Saitek Chess Explorer manual Options for FUN and Variety, Selecting Game Options

5. OPTIONS FOR FUN AND VARIETY

In addition to all the features you’ve learned about so far, your chess computer also offers many other exciting game options! All of these options are user-selectable at any time during a game. They are described individually in this section, and summarized in the Option Mode Chart.

Selecting Game Options

There are two methods of setting options, as described below—by using the game keys or pressing board squares.

See “THE BASICS OF OPTION MODE: HERE’S HOW” for a chart summarizing how to use Option Mode, and an overview of all the options.

The Game Options are divided into three groups: Operation Mode, Playing Mode, and Rotating Display Mode. Pressing OPTION cycles from one group to another. Each group contains eight different options, and the BLACK/> and WHITE/< keys are used to cycle through the options within each of the groups. For each option, a plus (+) in the display indicates the displayed option is ON, and a minus (–) means the option is OFF. Press ENTER to turn each option on or off as it is displayed. Remember that pressing OPTION cycles through the three main groups, so you can switch to any of the groups at any time. After you have made all your option selections from any or all of the option groups, press CLEAR to return to normal game play.

Another method of selecting game options is by pressing the option squares. As shown in the Options Chart, Squares A1-H1,A2-H2, and A3-H3 can be used to turn options on and off. First, press OPTION to enter Option Mode; then take a chess piece and press the desired square to access any option, using the chart as a guide. You’ll see that pressing a square repeatedly turns that option on and off again, with plus (+) for ON and minus (–) for OFF. Once you have made all your selections, press CLEAR to return to your game.

When the computer is first powered on, certain default options are set. Options which are automatically in effect at the first startup are shown in the chart with a plus, and options which are off are shown with a minus. Whenever you reset the computer for a new game, most of your selected options are carried over to your next game. Some exceptions are Auto Answer, which is automatically set back to ON

when you start a new game, and Play White from the Top, which is automatically set back to OFF.

5.1 Operation Mode Options (Squares A1-H1)

These options affect how you operate your computer.

Press OPTION once to select the Operation Mode Options. Then use the BLACK/> and WHITE/< keys to select options within this group, and press ENTER to turn options on (+) or off (–).Or, simply press the option squares to turn options on or off.

a. Auto Answer Mode (Square A1) On:+AUt Off:-AUt

Normally, the computer automatically answers with a countermove whenever you enter a move. If you turn Auto Answer off, however, you can enter any number of moves one by one, without allowing the computer to answer. You’ll see that there are many great ways to use this feature.

•Play through master games. Press ENTER to see what the com- puter would do in any position!

•Keep records of your own chess games. When a game is over, play to any position to see how other moves or different strategies might have affected the outcome.

•Study opening lines by entering them manually.

•Play against a friend, with the computer acting as referee. It will monitor your game, checking all moves for legality and keeping track of time for both sides!

When playing against another person, if either side should need help, press INFO to see a suggested move. To see what the computer would do in a certain position, press ENTER and the computer will make the next move. After it has made its move, Auto Answer remains off, and you may continue your game. Also, note that this option will automati- cally go back to its default setting of ON whenever you use CLEAR and ENTER simultaneously to start a new game.

b. Sound with Keypress (Square B1) On:+SNd Off:-SNd

This option lets you turn off the sound that accompanies each keypress. You will still hear beeps when the computer moves or when an illegal move or keypress is made.

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