Saitek Maestro Travel Chess Computer manual Manual Info Displays, Principal Variation

You may turn on any or all of the above Info Mode Options. If you activate more options than will fit in the display at one time, the display will scroll continuously while the computer considers its next move. If the display is scrolling too quickly, change the LCD Speed, as noted in Section 4.10. You can also press GO/STOP to pause the display, and then press ‘ (CLEAR) to resume the scrolling. When the requested information is not available, the display will show --x--.

Manual Info Displays

Press HINT/INFO at any time, and the first move of the computer’s predicted line of play will be shown (as described in Section 7.1). Game information is divided into several different groups, and press- ing HINT/INFO repeatedly cycles from one group to another. The ˘ and ¯ keys can then be used to cycle through the displays within each group. Note that each of the groups is discussed in detail below. Press ‘ (CLEAR) to return to the normal clock display.

7.1 Principal Variation

When you first press HINT/INFO, you’ll see the first move of the principal variation (the computer’s predicted line of play), displayed as in Ply1: b1-c3. A “ply” is an individual move, or a move for either side, and the computer’s search depth is described in terms of the number of ply it looks ahead. On a two-ply search, for example, the computer will look ahead two individual moves (one move for Black and one for White). Note that this first ply display can also be used as a hint, since this is the move the computer is expecting you to make.

If you check this display while the computer is thinking, you’ll see the move the computer is currently considering. If you check it during your turn, you’ll see the move the computer is expecting you to make next. In either case, pressing ˘ repeatedly cycles through the rest of the moves in the predicted line of play, up to four ply:

•Predicted line of play: Move 1

•Predicted line of play: Move 2

•Predicted line of play: Move 3

•Predicted line of play: Move 4

7.2Search Information

After pressing HINT/INFO to access Info Mode, press it again to see information about the computer’s search. The initial display will show the current score; pressing ˘ repeatedly cycles through the rest of the information:

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