KEYS AND FEATURES 1. PIECE STORAGE AREA: For piece storage and captured pieces. 2. BATTERY COMPARTMENT: In base of unit. Uses four "AA" (AM3/R6) alkaline batteries. 3. SENSORY CHESSBOARD: Each square contains a sensor that automatically registers piece movement. Certain squares can also be pressed to select playing levels and game options. 4. DISPLAY WINDOW: Used to show moves and move information during a game. Also used for level and option selection, piece verification, position set-up, and more. 5. GAME KEYS · LEVEL: Press to enter Level Mode; within Level Mode, press to skip over eight levels at a time. · OPTION: Press to enter Option Mode; within Option Mode, press to cycle through the main option groups. · INFO: Press to enter Info Mode; within Info Mode, press to cycle through the main info groups. Press during your move to request a hint. · PIECE SYMBOL KEYS: Used in Verify and Position Modes. Also used for pawn promotions. · CLEAR: Press to exit Option, Verify, and Position Modes. Press to clear Info Displays and cancel Clear Board requests in Position Mode. Press to cancel Level Mode if you decide not to make changes (unless you have pressed board squares to change levels). · ENTER: Press to change sides with the computer, and press while the computer is thinking to force it to move. Press to turn Option settings on and off, to select Bronstein Clock settings, and to exit Level Mode with your new playing level selected. Press to clear the board in Position Mode, then press again to confirm. · WHITE/­ and BLACK/+ KEYS: Press to change levels one at a time in Level Mode, and to cycle through options in Option and Info Modes. Also used to set the color in Position Mode. 1 2 3 4 BRUTE-FORCE / SELECTIVE SEARCH ALGORITHM COSMOS 8 CHESS COMPUTER 7 MULTI-STYLE OPENINGS LIBRARY LE V OP INF O TIO 6 5 CL EL N E AR ENTER TE BL 3 TAKE BACK GO/STOP 2 AM E 1 POSITION NEW G A B C D E F G H 7 6 5 · TAKE BACK: Press to take back an individual move (a move for either side). Take back up to a maximum of 50 individual moves. · GO/STOP: Press to turn the unit on and off. · NEW GAME: Press to reset the computer for a new game of chess. · POSITION: Press to enter Position Mode. 6. ACL (Reset): In base of unit. Used to eliminate static discharge after inserting new batteries. Also resets the computer to default settings. 7. BOARD LIGHTS: Used to show game moves, take back moves, and verify/set up board positions. · COVER (not shown): Protects unit from dust and keeps chess pieces in place during travel. 1 AC K 4 ENGLISH WH I TABLE OF CONTENTS 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-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 Playing Mode Options (Squares A2-H2) 5.3 Rotating Display Options (Squares A3-H3) 5.4 Bronstein Clock Options (Square A4) 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 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! 1. LET'S GET STARTED! 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 unit, making sure to observe the correct polarity. Use fresh alkaline batteries for longer battery life! 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 2 Tip: To conserve energy and extend battery life, turn on the Auto Power Down option (see Section 5.1). MAKING THE COMPUTER'S MOVE: AN EXAMPLE! 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 into the hole on Square d7. The board lights now point to Square d5. Press the pawn down into the hole on Square d5 to complete the computer's move. Now it's your turn again! 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 into the hole of the square you are moving to. 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). computer's move. And it's your turn again... See "MAKING THE COMPUTER'S MOVE: AN EXAMPLE!" for a how-to illustration! 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 described in Section 5.1, the displayed symbols will reverse direction. You'll find details on all the chess clock features in Section 4.3! 1.3 Now It's the Computer's Turn 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 3 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, with the original ENGLISH 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. 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 displays the piece symbol, the location, and a "+" symbol, and turns on the board lights for that square. Put the indicated piece back on the board and press that square to complete the takeback. NEED HELP CHOOSING A LEVEL? SOME TIPS FOR YOU! · Are you a beginning player? You have lots of choices! Check out the Fun Levels, the lower Training Levels, or the Self-Adaptive Weak Levels. These levels all restrict the computer's search depth in different ways, resulting in weaker play and giving you the chance to learn more about the game and perhaps even beat the computer occasionally! · Are you an intermediate or more advanced player? Try the Normal, Training, or Tournament Levels. The Normal Levels range from easy all the way up to a difficult 10-minute response time, and the Tournament Levels are extremely challenging. And don't forget to try the Blitz Levels for some fast and exciting games of Speed Chess! By the way, for Tournament and Blitz Games, you can activate the built-in Bronstein Clock, as you'll see in Section 5.4! · Want to experiment? Use the Mate Search Levels to solve problems up to mate in eight--try searching from a position in one of your own games, or set up an actual mate problem. Choose the Infinite Level to have the computer analyze complicated positions for hours or even days! 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 to start another game by pressing NEW GAME, 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: Pressing NEW GAME clears your current game from the computer's memory--be careful not to press this key by mistake! 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, 4 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 ...