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The Turk (Automaton)

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000		Chess variants (12 games)
C00		French Defense (2 games)

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THE TURK (AUTOMATON) (born 1769, died 1854, 85 years old) Hungary [what is this?] The Turk was designed by Hungarian engineer and inventor Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen in 1769. It was billed as a "chess playing automaton" capable of beating even the strongest challengers. During a performance, the showman would open two cabinets to display a large empty space, and then a third cabinet to display an area of tightly packed machinery, presumably the "brains" of the contraption. The secret of this hoax was that a normal sized man could recline within the machine, and remain unseen by the audience by repositioning himself during the initial display of the device's interior. Its first performance was for the Habsburg Court in Vienna in 1770. It was exhibited thereafter although somewhat intermittently for the next 84 years. After von Kempelen's death in 1804, the Turk was purchased by Bavarian showman Johann Nepomuk Maelzel. In 1809 during the Wagram campaign Napoleon Bonaparte played against it in Vienna. For a period it was in the private collection of Prince Eugene de Beauharnais but Maelzel acquired it again in 1817. Further exhibitions followed but in 1837 both Maelzel and the Turks operator, Schlumberger (who was the tutor of Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint Amant) died from Yellow fever while returning to the USA from Havana. The Turk ended its days in the Chinese Museum in Philadelphia where it was destroyed by a fire in 1854. The two other famous chess automatons built subsequently were Ajeeb (Automaton) and Mephisto (Automaton). Wikipedia article: Mechanical Turk Last updated: 2021-08-23 09:00:35

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page 1 of 1; 19 games    Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Napoleon Bonaparte vs The Turk 0-1 24 1809 Schoenbrunn Palace Exhibition C20 King's Pawn Game 2. The Turk vs NN 1-0 31 1818 Exhibition game C33 King's Gambit Accepted 3. Cochrane vs The Turk   0-1 22 1819 London exhibithion 000 Chess variants 4. Brandreth vs The Turk   0-1 19 1819 London exhibithion 000 Chess variants 5. B Keen vs The Turk   0-1 31 1820 Exhibition game 000 Chess variants 6. F Mercier vs The Turk   0-1 25 1820 Exhibition game 000 Chess variants 7. Hubbard vs The Turk   0-1 31 1820 Casual Game, Odds Pf7, London 000 Chess variants 8. Hubbard vs The Turk   0-1 25 1820 Casual Game, Odds Pf7, London 000 Chess variants 9. Hubbard vs The Turk 1-0 38 1820 Casual Game, Odds Pf7, London 000 Chess variants 10. Cochrane vs The Turk   0-1 34 1820 London exhibithion 000 Chess variants 11. Strickland vs The Turk 0-1 38 1820 London Exhibition 000 Chess variants 12. Hook vs The Turk 0-1 32 1820 Odds game 000 Chess variants 13. Cochrane vs The Turk 1-0 30 1820 London 000 Chess variants 14. Sturmer vs The Turk 0-1 20 1820 The Turk Show in London 000 Chess variants 15. C Vezin vs The Turk ½-½ 57 1827 friendly C00 French Defense 16. Mrs. Fisher vs The Turk 1-0 41 1827 Exhibition C00 French Defense 17. The Turk vs A Zerega 1-0 35 1845 Private Exhibition C42 Petrov Defense 18. The Turk vs C Stanley ½-½ 40 1845 Private Exhibition C38 King's Gambit Accepted 19. The Turk vs S Heilbuth   1-0 36 1859 Turk Exhibition C70 Ruy Lopez  page 1 of 1; 19 games

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 7 OF 7 ·  Later Kibitzing> Jun-30-12    SBC: 10 games by the Turk: http://blog.chess.com/view/turkish-... Jul-12-12    DanielBryant: Does anybody know how The Turk indicated resignation when "it" lost? Jul-12-12    Shams: <DanielBryant> History records that the Turk, faced with a lost position, would first attempt the old "earthquake" ruse of upsetting the board and pieces in a manner meant to look accidental. Mar-24-13    IndigoViolet: Thinking about the Turk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-... Sep-04-13    MJCB: I already find it hard to concentrate and play in front of a board, what about inside a box! This man (or woman?) was having such an uncommon life, and I would not bet it was a pleasant one. These games allow this person to be both unknown and remembered. Sep-05-13    offramp: I would have hated to be inside it when that fire broke out. Definitely a good time to break the fourth wall. Sep-05-13    Sneaky: <break the fourth wall> Literally! Sep-06-13    offramp: One good thing about lending someone your time machine is that you get it back immediately. Sep-06-13    TheFocus: Usually missing the cigarette lighter. Oct-22-13    Karpova: Baron von Kempelen died on March 26, 1804 at the age of 70. Source: 'British Chess Magazine' Almanac, p. 1, March 1882 Nov-28-13    Richard Taylor: As I said elsewhere I recall (long ago in the 60s) reading about the Turk and I think it was said that Pilsbury played "inside the machine" some times, using his great abilities at blindfold chess: I also (think I read) that he used to consume large amounts of whiskey to get through what was an extreme ordeal cramped inside the Turk's inner parts. But perhaps that is one of those misleading stories one picks up. Nov-28-13    Richard Taylor: I just checked. Pillsbury wasn't born until 1872. Nov-28-13    YoungEd: Just a few days ago, I started reading a novel called "The Chess Machine" by Robert Lohr (translated from German). It's a fictionalized account of von Kempelen and the operation of the machine. I'm not finished, but it's a fun and well-written story so far! Worth a look if that's your sort of thing. Nov-28-13    chesswar1000: 'the turkey' Nov-28-13    Check It Out: The Turk's innards were stuffed, so to speak. Mar-04-14    Golden Executive: <YoungEd: Just a few days ago, I started reading a novel called "The Chess Machine" by Robert Lohr (translated from German). It's a fictionalized account of von Kempelen and the operation of the machine.> Novels are not precisely my stuff, but I really enjoyed this one. <...it's a fun and well-written story> Exactly my thoughts. Some information about "The Chess Machine" http://www.amazon.com/The-Chess-Mac... Aug-09-14    James Demery: I read that the Turk played a game against Philidor. I know its not in the database here, but does anyone know if thats true? Aug-10-14    ljfyffe: Yes, in 1783 in Paris, Philidor defeated the "Automation". Aug-10-14    offramp: He would need only a few new cassettes of opening theory and in a few days he would be World Computer Champion again. Aug-10-14    ljfyffe: Time-warped to-whomever comments are noted. Philidor, who had to flee to England, however, was considered unofficial world champion of actual over-the-board play for another decade after he had played the "computer" even though the cassette of a-far-off-time was yet to come and go. Aug-11-16    Patanjali: Is it even possible to build a machine like this that can play chess purely by mechanical means? (i.e., no electronic or digital stuff). Aug-12-16    alexmagnus: Patanjali, why not? After all, there are mechanical calculators (there is a nice video on YouTube btw showing what happens to a mechanical calculator when you perform division by zero). Also, around the Turk's time there was an actual mechanical automaton which could do only one thing - checkmate with K+R vs K. Apr-01-17    The Kings Domain: I thought it was going to be NN again but it's nice to see The Turk get his due. Happy April Fools to everyone. :-) Apr-01-17    ColeTrane: "His due...." indeed. CG has done well for April fools on all fronts. El Turco & GOTD... Bravo! Wondering how Center Game relates though..... Nov-04-19    edwardsrick: Amazing... Even in those times there was chess cheats. Now in era of online chess people still cheating. Not only with chess engines in classic games, but also in blitz games with chess cheat like https://www.chess-bot.com/ Anyway, good article, thank you for it! Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 7) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 7 OF 7 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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