Saitek CH03 Travel Chess computer

by Saitek

Product Features

• 64 playing levels: Fun, Casual, Blitz, Bronstein, Bonus Timer, Tournament, Fixed Depth and Tactical
• 16 stored Opening Systems
• 14-move Take Back - experiment and learn
• 11 Teach Modes - learning made easy

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 6.9 x 2.2 inches ; 14.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• ASIN: B000096L64
• Item model number: CH03
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required.
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,109 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Product Description

Saitek Travel Chess computer, the standard in portable chess. With 64 playing levels and 16 stored opening systems, you'll have your hands full on any trip!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars improvements could be made, August 21, 2003

By 

Wyote (Seoul) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Saitek CH03 Travel Chess computer (Toy)

I'm not an excessively strong chess player (at my best I'm in the 1500s). If you're around 1200 or 1300 and patient this will be a fine game to carry when you travel; but it's too slow and even on the highest level surprisingly beatable even by me.

However, if you're even worse than that, if you just need practice avoiding blunders, the levels are fine. You can move up as you improve; at the highest level you'll need a little positional understanding as well as tactical discipline to beat it consistently. So it's a decent trainer for beginners.

Past that, it needs to be faster and smarter; I suspect there are cell phones that can beat it. (Edit: a few years later, I'm confident that cell phones can beat it!)

One final note: the pieces are very small, they are not magnetic and they do not settle very securely into their places on the board. That is, they fall out and get lost too easily.

Shop around before you buy this one, at any rate.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great For Beginners, January 8, 2004

By 

Smoten (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Saitek CH03 Travel Chess computer (Toy)

The Saitek Travel Chess Computer has many of the virtues of its more powerful cousins at a fraction of the cost. It has a multi-move "take back" feature, 64 playing levels, teaching modes, and a rudimentary stock of openings. It can be slow and, like just about all computers, will make the same tactical blunders repeatedly. Its playing strength is strictly for beginners but at the highest level it can be challenging to the beginner who will soon move into the intermediate ranks. The Saitek is a useful, entertaining teaching tool for the child who knows the moves to the game. It can be a boon companion on a long car trip or flight (it can beat the woeful on-board chess programs) without all the beep-beep and toot-toot of those mindless hand-held computer video games. The manufacturer's suggested age range of eight years and up is too cautious; this game can be both entertaining and beneficial to the child of four who knows how the pieces move. It is not overly daunting. It will build confidence.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars neato, December 27, 2007

By 

sp (USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Saitek CH03 Travel Chess computer (Toy)

Nice little handheld computer.

I like the peg pieces because they are less annoying then some of the tiny LCD style screens out there. The cover helps to preserve a position when I want to stop a game in progress and come back to it later.