The Chessmate is a 6530 – KIM-1 like computer. Keyboard, LED display are used as in the KIM-1. Peter Jennings, who designed this chess computer with Commodore, build upon his Microchess 1. from the KIM-1, and used the extra ROM space to enhance it to Microchess 1.5: more chess features, a chess clock, sounds, dedicated keys, status LEDs.

The 6530-024 delivers the I/O and timer and RAM used by the Chessmate, the RRIOT ROM is not used by the main ROM. The dumped ROM of the 6530 (see below) contains no recognizable data or program,

It will not be that difficult to ‘clone’ this chess computer with the information here. A 6532 can easily take the role of the 6530. A 6502 instead of a 6504, same SRAM< a 2732 or similar ROM. The ROMs  are dumped, both for an Chessmate and a Novag Chess Champion MK I

Schematic, user manual, dumped ROMs here.

My Chessmate

KIM-1s, not made by Commodore but nearly identical.

More photos at the KIM-1 related page

The KIM-1 keyboard is a special one. Made especially for the KIM-1, as you can see in the SST switch. It shows its age in the design, and looks quite familiar to the keyboards hand-held calculators of the 70ties.

In those days replacement keyboards could be bought. I have repaired several KIM-1s with it. The older revisions were worse than what appeared on later revisions.\
Read this page how to repair some common problems.

Anwendungsbeispiele für den Mikroprozessor 6502
Herwig Feichtinger

Hardware-Tips und nützliche Programmierbeispeile in Maschinensprache

Updates for the KIM-1 Simulator, now V1.1.2
– KIMDLe runs, with free running timer for randomizer (first step towards working timer emulation) and fix of KIM Keyboard return value of No key $15
– Fixes for console keyboard handling, German and International settings and uppercase/lowercase handling, width character font now 1 pixel different for Linux and Windows
– Testkeydown first line bug

Executables for Windows, Ubuntu and Raspberry PI OS, sources for Lazarus