Checkmate

Manufacturer: Midway
Year: 1977
Class: Wide Release
Genre: Skill
Type: Videogame

Monitor:

Orientation: Horizontal
Type: Raster: Standard Resolution
CRT: Black and White with a Color Overlay
The entire screen is covered with a blue overlay.

Conversion Class: Midway 8080
Number of Simultaneous Players: 4
Maximum number of Players: 4
Gameplay: Competitive
Control Panel Layout: Multiple Player
Controls:

Joystick: 4-way (up, down, left, right)

Sound: Amplified Mono (one channel)

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Checkmate Description

Up to four players control a block which leaves a trail behind it. The object is to force the other player(s) to run into either the boundary or your trail.

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Cabinet Information

The cabinet has a design similar to that of Sega's Turbo with its overhanging "hooded" top piece. The speaker grill is integrated into the marquee. The control panel, while having joysticks for four players, is no larger or wider than a standard cabinet (for that time). There is also a cocktail table version, but it only accomodates one or two players.

Cheats, Tricks and Bugs

At the end of a round, an instant replay is displayed.

Game Introduction

This game can be played by one to four players. A one-player game is played against three computer players. After coins have been deposited, you press the proper "number of players" button to start the game. The object of game is for a player to direct his moving arrow (marked "1", "2", "3", or "4" respectively) and avoid crashes. A player is eliminated when his moving arrow crashes into another object. Play continues until one player is left. After a crash, the remaining player or players score one point each. When one player remains, that is the end of one "round" of play. Depending on the DIP switch settings, there can be two to five rounds of play per game.

Game Play

Moving up, down, left, or right controls the direction your arrow movement. The actual traveling speed of the arrow is controlled by the game.

VAPS Arcade Census

GAMES OWNED, WANTED, or FOR SALE BY MEMBERS OF THE VIDEO ARCADE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Scarce - There are 5 known instances of Checkmate owned by one of our 900 members. Of these, 4 of them are original dedicated machines, and it is a set of circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.

Of the 57,121 video games (3,420 unique) tracked by the Video Game Preservation Society, this game ranks a 6 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on ownership records.

Wanted - There is one VAPS member currently looking for Checkmate.

Rarity is NOT necessarily an indication of value. Some common games show up as very rare here because collectors don't want them (they are common because arcade operators might be sitting on tons of them in warehouses), while some fairly scarce games are grabbed by collectors every time they show up. Additionally, some games made in the last 5 years are still making money for operators and are thus not yet affordable to the typical collector. For a clue to value, compare how many people have this game vs. how many people want this game and then click on the eBay links to help determine an accurate price range.

Technical

The logic boardset and power supply are similar to other Midway 8080-type games, and also shares the same problems associated with them (most notably failure of RAM chips over time). There are DIP switch settings for English, German, French, or Spanish test (on screen), as well as a TEST mode for trouble-shooting.

eBay Listings

Click here to automatically search eBay's Arcade, Jukebox, and Pinball categories for the Checkmate Videogame machine and items related to it.

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TODAY'S PICKS FOR:
Checkmate

1. Midway CHECKMATE Original Video Arcade Flyer
Auction ends in: 5 days, 8 hours
eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
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2. Checkmate Recel Pinball Schematic
Auction ends in: 4 weeks, 1 day
eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
$15.00

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Foto-Finder™

The Encyclpedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 38; Color photo;

Checkmate - Title screen image

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