The Mechanical Turk

European Tour

The Mechanical Turk's European tour began in 1783, starting at the court of Versailles where it captivated the French court. It played against notable figures like Francois Andre Philidor and Benjamin Franklin, who remained fascinated by it for the rest of his life. The tour continued through London and Germany, eventually returning to Vienna where it remained mostly unused until Kempelen's death in 1804 1.

   

Famous Matches

The Turk played several famous matches, including one against Napoleon Bonaparte, who tried to cheat multiple times. The Turk responded by returning the pieces to their original positions and eventually knocking all the pieces off the board 2. It also played against Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first mechanical computing device, and Benjamin Franklin, who lost to the Turk and remained intrigued by it for life 1.