4 5
:When this option is turned on ,
all legal moves for the selected piece will
be shown at one time.
:When turned on, this option will
display the score, depth of search (num-
ber of moves Touch Chess is "thinking
ahead"), best move it is considering
playing, and clock times. These will be
displayed while the computer is thinking
at its higher levels.
: Use this option to clear the
chess board for easier problem setup.
Pressing the -SETUP key now, will enter
setup mode with the chess board cleared
of all pieces. You mustplace a White and
Black king on the board to exit setup
mode.
: Select between: ‘ ’ — A l l
sound on; ‘ ’—No sound on key presses;
‘’—No sound, except for error buzzes.
:Adjust the automatic shut off
time with this key. Setting it to ‘ ’will
disable auto shut-off altogether.
-SETUP KEY
Press this keys to promote a pawn that
reaches your opponent’s back rank to a
piece other than a queen. (The promotion
to a queen is the most common, so it is
automatic.) You can also use this key to
set up special positions (see “SETUP”
section on page 9).
STARTKEY
Use this key to start a new game.
RATINGKEY
Touch Chess rates your play! Use this
key to view your current rating. Also use
it to enter game results for a new rating if
the ‘O’symbol is on, showing you played
a ratable game with no hints or take-
backs.
How to Update YourRating:
While viewing your rating with the ‘O’
symbol on, the first press of the
OPTIONS key shows:
—If you won the game, press the
RATINGkey to see your new rating. Or
press OPTIONS a second time to show:
—If you lost the game, press the
RATINGkey to see your new rating. Or
press OPTIONS a third time to show:
—If you drew the game, press the
RATINGkey to see your new rating. Or
press O P T I O N S to return to your
unchanged rating display.
Playing the Black Pieces
When you want to play the Black pieces
(to let Touch Chess move first) press the
MOVE 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 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 read .
Game-Ending Messages
Touch Chess will announce mate in two
() and mate in three ( ).
It will also display when exe-
cuting a checkmate. When you check-
mate Touch Chess, it will display .
When you want to claim a win, draw, or
want to resign—press the MODE key
and then START.
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.)
Levels of Play
Generally, the higher the level you select,
the better your Touch Chess will
play, and
the longer it will think during its
moves.
The first four levels (1, 2, 3 and 4) are
beginner levels and take approximately 4,
8, 12 and 16 seconds per move, respec-
tively. Level 5 is a fixed 1-ply (one-half
move) search. Levels 6 through 15 take
about 1 second per level number, so level
10 will average about 10 seconds per
move. Levels 16 through 72 take about 2
seconds per level number.The amount of
time taken will vary depending on the
position, the stage of the game, and
whether or not the FAST level option is
on. (See “Level Options,” page 3)
Level 73 is an infinite level. Touch Chess
will take as long to move as you want it
to, or until it finds a mate position in its
search. Level 73 is good for problem
solving (like the MATE problems avail-
able under OPTIONS), or it can be used
to play against. When you are tired of
waiting, press the MOVE key while the
computer is thinking, and the computer
will stop thinking and play the best move
it’s found so far.
Auto Play
If you would like to watch the computer
finish a game for you automatically, press
the MODE key, then press OPTIONS,
until the option is showing. Use
the +NEXT key to change the number of
players to zero. Press MODE to exit the
OPTIONS mode. Now press the MOVE
key and watch the game play itself. You
may stop auto play at any time
by press-
ing the MOVE key. Doing so will set the
number of players 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 34
popular book openings—ways to begin
the game—used by chess masters. Press
M O D E, then O P T I O N S, to display
, and then press the +NEXT or -
SETUP keys to select the number of the
opening you want to learn. Then press the
MODEkey 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 on the screen if you have
another opening move to make. If the
word does not appear, you may
continue normal play.You have complet-
ed the training for that opening line.
The names of the openings are:
1. Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation
2. Ruy Lopez, Closed Defense
3. Ruy Lopez, Open Defense