Excalibur electronic 404ET manual Playing the Black Pieces, Draw Messages, Game-Ending Messages

TouchChessIIinst5x7rev0.qxd 5/19/2006 1:12 PM Page 4

SOUND: Use this option to turn the sound On or off.

FLiP: Use this option to turn the chess board around.

SLEEP: Adjust the automatic shut off time with this key. Setting it to ‘0’ will disable auto shut-off altogether.

CONTR: Adjust the display contrast to one of twelve settings.

Playing the Black Pieces

When you want to play the Black pieces (to let Touch Chess move first) press the GO key before you make your first move as White. You’ll see the White and Black pieces switch places immediately!

Draw Messages

During the game, your Touch Chess will display the word DRAW if a three-time repetition of position occurs, or if there has been no pawn moved and no exchanges for 50 moves. When either of these situation takes place, the rules of chess state that a player can claim a draw. If you wish, you can ignore the message and continue the game. When a stalemate is reached, the display will show STALE.

Game-Ending Messages

Touch Chess will announce mate in two (MATE2) and mate in three (MATE3). It will also display +MATE when exe- cuting a checkmate or when you check- mate Touch Chess. When you want to claim a win, draw, or want to resign— press the MENU key and then GO.

Screen Symbols

When a ‘+’ appears on the screen, it is a reminder that you are in check. When an ‘O’ appears on the screen, the game you

are playing can be rated. When an ‘=’ appears, it indicates you are in two human player mode. And lastly when an ‘!’ appears on the screen, you are being warned that one of your pieces is threat- ened with capture. (This is similar to the friendly "en garde" warning sometimes used by human players when they are attacking an opponent’s queen.) To see which of your pieces is threatened, press the MENU ‰ „! key.

Auto Play

If you would like to watch the computer finish a game for you automatically, press the MENU key repeatedly until the option PLAYR is showing. Use the Í button to change the number of players to zero. Press CLEAR to exit the MENU mode. Now press the GO key twice and watch the game play itself. You may stop auto play at any time by pressing the GO key. Doing so will set the number of play- ers back to one.

Book Opening Trainer

Touch Chess makes it easy for you to learn the same openings that world chess champions play! At the beginning of a game, you may choose to learn one of 32 popular book openings—ways to begin the game—used by chess masters. Press MENU key to display OPEN, and then press the Í or Î button to select the number of the opening you want to learn. (See below.) Press the CLEAR key to return to normal play.

Now play a move. If your move is not the correct opening move, an error buzz will sound. To learn the correct move press HINT. When the computer comes back with its move, you will briefly see the

word OPEN on the screen if you have another opening move to make. If the word OPEN does not appear, you may continue normal play sinceyou have com- pleted the training for that opening line.

The names of the openings are:

1.Ruy Lopez, Open Defense

2.Ruy Lopez, Zaitsev Defense

3.Ruy Lopez, Exchange

4.Scotch Game

5.Scotch Four Knights

6.Giuoco Piano

7.Two Knights Defense

8.Four Knights

9.Petroff’s Defense

10.Sicilian Alapin Variation

11.Sicilian, Najdorf Variation

12.Sicilian, Dragon Variation

13.Sicilian, Keres Attack

14.Caro-Kann Defense

15.Panov-Botvinnik Attack

16.Caro-Kann Excahnge Variation

17.Queen’s Gambit Declined

18.Lasker Defense, Queen Gambit Declind

19.Queen Gambit Declined Exchange Var.

20.Slav Defense

21.Queen’s Gambit Accepted

22.Nimzo-Indian Defense, Classical Var.

23.Nimzo-Indian Defense, Rubinstein Var.

24.Semi-Slav Defense

25.Queen’s Indian Defense

26.Queen’s Indian Defense, Petrosian Var.

27.Bogolubow Indian Defense

28.Catalan

29.Gruenfeld Defense

30.King’s Indian Defense

31.Modern Benoni Defense

32.Benko Gambit

The moves and explanations of these famous openings are given in many books on chess.

Entering Your Own Opening

Touch Chess also allows you to set up any book opening you want—or even an

opening you invent—to practice. Press MENU repeatedly until the display shows PLAYR. Use Î button to set players to 2. Press CLEAR, then make moves for both sides until the opening position you want to practice is reached. Now press MENU repeatedly until the display shows PLAYR. Use the Î but- ton to set players to 1. Press CLEAR and play against the computer in this position.

Levels of Play

Press MENU repeatedly until the display shows LEVEL then GO to see the cur- rent level. When you are finished review- ing the level or changing the level, press CLEAR to return to normal play.

At this point you may use the Ï or Ð button to change to a different level type. There are six types of levels.

Beginner Level Type

Press the Í or Î button to select 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, or 15 seconds per move.

B 001 B 002 B 003 B 004

B 005 B 007 B 010 B 015

Fixed Time Level Type

Press the Í or Î button to select 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 seconds, and 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 5:00 minutes per move. FIXED Time Level "inf" is infinite time, and will only stop thinking when the GO key is pressed, or a mate is found.

F 001 F 002 F 003 F 005

F 010 F 015 F 020 F 030

F 045 F 100 F 130 F 200

F 230 F 300 F 500 F inF

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