Novag chess computers used to be a lot popular a couple of decades ago. They were made in various shapes and sizes. The company even manufactured a line-up of handheld travel chess computers, such as the Sapphire, Sapphire II, Solo, and Ruby. The Super VIP was the strongest portable chess computer for its time. It had a 48K program and 9.8MHz processor. We recently had a chance to get our hands on one. Let’s see what was included.
The NOVAG Super VIP came in a solid protective case that keeps it safe. Just like the Sapphire and Solo, it has buttons for you to enter the moves. It also has a tiny magnetic board with flat pieces that you can use to visualize each position. It has 48 levels for you to choose from. It has a port that you can use to attach this to your PC or even color TV. You can also use it with select Novag smart boards. This has an estimated rating of 2000 but it is much closer to 1700 ELO based on our tests.
This chess computer has a sleep mode that disables the controls to save battery and lets you carry it in your pocket with peace of mind. The Novag Super VIP is rare but you can still find it on eBay.
[HT]
