Saitek Travel Chess manual Fun Levels, Casual Levels

time, which is increased by an amount to compensate for each move. The compensation is the actual time used or the allowed time, whichever is shorter.

•Bonus Timer Levels: E5 to E8. The game must be concluded within the selected time, which is increased by a prescribed amount to compensate for each move before the move is made.

•Tournament Levels: F1 to F8. A certain number of moves must be made within the given amount of time.

•Fixed Depth Levels: G1 to G8. Computer skill is limited by not being able to look ahead more than the selected number of moves.

•Tactical Levels: H1 to H8. Computer skill is limited by not being able to look ahead more than the selected number of moves, and by not evaluating strategic advantage.

Whenever you set the level, bear in mind that when the computer has more time to think about its moves, it gets stronger and plays better—just like a human player! Sharpen your chess skills—as you beat the computer on each level, graduate to the next. Keep challenging yourself and learn more about the game!

3.2 Fun Levels

Selecting any square from A1 to A8 will give you one of the Fun Levels. In this range, the computer does not make an exhaustive search for the best available move. Instead, it disre- gards scores, and the program also makes use of randomizers which cause the computer to occasionally make a move that is not the best one it has found. This introduces an interesting variability in the computer’s responses, and sometimes it will seem to make quite human errors of judgement. A1 is the lowest skill level, and A8 is somewhat higher.

3.3 Casual Levels

When the Casual Levels are selected, you are controlling the skill level of the computer by limiting the average amount of time it can take to select its move. As the skill level is in- creased, the computer will think ahead progressively more deeply, and as a consequence, play a more skillful game. When one of these levels is selected from the B or C squares, the display will alternate between the level selection and the computer’s average response time, as shown here:

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