QUICK START KEYS AND FEATURES INTRODUCTION 1. LET'S GET STARTED! 1.1 First, Install the Batteries 1.2 Ready to Play? Here's How to Move! 1.3 Now It's the Computer's Turn 1.4 Change Your Mind? Take Back! 1.5 Game Over? Why Not Play Again! 1.6 Too Easy/Hard? Change the Level! 2. MORE FEATURES TO EXPLORE 2.1 Whose Move? Check the Display! 2.2 Special Chess Moves 2.3 Illegal Moves 2.4 Check, Mate, and Draw 2.5 Interrupting the Computer's Search 2.6 Changing Sides with the Computer 2.7 Built-In Openings 2.8 Thinking on the Opponent's Time 2.9 Game Memory 3. THE PLAYING LEVELS Setting a Playing Level 3.1 Normal Playing Levels (Squares A1-G2) 3.2 Infinite Level (Square H2) 3.3 Tournament Levels (Squares A3-H3) 3.4 Blitz Levels (Squares A4-H4) 3.5 Beginner Levels (Squares A5-H5) 3.6 Mate Search Levels (Squares A6-H6) 3.7 Training Levels (Squares A7-H8) 4. INFO MODE: WATCH AND LEARN! Using Info Mode 4.1 Principal Variation 4.2 Search Information 4.3 Chess Clock Information 4.4 Move Count/Game Moves 4.5 Want a Hint? Just Ask! 5. OPTIONS FOR FUN AND VARIETY Selecting Game Options 5.1 Operation Mode Options (Auto Answer, Sound with Keypress, Silent Mode, Ticking Clock, Countdown Clock, System Test, Auto Power Down, Play White from Top) 5.2 Playing Mode Options (Selective Search, Easy Mode, Random Play, Passive Book, Active Book, Complete Book, Tournament Book, Book On/Off) 5.3 Rotating Display Options 6. VERIFYING/SETTING UP POSITIONS 6.1 Verifying Positions 6.2 Changing and Setting Up Positions 7. TECHNICAL DETAILS 7.1 The ACL Function 7.2 Care and Maintenance 7.3 Technical Specifications TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE SOME SOUND OPTIONS! · Beeper volume too low or too high? Take a look at Keys and Features for the location of the Volume Control Switch! · Keypress beeps can be turned on or off, as you'll see in Section 5.1 (Option B1). · Want completely silent game operation? Find out how in Section 5.1 (Option C1). · You can even make the built-in clock tick like an actual chess clock! For details, see Section 5.1 (Option D1). unit, making sure to observe the correct polarity. Use fresh alkaline batteries for longer battery life! If you would rather not power your unit with batteries, you may purchase an optional AC-DC adapter. Please use only the adapter specified in Section 7.3. Using any other adapter could damage the computer and will invalidate your warranty. Please also read the precautionary information regarding adapter use in Section 7.2. When using an adapter, first plug it into a wall outlet, and then into your computer. Important: To ensure that the computer's memory contents are not lost, keep good batteries installed in the unit even when you are using an AC-DC adapter. Turn the computer on by pressing GO/STOP, and a beep will signal that the game is ready to play. If the computer fails to respond (static discharge may cause it to lock up), use a paper clip or another sharp object to press down into the hole marked ACL in the base of the unit for at least one second. This will reset the computer. Tip: To conserve energy and extend battery life, turn on the Auto Power Down option (see Section 5.1)! 1.2 Ready to Play? Here's How to Move! Okay, now it's time to start a game! It's so easy--just follow these steps: a. Press GO/STOP to turn the computer on, if you haven't already done so. b. Press NEW GAME to reset the computer for a new game of chess. Set up the pieces in their starting positions, with the White pieces nearest to you, as shown in the Quick Start. c. To make a move, lightly press down on the piece you want to move until you hear a beep and two board lights turn on to indicate that square. The sensory board will recognize your piece automatically. Don't believe it? Just look at the display window, which is suddenly full of information--it shows your piece, along with the piece color and the square you just pressed! d. Take that piece and gently press it down on the square to which you are moving. You'll hear a second beep as the computer confirms your move. That's it--you've just made your first full move of the game! Next, it's the computer's turn. You'll notice that the computer often moves instantly at the beginning of a game, instead of taking time to think. This is because it is playing from memory, using a built-in "book" of opening moves (for more information, see Section 2.7). INTRODUCTION Ready to enter the exciting world of computer chess? You've come to the right place! Your new computer offers so many game options, playing levels, and special features-- you'll never look at chess the same way again! The Quick Start at the front of the manual will get you playing right away, and you'll find more details on basic game operation in Section 1. Once you learn the basics, be sure to go on and explore the rest of this manual, even if you normally don't like to read instruction booklets! You'll discover that this chess computer has all kinds of other interesting and fun-filled features that will delight you--we guarantee it! Your new computer knows and follows all the rules of chess--you can be sure that it will never cheat! For those of you who haven't played before, we have included a short overview of the rules to get you started. For more detailed information, why not visit your local library, where you're sure to find lots of interesting chess books! 1. LET'S GET STARTED! 1.3 Now It's the Computer's Turn When the computer moves, it beeps and turns on two board lights indicating the square of the piece it wants to move. It also shows its full move in the display window. Check it out--you'll see the from and to squares of the 1.1 First, Install the Batteries Your computer runs on four "AA" (Type AM3/R6) batteries. Insert the batteries into the compartment in the base of the 1 ENGLISH TABLE OF CONTENTS computer's move, along with the color and type of piece it is moving. Press the indicated piece down on the from square until you hear a beep. Move that same piece to the indicated to square and press it down to complete the computer's move. And it's your turn again... MAKING THE COMPUTER'S MOVE: AN EXAMPLE! 1.4 Change Your Mind? Take Back! When you're playing chess against this computer, nothing is "set in stone"--you can change your mind or decide to play a different move whenever you want! When it's your turn to move, simply press TAKE BACK. The display shows the move to be taken back, and the to square of that move is also indicated by board lights. Press the piece down gently on the indicated square, and the computer shows you where that piece came from. Press the piece down on the from square to complete the take-back. Repeat this as often as you'd like, taking back up to 30 individual moves (or 15 moves for each side). To continue playing at any point, just make another move on the board! After taking back a capture or/and pawn promotion, the computer will make sure your board is still set up correctly by reminding you to put the captured piece or/and pawn back on the board respectively! It does this by displaying the piece symbol and its location, and turning on the board lights for that square. Put the indicated piece back on the board and press that square to complete the take-back. After the computer display its moves, it's up to you to make its move on the board! Here, the display indicates the computer wants to move its Black pawn (]!) from E7 to E5. Pick up the E7 pawn (indicated by the board lights) and press it down lightly on Square E7. The board lights now point to Square E5. Press the pawn down on Square E5 to complete the computer's move. Now it's your turn again! 1.5 Game Over? Why Not Play Again! Whenever you finish a game (or if you give up on your current game), it's easy to start over again! Reset the computer by pressing NEW GAME, and a New Game tone tells you that the computer is ready. The same playing level will be in effect, but you can change it if you'd like, as explained in Section 3. Note that pressing the ENTER and CLEAR keys together will also reset the computer for a new game. IMPORTANT: Resetting the computer for a new game clears your current game from the computer's memory--be careful not to press the NEW GAME key by mistake! Pawn Promotions: When you promote a pawn, first make your move as usual, pressing your pawn down on its from and to squares. Next, press the Piece Symbol Key for your desired promotion piece (%, $, #, or @). The computer recognizes your new piece immediately, displays it briefly, and then begins thinking about its next move. Remember to change your piece on the board! When the computer promotes a pawn, the display shows both the pawn and the promoted piece. Don't forget to replace the computer's pawn with its new piece. 2.3 Illegal Moves Your computer will never accept an illegal move! If you try to make one, you'll hear a low double beep, and the board lights and display will show the square the piece came from. Either move that same piece to another square, or press the piece back down on its original from square and move a different piece. If you don't make the computer's move correctly, you'll also get an error message. This means you are either moving the wrong piece, or moving the computer's piece to the wrong square. If the computer wants to move its pawn from D7 to D5, for example, and you press down on D7 and then D6, the display shows Er:D5 briefly, pointing out your error. The display then returns to showing the move again (D7-D5), and the computer expects you to press down on D5 to complete its move. If you press down on a piece and the from square is displayed, but you decide not to make that move, simply press down on that same square again to cancel. Then make another move. If you change your mind after entering your whole move, take the move back as described in Section 1.4. 2.4 Check, Mate, and Draw When a King is in check, the computer first displays its move as usual. After the move is made, CHECK flashes in the display for a few seconds, along with the checking move. The display then goes back to showing the clock. If the computer discovers a forced mate against its opponent, it first displays its move as usual. After the move has been made on the board, the computer flashes a mate announcement along with the move for several seconds (e.g., =in 2 for a mate in two moves). The display then goes 1.6 Too Easy/Hard? Change the Level! When you first turn your computer on, it's automatically set to Normal Playing Level D1 (five seconds a move). However, you have 64 different levels to choose from--you'll want to try them all out! For descriptions of the playing levels and how to change levels, see Section 3. 2. MORE FEATURES TO EXPLORE 2.1 Whose Move? Check the Display! When the computer plays Black, it flashes a black square in the display while it is thinking. After it has moved, a white square shows that it is now White's turn to move. You can tell at a glance if the computer is currently thinking, and which side is to move! 2.2 Special Chess Moves Captures: To capture, press down on the piece you want to move, remove the captured piece from the board, and press your piece down on the square of the captured piece. Captures are displayed as in E5·F6. En Passant Captures: In this type of capture, the computer reminds you to remove the captured pawn by using two board lights to indicate that square. You must press down on the captured pawn before removing it from the board. Castling: The computer automatically recognizes castling after the King is moved. After you have pressed the King down on its from and to squares, the computer uses board lights to remind you to move the Rook. Press down on the Rook's from and to squares to complete the move. Note that Kingside castling is displayed as 0-0, and Queenside castling as 0-0-0. 2 back to showing the clock. When a game ends in checkmate, the display flashes MATE (along with the mating move) for a short time after the move has been made. The display then goes back to showing the clock. The computer recognizes draws by stalemate, three-fold repetition, and the 50-move rule. After a draw has occurred, the display flashes EnD (along with the drawing move or with the clock display) for a brief time after the move has been made. The display then goes back to showing the clock. 2.5 Interrupting the Computer's Search Think the computer is taking too long to move? You can interrupt it any time! Simply press ENTER while the computer is thinking, and it will stop and play the best move it has found so far. This feature can be handy on the higher levels, where the computer can take a long time to move, and on the Infinite Level, where the computer thinks indefinitely unless you stop it. On the Mate Search Levels, pressing ENTER won't force the computer to make a move. Instead, the computer will display ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ to indicate that it was interrupted before it found a mate. To continue play, switch to ano ...