1. Joined
    03 Mar '05
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    45550
    23 Aug '15 19:04
    Don't know if this belongs here or in the culture category. Nevertheless ...

    I'm trying to remember the name of a short story, probably 1950's or 1960's vintage, about a man with a chess-playing computer. It's a tabletop affair, luggable, and has found a way to cheat. (It just recently won a tournament.)

    It also comes with the man into a bar, and the two share drinks (there's a spot on the machine where an opening appears, and I can't recall whether the man pours in the drink, or whether the computer has an arm that picks up the glass.

    In any case, the two of them get pretty wasted, and they eventually leave the bar, but one of the patrons looks out the window (?) and watches them go. The bartender says something like, "Did he get off okay?" and the patron says, "They made to their car all right. And guess which of the two of them is doin' the drivin'."

    Something like that. I've googled to no avail.

    Thanks in advance.
  2. Joined
    01 Apr '05
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    57586
    24 Aug '15 20:07
    Hi
    It rings a vague bell..
    Would it be 'The 64 Square Madhouse' by Fritz Leiber?
  3. Joined
    03 Mar '05
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    45550
    24 Aug '15 21:35
    Thanks for replying. The time period is right, but I don't think it's the story. If I recall correctly, the actual games played the computer are never shown--it was an "after the fact consequences" tale.

    What's even more maddening, it's in one of a couple hundred books that I have boxed up. I was really hoping to avoid having to open those boxes. 😉
  4. Standard memberbill718
    Enigma
    Seattle
    Joined
    03 Sep '06
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    3298
    30 Aug '15 05:301 edit
    Originally posted by CrawlIce
    Don't know if this belongs here or in the culture category. Nevertheless ...

    I'm trying to remember the name of a short story, probably 1950's or 1960's vintage, about a man with a chess-playing computer. It's a tabletop affair, luggable, and has found a way to cheat. (It just recently won a tournament.)

    It also comes with the man into a bar, and th ...[text shortened]... is doin' the drivin'."

    Something like that. I've googled to no avail.

    Thanks in advance.
    You'll find this story in The Chess Companion by Irving Chernev. I can't remember the title, but do remember reading this story in that book back in the 60's. If you can get your hands on a copy, you'll find it there, as well as several other great chess short stories. Which reminds me, I have to order this book. I wore out my old copy and threw it out a few years back.
  5. Joined
    03 Mar '05
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    45550
    31 Aug '15 17:35
    THANK YOU! Found the book on Amazon and used the "Look Inside" feature to get to the contents page. The story is "The Hour of Letdown," by E. B. White, 1951.

    Whew. I can now sleep tonight.

    BTW, you threw out a BOOK???
    Somebody get the rack.

    😉
  6. Standard memberbyedidia
    Mister Why
    San Carlos, CA
    Joined
    21 Feb '12
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    6039
    31 Aug '15 17:55
    http://lengish.com/texts/text-90.html
  7. Joined
    03 Mar '05
    Moves
    45550
    31 Aug '15 19:49
    And a thank-you your way, too! 🙂

    Remarkably, google should have been able to find this from my search parms, but did not.
  8. Standard memberbill718
    Enigma
    Seattle
    Joined
    03 Sep '06
    Moves
    3298
    01 Sep '15 00:59
    BTW, you threw out a BOOK???
    Somebody get the rack.

    LOL....I threw out my old copy because the spine was badly broken, and the pages were falling out. I was tired of using rubber bands to hold it together. I'm glad you found your long lost story. When you get a copy, try the other stories in there as well. Slippery Elm is pretty good too. 🙂
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