Maestro Travel Chess Computer Instructions Bedienungsanleitung Mode d'emploi Istruzioni d'uso Instrucciones de Funcionamiento Handleiding QUICK START To play a game right away, simply follow these steps! 1 Open the battery cover and insert three "AAA" (AM4/R03) alkaline batteries, making sure to 2 Press computer 3 you getGO/STOP to turn thethe unit as on. If in no response, reset noted Section 11.1. observe the correct polarity. Remove the stylus from the storage area on the right-hand side of the unit, as shown here. 3 x AAA (AM4/R03) 4 5 Press NEW GAME twice, in quick succession, to reset the computer. If the board doesn't reset for a new game of chess, you've taken too long between keypresses. Just try again. Enter moves by pressing the stylus gently on the from and to squares for each move. Note that you may also use your fingertip. NEW GAME x2 computer displays its 6 When thebriefly on the from andmove, its piece will flash to squares, and the move will then be made on the board. iPd7-d5```` Now, it's your turn again! To turn the unit off, press GO/STOP. When Stop? is displayed, press GO/STOP again to confirm--and your game will be stored in memory. GET TO KNOW THE CHESS PIECES! White White White White White White KING Black QUEEN Black ROOK Black BISHOP Black KNIGHT Black PAWN Black K` Q` R` B` N` P` TABLE OF CONTENTS QUICK START KEYS AND FEATURES INTRODUCTION 1. GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS 1.1 Batteries In, Power On 1.2 Ready to Play? Here's How! 1.3 The Computer Makes its Move 1.4 Game Over? Start a New Game 1.5 Too Easy/Hard? Change Levels 2. MORE FEATURES TO EXPLORE 2.1 Whose Turn? Check the Display 2.2 Special Chess Moves 2.3 Illegal/Incorrect Moves 2.4 Check, Mate, and Draw 2.5 Try the Self-Rating System 2.6 Want a Hint? Just Ask! 2.7 Interrupting the Search 2.8 Changing Sides 2.9 Built-In Openings 2.10 Thinking on the Opponent's Time 2.11 Power Down/Game Memory 3. THE MAIN MENU 4. OPTION MODE Selecting Game Options 4.1 Two Player Mode 4.2 Search Algorithm 4.3 Autobook Mode 4.4 White at Top 4.5 Countdown Clock 4.6 Ticking Sound 4.7 Coach Mode 4.8 Sound On/Off 3 4.9 LCD Contrast 4.10 LCD Speed 4.11 Automove Mode 5. LEVEL MODE Setting a Playing Level 5.1 Fun Levels 5.2 Casual Play Levels 5.3 Tournament Levels 5.4 Speed Chess Levels 5.5 Problem Solving Levels 5.6 Tactical Level 5.7 Infinite Level 6. TAKEBACK MODE 7. INFO MODE Automatic Info Displays Manual Info Displays 7.1 Principal Variation 7.2 Search Information 7.3 Chess Clock Information 7.4 Move Count/Game Moves 7.5 Rating Display 8. SETUP MODE 9. STUDY MODE Selecting Study Positions Using the Board for Selection 10. NEED HELP? LOOK HERE! 11. TECHNICAL DETAILS 11.1 The ACL Function 11.2 Care and Maintenance 11.3 Technical Specifications APPENDIX: STUDY MODE GAMES ENGLISH KEYS AND FEATURES 1. GO/STOP KEY: Press to turn unit on; press twice to turn off. Press to pause scrolling display; resume scrolling with ` (CLEAR). 2. LCD BACKLIGHT BRIGHTNESS CONTROL (Off/Medium/Full). 3. ACL (Reset): In base of unit. Used to eliminate static discharge after inserting new batteries. 4. BATTERY COMPARTMENT: In base of unit. Uses three "AAA" (AM4/R03) alkaline batteries. 5. TOUCH SCREEN CHESSBOARD: Each square registers piece movement when pressed gently with stylus or fingertip. 6. INFORMATION LINE: Shows moves, game information, and chess clocks. Also used when selecting options and levels, setting up positions, and more. 7. NEW GAME KEY: Press twice, in quick succession, to reset the computer. 8. " (MENU) KEY: Press to enter Menu Mode; press again to exit. 9. ENTER KEY: Press to change sides with the computer. Press while the computer is thinking to force it to move. Press to select Main Menu items; to select settings and turn options on/off in Option/Info Modes; ENTER MENU CLEAR to enter a new level in Level Mode; to select a Study Position; to exit Setup Mode with a new position. 10. ¯ KEY: Press to cycle through Levels/Study Positions one at a time in Level/Study Modes. Press to cycle through Options/Info displays in Option/ Info Modes. Press to take back/replay moves in Takeback Mode. 11. ` (CLEAR) KEY: Press to exit Option/Info Modes; to cancel Level/Study Modes with no changes; to clear Info Mode displays; to remain in Study Mode after a wrong move; to clear the board in Setup Mode; to resume scrolling after a pause; and to resume play after takebacks. 12. HINT/INFO KEY: Press during your move for a hint. Press repeatedly to cycle through main Info displays. 13. KEY: Press to cycle through Levels/Study Positions one at a time in Level/ Study Modes. Press to cycle through Options/Info displays in Option/Info Modes. Press to take back/replay moves in Takeback Mode. 14. STYLUS STORAGE AREA: Insert stylus into slot when not in use. 15. STYLUS: Used to make moves on the touch screen; also used to select settings in the Information Line area. 16. PROTECTIVE CASE (not shown). 4 INTRODUCTION Congratulations on your purchase of the Mephisto Maestro Travel Chess Computer! Featuring extraordinary chessplaying abilities and a vast array of special options, this sleek unit offers a touch screen interface and a backlit LCD screen for convenience and ease of play. Portable and always travel-ready, it will also allow you to enjoy a game of chess anywhere, at home or on the road. Once you familiarize yourself with the basic operation, go on to explore all the extras this unique computer has to offer. You'll soon find that you're enjoying chess as never before! 1. GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS 1.1 Batteries In, Power On Your chess computer runs on three "AAA" (AM4/R03) batteries. Insert the batteries into the compartment in the base of the unit, making sure to observe the correct polarity. We recommend fresh alkaline batteries for longer battery life. To turn the computer on, press GO/STOP. If you get no response, reset the unit by pressing a paper clip or another sharp object down into the hole marked ACL in the base for at least one second. To conserve batteries, the computer will automatically turn itself off if left idle for about 20 minutes. 1.2 Ready to Play? Here's How! Follow these steps to start a game: a. Press GO/STOP to turn the computer on. b. To reset the computer for a new game of chess, press NEW GAME twice, in quick succession. If you take too long between keypresses, the computer won't reset itself, and you'll need to press the keys again. As soon as the unit has been reset, you'll see New Game displayed briefly, and then the symbol for White (,,) and the chess clock (00:00:00). c. To make a move, lightly press the stylus on the piece you want to move until you hear a beep and the piece flashes. Note that you can use your fingertip instead of the stylus, if desired. d. Next, press the stylus on your destination square. You'll hear a second beep as the computer confirms your move. Now, it's the computer's turn. You'll notice that the computer often moves 5 ENGLISH instantly at the beginning of a game, instead of taking time to think. This is because it is playing moves which are stored in its openings library. For details, see Section 2.9. 1.3 The Computer Makes its Move When the computer moves, it first shows Thinking... briefly. While the computer considers its move for Black, the display flashes the symbol for Black (i), while showing the computer's clock. Once the actual move is made, the computer will beep and display its move (e.g., iPe7-e5), and the piece will briefly flash back and forth on the from and to squares. After the move has been made on the board, the display will go back to showing your clock--and it's your turn again. 1.4 Game Over? Start a New Game Caution: Resetting the computer clears your current game from the computer's memory! Whenever you finish a game (or if you decide to give up on your current game), it's easy to start over again! Reset the computer by pressing NEW GAME twice in a row. New Game will be displayed, signalling that the computer is ready for another game of chess, using the currently selected playing level. Special note regarding the Tournament Levels: If you reset for a new game before a Tournament Level game is over, you'll be asked to confirm the game's outcome before the computer resets itself. For details, see Section 2.5. 1.5 Too Easy/Hard? Change Levels When the computer is first turned on, it is automatically set to Playing Level 63, with an average computer response time of five seconds per move. You can, however, choose from 100 different levels of play! For descriptions of all the levels, as well as instructions on how to change the playing levels, see Section 5. 2. MORE FEATURES TO EXPLORE 2.1 Whose Turn? Check the Display When the computer thinks for Black, it flashes a Black square (i). After the computer moves, the display shows a steady White square (,,), indicating that it's now your turn to move for White. 6 2.2 Special Chess Moves Please note the following, in regard to certain chess moves. Captures: Captures are shown with an x, as in iPa7xb6. En Passant: In this type of capture, displayed with an EP after the capturing move, the computer reminds you to remove the captured pawn by flashing it. Press the pawn to remove it from the board. Castling: After the King has been moved, the Rook will flash. Make the indicated Rook move on the board to complete the castling maneuver. Kingside castling is displayed as O-O, and Queenside castling is displayed as O-O-O. Pawn Promotion: · When you promote a pawn, first press the pawn on its from square, as usual. The display then changes to show the available promotion pieces (Q R B N). To promote to a Queen, simply press the to square to complete your move. To underpromote to a Rook, Bishop, or Knight, press one of the displayed promotion symbols. The display will confirm briefly (e.g., Prom: rook). Press the to square to complete the promotion, and the piece will automatically change on the board. Note: If you change your mind about the promotion piece before pressing the to square, simply press one of the other symbols. · When the computer promotes a pawn, it indicates its move, along with the promoted piece, as in iPh2-h1/Q. 2.3 Illegal/Incorrect Moves Your computer knows all the rules of chess--and it will never cheat! If you attempt to make an illegal move, a high-pitched double beep will alert you. This will occur, for instance, if you 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 congratulate you or express its condolences, depending on whether you've 7 ENGLISH 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 seconds to show, but it may sometimes take longer. To accept the hint, make the displayed move on the board. To make a different move, simply disregard the hint and make a move of your own. You can also cancel the hint display by pressing ` (CLEAR). 2.7 I ...