QUICK START KEYS AND FEATURES INTRODUCTION 1. LET'S GET STARTED! 1.1 First, Install the Batteries/Optional AC-DC adapter 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-B7) 3.2 Infinite Level (Square B8) 3.3 Tournament Levels (Squares C1-C8) 3.4 Blitz Levels (Squares D1-D8) 3.5 Fun Levels (Squares E1-E8) 3.6 Mate Search Levels (Squares F1-F8) 3.7 Training Levels (Squares G1-G8) 3.8 Self-Adaptive Weak Levels (Squares H1-H8) 4. INFO MODE: WATCH THE COMPUTER THINK! 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 (Squares A1-H1) 5.2 Rotating Display Options (Squares A3-H3) 5.3 Bronstein Clock Options (Square A4) 6. TEACH MODE: LEARN ABOUT TACTICS! Using the Teach Modes 7. STUDY MODE: TRY RATING YOURSELF! Understanding ELO Ratings Using Study Mode 8. VERIFYING/SETTING UP POSITIONS 8.1 Verifying Positions 8.2 Changing and Setting Up Positions 9. TECHNICAL DETAILS 9.1 The ACL Function 9.2 Care and Maintenance 9.3 Technical Specifications TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE APPENDIX: 20 STUDY GAMES 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 the CLEAR and ENTER keys together 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 move of the game! Next, it's Black's turn--and the computer will make its first move. 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). 1.3 Now It's the Computer's Turn INTRODUCTION We'd like to welcome you to the exciting world of computer chess! Whether you're just starting to learn about this great game or you're already a seasoned player, using your new chess computer will give you the opportunity to discover so much more about chess than you ever thought possible! Take a look through this manual to get an overview of your computer's capabilities--all the special features and modes, all the unique options and playing levels. And take advantage of them over time, one by one! You'll have great fun--and you'll never look at chess the same way again! Your computer knows all the rules of chess--and it will never cheat! For those of you who haven't played before, we have included a brief 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! When the computer makes its move, 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 computer's move, along with the color and type of piece it is moving. Notice that the from square is flashing in the display. Press the indicated piece down on the from square until you hear a beep. The to square is now flashing in the display-- 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... By the way, while you're thinking about your next move, notice that the chess piece symbols are displayed, one by one, counting "up" from pawn to King. This means the built-in chess clock is in normal mode, counting your elapsed time. If the Countdown Clock is activated, as noted in Section 5.1, the displayed symbols will reverse direction. You'll find details on all the chess clock features in Section 4.3! 1. LET'S GET STARTED! 1.1 First, Install the Batteries/Optional AC-DC adapter Your computer runs on four "C" (Type AM2/R14) batteries. 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 1 ENGLISH TABLE OF CONTENTS Insert the batteries into the compartment in the base of the 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 9.3. Using any other adapter could damage the computer and will invalidate your warranty. Please also read the precautionary information regarding adapter use in Section 9.2. 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. 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, with the original to square flashing and indicated by board lights. Press the piece down gently on the indicated square, and the computer shows you where that piece came from by flashing that display and using board lights to point to that square. 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 50 individual moves (or 25 moves for each side). To continue playing at any point, just make another move on the board! After taking back a capture, the computer will make sure your board is still set up correctly by reminding you to put the captured piece back on the board! It does this by displaying the piece symbol and its location, along with a "+" symbol, 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. MAKING THE COMPUTER'S MOVE: AN EXAMPLE! 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 for a NEW GAME by pressing the CLEAR and ENTER keys together, and a series of beeps tells you 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. IMPORTANT: Resetting the computer for a new game clears your current game from the computer's memory--be careful not to press these keys by mistake! After the computer 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 d7 to d5. Pick up the d7 pawn (indicated by the board lights) and press it down lightly on Square d7. The board lights now point to Square d5. Press the pawn down on Square d5 to complete the computer's move. Now it's your turn again! 1.6 Too Easy/Hard? Change the Level! When you first turn your computer on, it's automatically set to Normal Playing Level A4 (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·F4. En Passant Captures: In this type of capture, the computer reminds you to remove the captured pawn by displaying the pawn's position, along with a minus sign, and using two board lights to indicate that square. 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 the display and 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. 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, and 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 simply continue to show the square the piece came from. Either move that same piece to another square, or press the piece back down on the original from square and move a different piece. If you don't make the computer's move correctly, you'll also get an error beep. 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 C7 to C5, for example, and you press down on C7 and then C6, the display shows :C5 briefly, pointing out your error. The display then returns to showing the move again (C7-C5), and the computer expects you to press C5 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 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 is made. The display then goes back to showing the clock. The computer recognizes draws by stalemate, three-fold repetition, 50-move rule and insufficient material. After a draw has occurred, the display flashes End,EnD:3,End:50,or End:In (along with the drawing move) for a brief time after the move has been made. The display then goes back to showing the clock. 2 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 ...