Belle (chess machine)

Belle was the name of a chess computer and its associated software, developed by Joe Condon and Ken Thompson at Bell Labs in the 1970s and 1980s. Belle was the first computer built for the sole purpose of chess playing. The strongest computer chess system of its time, Belle achieved an ELO rating of 2250, and officially became the first master-level machine in 1983. It won the ACM computer chess championships of 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1982.

Related Topics:
Chess computer - Joe Condon - Ken Thompson - Bell Labs - 1970s - 1980s - ELO rating - 1983 - ACM - 1978 - 1980 - 1981 - 1982

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In 1982, Belle was confiscated by the US State Department when heading to the USSR to compute in a computer chess tournament; its shipping was considered to be an illegal transfer of advanced technology to a foreign country.

Related Topics:
US State Department - USSR

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