User manual SAITEK CAPELLA

3 6 WHITE 8 BLACK STOP GO 5 SETUP 7 NON AUTO INFO 6 CHECK 1 END 5 4 COLOR NEW GAME LEVEL SOUND SETUP NON AUTO INFO TAKE BACK 1 PLAY A B C D E F G H 4 3 2 2 4 KEYS, LIGHT AND FEATURES KEYS KEYS PLAY Execute next move. Pressing this key when it is your turn causes the computer to play the next move for you, pressing it when the computer is thinking interrupts the thought process. Press to reset to the start position for a new game. Press to select level of skill. Press to turn off the computer. The current position is saved in memory. Press to switch the computer on. Play is resumed at the point where the STOP key was pressed. Press to take back last move. Up to 34 individual moves can be retracted. Used to enter a sequence of moves. Enter set up mode to change or enter positions. Press to get advice from the computer and evaluate current board position. Used to select color of piece being verified or set up. Press to turn beep on or off. LIGHTS WHITE/BLACK Side to move. When the computer is thinking the appropriate color lamp flashes. CHECK King in check. END End of game. SET UP A position is being entered or modified. NON AUTO The computer acts as a referee and advisor. INFO A suggestion is given. NEW GAME LEVEL STOP GO TAKE BACK NON AUTO SET UP INFO COLOR SOUND FEATURES 1. Piece keys Use to choose promoted pieces, verify board position and set up new positions. 2. Sensor chessboard each square has a sensor that registers piece movement. 3. ACL switch (in base of set). 4. Board lamps the computer uses these lights to indicate game moves, take back moves, or show you which move it is considering. They are also used to verify the board position, to display the level of skill and to display evaluation of board position. 5. Battery compartment (in base of set). 6. Socket for mains adapter. 1 ENGLISH 1. INTRODUCTION Your chess computer is a unique chess partner. Its strong program gives you a great game whether you are a beginner or just want to improve your skill. 1.1 Learning chess the easy way Your chess computer lets you learn chess and practice the easy way. As you learn to play better chess, take on the challenge of higher and higher levels of chess. The Chess Rules Remember, your chess computer knows the rules of the game - including castling, en passant and stalemate. Sometimes it may appear to be playing irregularly when in fact it is obeying the chess rules. In case you are not very familiar with the game, we have included a brief overview of the rules (Rules of Chess). Additional information may be found in your local library, which is sure to have several books on the subject. It wants to move it to e5. Place it there and press down 2.3 Special moves When capturing you only have to key in the move of the capturing piece. When castling, first move the king. The computer will remind you to move the rook. When you promote a pawn the computer will want to know which piece you choose. Press a piece key (bottom row) to tell it which piece you want. When the computer promotes you must press the piece keys to find out which piece it has chosen. 2. GETTING STARTED Your chess computer uses advanced single-chip microcomputer technology and gives you up to 60 hours of play on 4 AA/R6/AM3 alkaline batteries. Open the battery compartment and insert the batteries as shown in fig. 1. Setup the chess pieces in the opening position and press GO. The computer is now ready to play a game against you. If it fails to react properly- sometimes static discharge causes it to "lock up" - use a pin or other pointed object to activate ACL switch located in the base of the set. This clears the memory and resets the computer. 2.1 How to move your pieces To make a move first press down on the piece you wish to move. You will hear a short beep. Place the piece on its destination square and press down again. You will hear a second beep and the computer begins to compute its reply. 2.2 How the computer moves The computer indicates its own moves by sounding a double beep and turning on two lights on the side of the chessboard. These lights indicate the horizontal row and vertical column of the piece the computer wishes to move. Press this piece down on its square. The computer now shows you where the piece must go. Move the piece to the square indicated and press down to complete the move. In the above position promoting a pawn to a Queen would be fatal - Black can deliver immediate mate on a6! So White should promote the pawn to a knight, forking the black king and queen. This is how to do it: press the pawn down, move it to the 8th rank, press it down there and replace it with a knight. Press the Knight key to tell the computer what you have chosen. 2.4 Capturing "en passant" Many beginners are not familiar with this rule (which was introduced into chess in the 15th century). Capturing "en passant" is when a pawn is on the 5th rank. If an enemy pawn crosses the 5th rank (because of its ability to move 2 squares on its first move) then the pawn may act as if the enemy pawn had only moved one square and capture it en passant. This can only be done on the very next move. The computer wants to move the king's pawn from e7 to e5. Press it down on e7 In the above position Black has just tried to avoid the capture of his pawn by advancing it two squares from e7 to e5 2 Any level may be changed at the beginning or at any time during a game. How to change levels When you press LEVEL the lights on the side panel will display the level currently set. Keep pressing LEVEL until the level you want is displayed. Press COLOR to jump 8 levels at a time. For example if you are in level A3, press LEVEL, then COLOR, to jump to B3. 3.1 Levels for casual play These times are averaged over a large number of moves. In the opening and the endgame, the computer tends to play faster, but in tactically complicated middlegame positions, may take considerably longer on individual moves. Casual Levels Average Time per move A1 1 second/move A2 2 seconds/move A3 3 seconds/move A4 5 seconds/move A5 10 seconds/move A6 15 seconds/move A7 20 seconds/move A8 30 seconds/move B1 45 seconds/move B2 60 seconds/move B3 90 seconds/move B4 2 minutes/move B5 3 minutes/move B6 5 minutes/move B7 10 minutes/move B8 Infinite - will search until interrupted 3.2 Tournament levels On these levels, the computer plays a certain number of moves in a given amount of time, attempting to meet the so-called "time controls" at specific points in the game. This is exactly what happens in human tournaments. At the time control, the arbiter checks to see whether both players have completed the required number of moves. If one of them hasn't, that player loses the game. Tournament C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 levels 40 moves in 90 minutes 35 moves in 105 minutes 40 moves in 105 minutes 35 rnoves in 90 minutes 40 moves in 120 minutes 45 moves in 150 minutes 50 moves in 120 minutes 40 moves in 180 minutes White can capture the pawn en passant by moving his pawn from f5 to e6. The computer will always remind you to remove the captured pawn from the board 2.5 Illegal moves If you attempt to make a move that is not permitted by the rules then the computer will refuse to accept it. You will hear an error beep (high-low) and the board lights will stay on, showing you where the piece you are trying to move came from. You may place it on a legal square or on the original square and move another piece. You will also hear the error beep if you do not execute a computer move correctly, or if you press an improper panel key. 2.6 Check, Mate, and Draw When the computer puts your king in check the CHECK light will go on. If a game ends in checkmate the END light will go on as well. The END light alone means that the game is a draw. 2.7 Taking back moves To take back a move simply press TAKE BACK when it is your turn to play. The computer will help you to retract moves by showing you which pieces were moved and where they came from. You can take back up to 34 individual moves (17 for each side). 2.8 Changing sides If at anytime during a game you wish to change sides with the computer you may do so by pressing PLAY instead of making your move. The computer will make the next move for you and you can go on playing for the other side. You can change sides as often as you like. You can even press PLAY after every move and make the computer play the entire game against itself. Playing a game with the black pieces If you want to play a game with the black pieces, first set these up at the bottom of the board (the side nearest to you). Now press NEW GAME, COLOR and PLAY. The computer will make the first move for White, moving down from the top of the board. 2.9 New game To start a new game press NEW GAME and set up the pieces in the starting position. 2.10 Game memory You can interrupt a game at any stage (even when the computer is thinking) simply by pressing STOP. Play is interrupted and all lights are turned off to conserve battery power. The computer will "remember" the position for up to 24 months and be ready to resume play when you turn it on again by pressing GO. The level and all other parameters will remain unchanged. 3. LEVELS OF SKILL Your chess computer has a total of 64 skill levels which 3.3 Sudden Death Levels A tournament form that is rapidly gaining popularity is one which requires each player to make all his moves in a certain amount of time, regardless of the number of moves in a game. If one side runs out of time without checkmating the opponent, that side loses the game. These tournaments are sometimes referred to as a sudden death. The game may be terminated if it is a technical draw (e.g. insufficient material to mate ) or if both players agree to a draw. 3 ENGLISH include levels for casual play, tournaments, speed chess, analysis and problem solving. Remember, that just like a human being the computer becomes stronger when it has more time to think about its moves. On Levels D1 to D8, the computer tries to complete all the moves of the game in the times specified below. In a longer game, the computer gradually increases its speed in an attempt to stay within the allocated time. Sudden Death levels D1 5 minutes/game D2 10 minutes/game D3 15 minutes/game D4 20 minutes/game D5 30 minutes/game D6 45 minutes/game D7 60 minutes/game D8 90 minutes/game 3.4 Beginner levels If you are a beginner or a very casual player, you might find that the computer is impossible to beat using any of the normal playing levels. It is very frustrating and discouraging to get beaten every single time, without ever having a chance to try out any of your tactical plans. Therefore, Chess computer has eight special Beginner Levels. On Levels E1-E8, the computer plays almost instantaneously on each move. This prevents the computer from using its full power, and makes it possible for even a beginner to win occasionally. Level E1 is the easiest, and the computer's playing strength increases gradually up through Level E8. Beginner Levels E1 1 second/move E2 2 seconds/move E3 3 seconds/move E4 4 seconds/move E5 5 seconds/move E6 6 seconds/move E7 7 seconds/move E8 8 seconds/move 3.5 Mate Search If you have a position where there may be a mate and you want the computer to find it, set the computer on one of the Mate Search Levels. This computer solves mates in up to 8 moves. Mates in 1 to 5 are usually found relatively quickly, whereas solutions taking 6 to 8 moves make take quite some time. If there is no mate present or if the computer cannot find a mate, it will sound the error beep. Change levels to return to normal play. F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 Mate in 1 Mate in 2 Mate in 3 Mate in 4 Mate in 5 Mate in 6 Mate in 7 Mate in 8 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 Search depth: 4 ply Search depth: 5 ply Search depth: 6 ply Search depth: 7 ply Search depth :8 ply Search depth: 9 ply Search depth: 10 ply Search depth: 11 ply Search depth: 12 ply Search depth: 13 ply Search depth: 14 ply Search depth: 15 ply Search depth: 16 ply A chess problem by Samuel Loyd (1867) White to play and mate in three moves Enter this position (as described in section 4.7) and set level F3 or higher. Press PLAY. In a few seconds the computer will show you the solution: 1 a8=B (underpromotion to a bishop!). Try the defenses 1....Kf8, 1....Ke8 and 1....Kg8 to see how White mates on the third move. 3.7 Instantaneous replies All times given for the different levels of skill are average times over a large number of moves. Depending on the stage of the game and the tactical complexity of a position, the computer may take considerably more (or less) time on individual moves. If you have just made a move and the BLACK light is flashing (or the WHITE if the computer is playing with the white pieces) this means that the computer is thinking. At the beginning of a game, however, replies will be instantaneous on all levels. This is because the computer is playing moves that are stored in its Openings Book It knows a great deal about good openings that chess masters have discovered over the centuries. Even in the middle game you may be surprised to find the computer very often replying instantaneously to your moves. There is a very good reason for this: while you are pondering over a move the computer is not idle, it tries to anticipate your possible replies. If you play one of the moves the computer considered, then it does not need to think any further. It just plays the move it has already computed-- instantaneously. 3.8 Interrupting the thought process If the computer is spending too long over a move you can interrupt it by pressing PLAY which will cause it to stop computing and play the best move it has found so far. This feature is especially useful on level B8 (analysis) in which the computer will go on thinking until you interrupt it by pressing PLAY -- unless there is only one move it can play or it finds a forced mate. On the Mate Search Levels, pressing ENTER does not cause the computer to make a move. Instead, it sounds an error beep to indicate that it was interrupted before it 3.6 Training levels On these levels the computer searches to a fixed depth (looks ahead a certain number of moves). On Level H4, for example, it looks at all continuations up to 12 ply (a "ply" is a move for either side). By the same token, on Level H8, it looks at all possibilities for the next 16 ply (8 moves for each side). Note: In certain circumstances (captures, promotions, etc.), the computer looks beyond the fixed depth ply. Training levels G1 Search depth: 1 ply G2 Search depth: 2 ply G3 Search depth: 3 ply 4 So please remember... Press PLAY when the computer is thinking to interrupt the thought process. Press PLAY when it is your turn to play if you want to change sides (see section 2.8) If you press INFO a second time (while the computer is thinking) the lights on the left-hand side of the board will show you what it thinks of the current position. The evaluation is on a scale of 1 to 8. This is how to interpret the display: Light Meaning 8 White has a winning position 7 White has a clearly better position 6 White has an advantage 5 The position is balanced 4 The position is balanced 3 Black has an advantage 2 Black has a clearly better position 1 Black has a winning position You can watch the evaluation change as the computer looks more deeply into the position. Note that the INFO display (best move or evaluation) is retained throughout the game, in fact even when you start a new game. You can switch it off by pressing INFO a third time. This function is not available in Mate Seach levels as computer use different search algorithm. 4. ADVANCED FEATURES What we have seen so far is enough to give you countless hours of pleasure with your chess computer. You can play straight games against it, correct mistakes and adjust the level of skill to match your own. But there are many other things the computer can do that make it even more fun to use. This chapter deals with each of them individually. 4.1 Non Auto Normally, as soon as you have made a move on the sensor board, the computer immediately begins to compute its reply. But there are situations in which you just want to enter moves. For instance you may want to try a special opening against the computer, one it doesn't play of its own accord. Or you may want to force it to play a certain continuation in order to understand a complicated position. In such cases just press NON AUTO. This puts the computer into a special mode in which it will not compute a reply, but only keep track of the moves you enter, making sure that they are legal. To return to normal play press NON AUTO a second time. Note: While you are in NON AUTO mode the NON AUTO light is on. Pressing NEW GAME always cancels the function. An experiment with INFO Press NEW GAME and NON AUTO, and then enter the following moves: 1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Ng1-f3 d7-d6 3. Bf1-c4 h7-h6 4. Nb1-c3 Bc8-g4. Now set the computer to level B8 and press PLAY. Press INFO and watch how the computer keeps changing its mind until it finds a really good move (5.Nf3xe5!). You should also press INFO again to see how the evaluation changes. Experiment with the position to find out why the white queen may not be captured after 5.Nf3xe5. If you play5...Bg4xd1 for Black the computer will immediately show you the reason! 4.4 Advice from the computer During a game you may reach a position in which you can't think of a good move. Just press INFO. The computer will suggest a move for you, using lights to indicate that this is only a suggestion. You can accept its advice or play any other move you like. Playing through master games One very interesting use of NON AUTO is to study master games. You can play through the World Championship games, or famous games you find in chess books, or in fact your own games against friends or the computer, in NON AUTO mode. Whenever you reach an interesting position and want to analyse it with the computer, press PLAY. It will compute and execute the next move. 4.2 The computer as a referee The NON AUTO mode has another important use. When you play a game with a friend press NON AUTO and then play the game on the sensor board. The computer will act as a referee and advisor. It will protest if anyone makes an illegal move, and if either side needs help he can always press PLAY and get some advice from the computer. 4.3 Information from the computer Would you like to know what your electronic chess partner is doing while it is computing a move? Well, your Kasparov chess computer will gladly tell you, giving you a wealth of information on its "thought process". It will show you which move it is presently considering and its evaluation of the current position. This is not just of passing interest - it can help you to learn more about the game. Press INFO while the computer is thinking. It will show Use of INFO While the computer is thinking: Press INFO for "best move so far" . Press INFO again for evaluation. Press INFO a third time to cancel display. When it is your turn to move: Press INFO to get advice from the computer. 4.5 Verifying the board position It may sometimes happen that you have upset the pieces on the board or for some other reason are not sure that the position is correct. In such cases you can always ask the computer to show you the proper location of each piece. This is very simple. Just press one of the piece keys. The computer will use the board lights to show you where that piece is located on the board. Press the same piece key again to find further pieces of the same kind (an error beep indicates that there are no more of the piece selected). You can check other pieces by pressing the appropriate piece keys, in any order you like. To change colors press COLOR. Watch the WHITE/BLACK lights to 5 ENGLISH found a mate. To continue your game, switch to another playing level. you the best move it has found so far. Note that the INFO light is turned on. make sure which color the piece is. 4.6 How to change the board position This, too, is very easy. First press SET UP to put the computer into set-up mode (the SET UP light is turned on). You can now remove or add pieces at will: - To remove a piece simply press it down on its current square and remove it from the board. - To add a new piece first select the color (by pressing COLOR if necessary). Now press the appropriate piece key and press the new piece on an empty square. Make sure that the WHITE or BLACK lights correctly indicate the side to move next before you return to normal play by pressing SET UP again. Try the following experiment: Press NEW GAME and SET UP. Now press the black queen down on its square and remove it from the board. Press SETUP again to quit set up mode. You can now play a "queen-odds" game against the computer (it will be playing without its queen). Try adding a second black king to the position. The computer will refuse to play the game, since the position is illegal. 4.7 Setting up a special position If you want to set up a special position which contains only a few pieces, then it is better to start from scratch. Press SET UP and NEW GAME. This clears the board of all pieces. You can now enter the position as described above. Example: To set up a position with white king on E1, white rook on A1, black king on D5, and black rook on B2, first place the pieces on the board. Now press SET UP and NEW GAME to clear the board. Press COLOR (if necessary) to turn the WHITE light on. Press the king key and then press the white king down on its square. Press the rook key and then the white rook on its square. Now press COLOR to turn the BLACK light on. Press the king key and press the black king on its square. Press the rook key and then the black rook on its square. Press COLOR (WHITE light on = White to move) and SET UP to return to normal play. Note: in the above position the computer will permit castling. If you press PLAY it will castle and capture the black rook on the next move. When you set up a position, make sure that the position is legal before you leave SET UP mode, otherwise, there may be an unpredictable result. Non-rechargeable batteries are not to be recharged. Different types of batteries or new and used batteries are not to be mixed. Only batteries of the same or equivalent type as recommended are to be used. Batteries are to be inserted with the correct polarity. Exhausted batteries are to be removed from the unit. The supply terminals are not to be short-circuited. Use alkaline or zinc carbon batteries only. This unit is not intended for children under three years old. To ensure the safe operation of the unit, the transformer should be regularly examined for damage to the cord, plug, enclosure or other parts. In the event of any damage, the transformer must not be used with the unit until the fault has been repaired by qualified service personnel. When cleaning the unit with a soft cloth, the unit must be disconnected from the transformer first. Please note that only the recommended transformer should be used with the unit, and the transformer is not a toy. 5.3 Technical specifications Speed: 10 MHz LED lamps: 16 red color 7 green Keys: 17 Power consumption: 420mW Battery requirement: 4 AA/R6/AM3 (1.5V) Battery life: up to 60 hours (with alkaline batteries) AC adapter plug: 9V DC at 300 mA with 2.1 mm ID/5.5mm OD Dimensions: Weight: 335 x 252 x 37 mm 1.05 kg (without batteries) Saitek reserves the right to make technical changes without notice in the interest of progress. 5. TECHNICAL DETAILS 5.1 The ACL key Computers sometimes "lock up" because of static discharge or some other electrical disturbance. If this happens use a pencil to activate the ACL key on the back of the cabinet for a few seconds. This resets the computer and clears its memory. You can also remove the batteries for about a minute to reset the computer. 5.2 Care and maintenance Your computer is a precision electronic device. Do not subject it to rough handling or expose it to extreme temperatures or moisture. Do not use chemical agents to clean the set as these may damage the plastic. Weak batteries should be replaced promptly as they might leak and cause damage to the computer. 6 SYMPTOMS The computer does not react, behaves erratically or "freezes" in the middle of a game. POSSIBLE CAUSES · Batteries weak or bad. · Batteries not inserted properly. · Static discharge or electrical disturbance has caused the computer to lock up. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO · Replace batteries. · See Fig 1. · Press ACL key. · Make sure you are familiar with the chess rules (see "Rules of Chess"). Use the piece keys to confirm the board position, use TAKE BACK to reconstruct the last move. · Press PLAY to interrupt the thought process. · Press a piece on the square indicated. The computer refuses to accept a move or key presses but keeps sounding the error beep. · Is it your turn? (look at the color lamps) Is your king in check? (CHECK lamp) Will your move put your king into check? Are you trying to castle incorrectly? (check the rules) Did you move the rook first when castling? · The computer is still thinking (color light flashing) . · IThe computer is trying to show you a move (perhaps from the last game). The computer cheats or makes illegal moves. · It has made a special move like - En passant - Castling (king-side or queen-side) - Pawn promotion · Your board position is not correct, some pieces have been displaced. · Batteries are running out. · Make sure you are familiar with the chess rules. Use the piece keys to confirm the board position, use TAKE BACK to reconstruct the last move. · Verify the board position (see section 4.5). · Replace batteries. · Press NON AUTO to turn it off, then press PLAY. · Consult Service Centre if error persists. The computer will not play a move. Chessboard square or key does not respond correctly or lights do not come on correctly. · NON AUTO function is on. · Faulty contacts. Check as follows: Remove batteries, reinstall them, hold the NEW GAME key down while switching the computer on. Press NEW GAME again You can now test square and key. Press the ACL key to return to normal play. 7 ENGLISH TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE