<s>
Microchess	B-Application
,	O
by	O
Peter	O
R	O
.	O
Jennings	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
commercially	O
successful	O
chess	O
program	O
for	O
microcomputers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
MOS	B-Architecture
Technology	I-Architecture
KIM-1	B-Device
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
18	O
,	O
1976	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microchess	B-Application
,	O
as	O
small	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
program	O
size	O
,	O
could	O
still	O
play	O
passable	O
chess	O
on	O
the	O
KIM-1	B-Device
with	O
its	O
6502	B-General_Concept
microprocessor	I-General_Concept
,	O
1	O
kilobyte	O
of	O
memory	O
,	O
simple	O
hex	O
keyboard	O
,	O
and	O
seven-segment	B-General_Concept
display	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Selling	O
it	O
at	O
a	O
price	O
of	O
US$10	O
,	O
Jennings	O
refused	O
to	O
sell	O
the	O
rights	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
to	O
Chuck	O
Peddle	O
(	O
president	O
of	O
MOS	B-Architecture
Technology	I-Architecture
)	O
for	O
$1000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jennings	O
founded	O
Personal	O
Software	O
to	O
publish	O
Microchess	B-Application
to	O
the	O
nascent	O
microcomputer	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Money	O
made	O
from	O
Microchess	B-Application
and	O
other	O
software	O
projects	O
allowed	O
Jennings	O
,	O
together	O
with	O
Dan	O
Fylstra	O
,	O
to	O
launch	O
VisiCorp	O
company	O
,	O
and	O
underwrite	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
VisiCalc	B-Application
,	O
the	O
first	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microchess	B-Application
was	O
later	O
expanded	O
into	O
a	O
more	O
fully	O
featured	O
program	O
with	O
graphics	O
for	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
,	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	B-Device
PET	I-Device
and	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BYTE	O
in	O
1981	O
stated	O
that	O
when	O
chess	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
Microchess	B-Application
appeared	O
,	O
"	O
we	O
all	O
laughed	O
and	O
proceeded	O
to	O
demolish	O
them	O
...	O
microcomputer	O
chess	O
programs	O
had	O
a	O
poor	O
reputation	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tim	O
Harding	O
in	O
1985	O
called	O
Microchess	B-Application
"	O
dreadful	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
