Saitek chess manual Check, Mate, and Draw, Try the Self-Rating System, Want a Hint? Just Ask

press an illegal from or to square, an incorrect piece or color, or an invalid game key.

If you press an illegal to square, the display will simply continue to indicate the square the piece came from. To continue, move your piece to a legal square. If you press a from square, but decide not to make that move, press that same square again to cancel the input. If you change your mind after entering your whole move, retract the move as described in Section 6.

2.4 Check, Mate, and Draw

Whenever a King is in check, the computer will display Check briefly after the move is made. If the computer discovers a forced mate, it will briefly show a mate announcement (e.g., Mate in 3). When a game ends in checkmate, the computer will either congratu- late you or express its condolences, depending on whether you’ve won or lost. A display of Checkmate! will then end the game.

The computer recognizes draws by stalemate, three-fold repetition, and the 50-move rule. In each of these cases, the corresponding display will be shown after the drawing move has been made.

2.5 Try the Self-Rating System!

Whenever you play on any of the Tournament Levels, the computer will provide you with an approximate ELO rating after the game has ended, based on your performance. Not sure what a “rating” is? It’s a universally recognized method of measuring chess performance or describing relative playing ability. The international body which governs chess is called FIDE, or Fédération Internationale des Échecs, and FIDE ratings are sometimes referred to as ELO ratings. The United States Chess Federation (USCF) uses a similar rating system. Ratings are usually four-digit numbers, with stronger players having higher ratings. Towards the upper end of the scale, Masters rank in at 2200 and above, with International Grandmasters at 2500+. Want to know where you stand? Here’s your chance! Refer to Section 5.3 for more information on the Tournament Levels.

2.6 Want a Hint? Just Ask!

If you ever need help with a move, the computer will be glad to oblige! Press HINT/INFO during your turn, and the computer will display a move suggestion. If the hint happens to be e4xd5, for example, Ply 1: e4xd5 will be displayed. A “ply” is an individual move, or a move for either side. The hint can take from one to five

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