariAtari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Infogrames Entertainment SA ....
400/800 computers. It was also licensed to Novag for its dedicated Chess Champion Mk II in 1979.
http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/html/scisys_and_novag___the_early_y.html It was the first microcomputer software package to sell 50,000 copies, almost exclusively on cassette tape. Jennings founded
VisiCorpVisiCorp was an early personal computer software publisher. Its most famous products are VisiOn and VisiCalc.It was founded in 1976 by Dan Fylstra and Peter R. Jennings as Personal Software, and first published Jennings' Microchess program for the MOS Technology KIM-1 computer, and later Commodore...
together with Dan Flystra, and the new company published Microchess to the growing microcomputer market. Microchess gave the company enough success to launch
VisiCalcVisiCalc was the first spreadsheet program available for personal computers. It is often considered the application that turned the microcomputer from a hobby for computer enthusiasts into a serious business tool...
which would be its greatest success.
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