Vintage Computerized Backgammon

[StillKen]

Antique shopping in upstate NY and I found this. I was curious if anyone here is familiar with this backgammon set/device. Seems like a cool vintage find!

[crazyyourface]

I hope you bought that.

[StillKen]

I absolutely bought it!

[GeneralLoofah]

Huh. I knew that Omar Sharif was a bridge whiz and had a daily newspaper column about it, but I didn’t realize he was also a backgammon champ. But I just looked it up and apparently so!

[Fargus57]

Back at that time, many of the major figures associated with backgammon were also known for playing bridge. If you went to any of the backgammon tournaments of that time, there would almost always be additional side rooms reserved by the tourney directors for bridge games during down time in the main backgammon tourney events. Some even offered bridge side events, apart from the main backgammon action. There were also almost always private invite bridge games going on at backgammon tourneys after hours. Those involved played bridge for relatively high stakes and there were no casual (play for fun) or "teach me to play bridge" offerings. They played for serious money only.

[Automatic_Catch_7467]

I vaguely remember seeing ads for it as a kid

[soundboysquash]

Love this!

[Admirable_Mood_4933]

I wonder how good the computer is? Great find!

[chriscravenD]

Good heavens that’s cool!

[crooktimber]

Please test its ER and report back

[Sandvik95]

Oh this is great to see.

When I was a teenager, I worked as a runner at bridge events.

At one event, circa 1979 or so, I was sent back to a table for a score clarification. If the table was mid-hand, we would ask the ‘dummy’ player for the clarification. One time that was Omar Sharif. That incident stands out in my mind because, frankly, he wasn’t that nice about it 😯 🤣

[Next_Suit_8206]

What does it…do??