TABLE OF CONTENTS QUICK START KEYS AND FEATURES INTRODUCTION 1. GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS 1.1 Power On 1.2 Ready to Play? Here's How! 1.3 The Computer Makes Its Move 1.4 Change Your Mind? Take Back! 1.5 Game Over? Start a New Game 1.6 Too Easy/Hard? Change Levels! 1.7 Voice On/Off? It's Your Choice! 2. ADDITIONAL FEATURES 2.1 Whose Turn? Check the Display! 2.2 Captures and Special Moves 2.3 Illegal Moves 2.4 Check, Mate, and Draw 2.5 Need a Hint? Just Ask! 2.6 Interrupting the Search 2.7 Changing Sides 2.8 Book Openings 2.9 Thinking on the Opponent's Time 2.10 Game Memory 2.11 Auto Power Down 3. PLAYING LEVELS Setting a Playing Level 3.1 Fun Levels (1-60) 3.2 Casual Play Levels (61-70) 3.3 Tournament Levels (71-80) 3.4 Speed Chess Levels (81-90) 3.5 Problem Solving Levels (91-98) 3.6 Tactical Level (99) 3.7 Infinite Level (100) 4. TUTORIAL LESSONS About the Tutorials 4.1 Selecting a Tutorial Lesson 4.2 Tips on Taking Tutorials 5. GAME OPTIONS Selecting Game Options 5.1 Operation Mode Options Auto Response Sound Levels Coach Levels Clock Ticking Countdown Clock Play White from the Top 5.2 Playing Mode Options Selective Search All Opening Books Individual Opening Books 5.3 Opening Rules Options All Opening Rules Individual Opening Rules 5.4 Rotating Display Options 6. GAME INFORMATION Using Info Mode 6.1 Principal Variation 6.2 Search Information 6.3 Chess Clocks 6.4 Move Count/Game Moves 7. VERIFYING/SETTING UP POSITIONS 7.1 Verifying Positions 7.2 Changing Positions 8. TECHNICAL DETAILS 8.1 The ACL Function 8.2 Care and Maintenance 8.3 Technical Specifications TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Learn about opening lines, opening rules, and so much more... Be sure to check out Section 4 for all the Tutorial Lessons! tion regarding adapter use in Section 8.2. 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. To turn the computer on, press GO/STOP. After a brief start-up procedure, a welcome message will greet you, signalling that the computer is ready to play! If the unit does not respond, 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. To conserve energy and extend battery life, an Auto Power Down feature will cause the computer to turn itself off automatically if left idle for about 15 minutes. 1.2 Ready to Play? Here's How! Follow these steps to start a game: a. Press GO/STOP to turn the computer on, if you haven't already done so. b. Press YES/? and NO/X simultaneously to reset the ? computer for a new game of chess. You'll hear New Game as a confirmation! 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 the voice identify that square. The sensory board registers your move, and the light in that square turns on. The display also shows the color, the piece, and the square that was pressed. d. Take the piece and press it down on the square to which you are moving. That square will be announced, and the computer will start thinking about its move. At the beginning of a game, the computer's reply is often instantaneous on many levels, because it is playing moves which are stored in its openings library (for details, see Section 2.8). INTRODUCTION Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of one of the most unique and exciting chess computers ever! This talking computer, with its vast array of special features and interesting game options, is a real breakthrough in the field of computer chess. The human-like interaction is guaranteed to amaze you--this machine is unlike any other! Over three hours of human voice will guide you, train you, and keep you company while you learn more than you ever imagined you could about the exciting game of chess. From the friendly advice on what to do in a certain position, to the warnings when you're about to make a mistake, to the in-depth tutorials which take you by the hand and teach you as never before--with this computer by your side, chess will never be the same again! 1.3 The Computer Makes Its Move When the computer moves, it says Move ready and shows its move in the display. It also turns on the light in the square it is moving from. Press the indicated piece down gently on the from square until the square is announced and the light in the to square comes on. Move that piece to the to square and press the piece down to complete the computer's move. Depending on the sound and coaching options currently in effect, you may also hear other game information during these early moves. The computer might identify the opening line and refer you to a tutorial for that specific opening! Or, if it thinks you need help with rules or strategies, it may offer advice, referencing related tutorials. You simply couldn't ask for a more helpful, patient, and knowledgeable chess tutor! See the "KEYS AND FEATURES" diagram for an itemized overview of the computer's main points! Your computer knows and follows all the rules of chess. For those who are new to the game, we have enclosed an overview of the rules. We hope this will help you understand the game better and get a feel for the strategies involved. For more detailed information, we suggest a visit to your local library, where you are sure to find a wealth of interesting chess books! 1. GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS 1.1 Power on Your chess computer runs on six "C" (AM2/R14) batteries. Insert the batteries as indicated in the Quick Start at the front of the manual, making sure to observe the correct polarity. Use fresh alkaline batteries for longer battery life! If you would rather not power your computer with batteries, you may purchase an optional AC-DC adapter. Please use only the adapter specified in Section 8.3, as using any other adapter could damage the computer and will invalidate your warranty. Please also read the precautionary informa- 1.4 Change Your Mind? Take Back! To take a move back for either side, simply retract the move on the board by moving the piece back to the square from which it came, pressing down on the squares as you go. The take-back is announced, the display shows you the move, and the board lights alternately turn on the to and from squares to guide you through the take-back. After you take back one move, the computer will indicate the next move that can be taken back. You can take back up to 64 1 ENGLISH individual moves. To resume play at any point, simply make another move on the board. Alternatively, you may press BACK when it is your turn to move, and the computer will guide you through the takeback procedure as described above. When you take back captures, castling maneuvers, or pawn promotions, the computer will remind you of pieces to be put back on the board! It uses the display, board lights, and voice to show the piece and position. Press the piece down on the indicated square to complete the take-back. SPECIAL NOTES REGARDING SOUND! · Control the volume with the Volume Control Slider. · The Sound Levels determine the amount of voice interaction, beeps or silence (see Section 5.1). · The Coach Levels determine the amount of voice coaching, regardless of the Sound Level setting (see Section 5.1). · If you don't move the computer's piece on the board soon after it has announced its move, it intermittently sounds a series of reminder beeps! You'll appreciate this feature on levels where the computer thinks for a long time--you can walk away from the game and the repeated beeps will alert you when the computer has moved! These beeps also occur at other times--whenever you hear them, check the board and display to see what the computer is expecting you to do! · When you take a tutorial, the current Sound and Coach Levels may be changed, as required by that tutorial. These Sound and Coach Levels will remain in effect upon exiting Tutorial Mode. · Press SAY AGAIN to have the last phrase repeated. Pressing this key repeatedly may also give you other previously spoken game information. No matter which Sound Level is in effect, pressing SAY AGAIN will always repeat the phrase(s) that you would have heard on Sound Level 4. down on the from square, as usual. As soon as you press the to square, the computer will prompt you to select a promotion piece. It also displays the promotion square and turns on that board light. Press a Piece Symbol Key (%, $, #, or @) to identify your new piece, and the pawn promotion or underpromotion is complete. 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, it indicates its move as usual, but the display shows both the pawn and its intended promotion piece. Simply make its move by pressing the from and to squares as usual. 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 attempt such a move, the computer will announce your mistake! If you press the wrong to square, you will hear Error, and the display and a board light will indicate the square the piece came from. To clear the illegal move, press the piece back down on its from square. If you press down on the wrong color piece, you will again hear Error, and the computer will simply disregard the square you pressed. If you don't execute a computer move correctly (if you try to move its piece to the wrong square), you also get an error message and a board light identifies the square the piece should move to. Check the display again for the correct move. 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 ER:C5 briefly, pointing out your error. The display then returns to showing the move again (C7-C5), and the computer expects you to press down on Square c5 to complete its move. If you press down on a piece and the from square appears in the display, but you decide not to make that move, simply press down on that same square again to cancel the input. Then make another move of your choice. If you change your mind after entering your whole move, take the 1.5 Game Over? Start a New Game Whenever you finish a game (or if you decide to abort your current game), you may reset the computer to start a new game by pressing YES/? and NO/X simultaneously. A ? New game message signifies that the computer is ready for another game, using the currently set level. Caution: Resetting the computer for a new game clears your current game from the computer's memory! 1.6 Too Easy/Hard? Change Levels! When the computer is first turned on, it is set to Playing Level 63, with an average response time of five seconds a move. However, you can choose from 100 different levels of play! For detailed descriptions of all levels and instructions on how to change levels, see Section 3. 1.7 Voice On/Off? It's Your Choice! Your computer's informative and entertaining voice is on Sound Level 2 by default, and the Volume Control Slider controls the volume. However, if you would rather have more voice output, or less, or if you want to turn the sound off completely, you do have those options! See Section 5.1 for a complete rundown of all your choices. Many of the voice examples used in this manual are based on the computer's default settings. Depending on the sound and coaching options you choose in Section 5, you can have as much or as little voice interaction as you wish! By the way, if you don't hear what the computer says at any point, simply press SAY AGAIN on your turn to have the last phrase repeated. Pressing this key repeatedly may also give you other previously spoken information. Note that you can use this feature regardless of the current Sound Level-- pressing SAY AGAIN will always repeat the phrase(s) that would have been spoken on Sound Level 4. 2. ADDITIONAL FEATURES 2.1 Whose Turn? 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 is displayed steadily to show that it is now White's turn to move. This feature allows you to tell at a glance whether or not the computer is currently thinking, and which side is to move! 2.2 Captures and Special Moves Captures: To capture, press down lightly on the piece you want to move, take the captured piece off the board, and press your piece on the square of the captured piece. Captures are displayed as in G6·H5. En Passant: In an en passant capture, the computer reminds you to remove the captured pawn and turns on the light in that square. Press down on the captured pawn before removing it from the board. Castling: The ...