Excalibur 410-V User manual

CopyrightExcaliburElectronics,Inc.
Allrightsreserved.

2
('#674'5
Your Excalibur Electronics TalkingE-Chess computer
is one ofthe mostversatilechess computersavailable.
Your computer can playchessata ratingof1750.
±
More of the computer's features include:
Undo — lets you take back the previous move, to
help you improve your game.
Rule Enforcement — the computer prevents illegal
moves like a game referee, to help beginners learn
the rules.
Power Off Option — lets you turn off the computer
without interrupting the game in progress, so you
can continue playing later.
Help — shows you all legal moves you can make
during a game.
Move Suggestion — lets you ask the computer to
suggest your next move, teaching you the best re-
sponse to an opponent’s move.
Problem Setup — lets you set up special chess
problems so you can practice solving problems
publishedin newspapers, chessliterature, or history
books.
We recommend that you read these instructions
thoroughly before you use your computer.
24'2#4#6+10
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Your computer requires three AA batteries (not sup-
plied) for power. For the best performance and
longest life, werecommendalkaline batteries.
.#
."%#76+10".
• Use only fresh batteries
of the required size and
recommended type.
• Do not mix old and new
batteries, different types
of batteries (standard,
alkaline, or
rechargeable), or
rechargeablebatteriesof
different capacities.
• If you do not plan to use
the computer for a month
or more, remove the
batteries. Batteries can
leak chemicals that can
destroy electronic parts.
Features
%106'065
Features ........................... 2
Preparation ....................... 2
Installing/Replacing
Batteries ........................ 2
Resetting the Computer 3
Basic Chess Instructions .. 3
The Chess Board .......... 3
The Game Pieces .......... 4
Game Rules .................. 5
Basic Operation ................ 7
Turning the Computer
On/Off ............................ 7
Starting a New Game .... 8
Entering Moves ............. 8
Having the Computer
Suggest a Move ............ 9
Changing Colors with the
Computer ....................... 9
Undoing Moves ............. 9
Showing All
Legal Moves ................ 10
Game Indicators .......... 10
Chess Play Levels ....... 11
Sound Options ................ 18
Speech ........................ 18
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Basic Chess Instructions
3
1. To save the current game and turn off the
computer, press RATING/OFF.
2. Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the screw
from the battery compartment cover, then lift off
the cover.
3. Place the batteries in the compartment as
indicated by the polarity symbols (+ and –)
marked inside.
4. Replace the cover and secure it with the screw.
When the display dims, the sound becomes weak
or distorted, or the computer stops operating prop-
erly, replace the batteries. Rý#
4'5'66+0)"6*'"%1/276'4
If your computer does not work properly after you
replace the batteries, insert a pointed object, such
as a straightened paper clip, into the RESET hole on
the front of the computer. The computer sounds a
tone and &'ý9>;II
&'ý9>;II&'ý9>;II
&'ý9>;II appears. Resetting the computer
clears any game stored.ý
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6*'"%*'55"$1#4&
Following international chess notation, the chess
board is made up of 8 vertical rows called files, and
8 horizontal rows called ranks.
Each file (left to right) is designated by a letter of the
alphabet (A through H), and consists of 8 squares
alternately colored green and white.
Each rank (bottom to top) is designated by a num-
ber (1 through 8), and also consists of 8 squares al-
ternately colored green and white. ±
#"+/2146#06"#
If you are replacing the
computer’s batteries, make
sure you turn off the
computer before opening
the battery compartment
cover. This saves the
current game in the
computer. Your computer
saves any games in its
memory for about 30
seconds after you remove
the batteries.
ýR"9#40+0)"R"
Dispose of old batteries
promptly and properly. Do
not burn or bury them.
±"016'"±"
The green squares are
referred to as “black”
throughout the rest of this
manual.
Sound Effects .............. 18
Move Announcements 19
Sound .......................... 19
Advanced
Chess Functions ............ 20
Move Score Display .... 20
Rotating Information
Display ........................ 20
Selecting
Competition Pairs ........ 20
Ratings ........................ 21
Using Coach ............... 22
Using Opening Books . 23
Using
Teaching Modes .......... 24
Using Problem Setup .. 25
Troubleshooting .............. 27
Care ............................ 28
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4
Basic Chess Instructions
6*'")#/'"2+'%'5
There are 16 white and 16 black pieces, 32 in all.
Each color has these pieces.
Each kind of piece moves in a different way. ±
«#/ ª(rook) — can move any number of
squares vertically or horizontally, but it cannot move
through a square occupied by another piece.
¥#/ ¤(knight) — moves in an L-shaped
pattern. It moves 2 squares horizontally or vertical-
ly, then moves 1 additional square at a right angle
from its first move. At the end of its move, the knight
must land on a square of a different color than the
one it started from. The knight can move even if the
squares it moves through are occupied. (It is the
only piece that can “jump” another piece.)
¡#/ (bishop) — can move any number of squares
diagonally, but it cannot move through a square
occupied by another piece.
±"016'"±"
You can set up any pieces
you want in any legal order
withthecomputer’steaching
mode (see “Using Teaching
Modes” on Page 24).
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Basic Chess Instructions
5
-#/ ¨(queen) — can move any number of
squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. (The
queen's moves are a combination of the rook's and
bishop's moves.) The queen cannot move through a
square occupied by another piece.
£#/ ¢(king) — canmove only1 square vertically,
horizontally, or diagonally.
§#/ ¦(pawn) — can move only 1 (or 2) squares
directly forward, except when capturing another
piece. It captures a piece by moving diagonally for-
ward 1 square, except when capturing
en passant
.
(See “Capturing
En Passant
” on Page 6). When it
moves from its original position, it can move 1 or 2
squares forward. On subsequent moves, it can only
move 1 square.
A pawn can be promoted to a higher-ranking piece.
See “Promoting a Pawn” on Page 6.
)#/'"47.'5
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The object of the game is to position your pieces so
your next move would capture the opponent's king,
and your opponent cannot move, protect the king,
or capture your piece. This is called checkmate.
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6
Basic Chess Instructions
%JGEM
Check occurs when a
player's piece directly
threatens to capture the
opponent's king, but the
opponent can move the
king, or another piece, to
escape capture.
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To capture a piece, you move your piece into the
square occupied by the piece you are capturing,
except when capturing an opponent's pawn
en passant
(see “Capturing
En Passant
”).
Remove the captured piece from the board.
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'P"2CUUCPV'P"2CUUCPV
'P"2CUUCPV
A pawn can capture an opponent's pawn that has
just moved 2 squares from its original position.
Whenever your pawn in on your fifth rank, and your
opponent moves 2 spaces to the same rank adja-
cent to your pawn, then you can declare
en passant
and move to your sixth rank immediately behind the
pawn, then capture the pawn.
2TQOQVKPI"C"2CYP
If your pawn advances to the eighth rank, you can
promote it to a queen or another piece, even if the
queen or other piece is still on the board.
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Castling protects the
king from a potential
check or checkmate sit-
uation by hiding it be-
hind a fortified position
or moving it out of im-
mediate danger of
attack. You can castle
if: ±
Here's an example of an
en passant
capture.
The white pawn advanc-
es from E4 to E5. The
black pawn is still in its
original position (D7).
The black pawn advanc-
es from D7 to D5.
The white pawn advanc-
es to D6 (one square be-
hind the black pawn’s
position). The black pawn
is captured by the white
pawn, even though the
exact square it is on is not
occupied by the white pawn.
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7
Basic OperationBasic Operation
• The king has not moved from his original
position.
• The rook that you want to move by castling has
not moved from its original position.
• The king is not placed in check on its current
square, the square to which it is going, or a
square it passes over.
• The squares between the king and the rook are
not occupied.
If a rook is on the same side of the board as the
king's square, this is called a
king's side castle
. If
the rook is on the same side of the board as the
queen's square, this is called a
queen's side castle
.
In castling, the king moves 2 squares in the
direction of either rook. The rook that is closest to
the king after the king has moved now moves to the
square right next to and on the other side of the
king. Castling counts as 1 move.
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Press CLEAR/ON to turn on the computer."
To save the current game and turn off the
computer, press RATING/OFF. #
If you replace the batteries without saving the cur-
rent game or press RESET, the computer resets it-
self to a new game. After that, the computer resets
itself to Level 80;&0&'
80;&0&'80;&0&'
80;&0&'. For more information, see
“Chess Play Levels” on Page 11.
The computer stores all of the game positions and
any settings you set up.
To continue playing the current game, press
CLEAR/ON again.
#"+/2146#06"#
If the computer is thinking, it
might not turn off when you
press RATING/OFF. If this
happens, press OPTIONS/
MOVE to force the
computer to make its move,
then press RATING/OFF.
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8
Basic Operation
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The computer always starts a new game with you
playing the white pieces and your opponent playing
the black pieces.
To start a new game and erase any game stored in
memory, press SHIFT then NEW GAME/REPEAT.
&'ý9>;II
&'ý9>;II&'ý9>;II
&'ý9>;II appears and the computer announces
“New Game.”
'06'4+0)"/18'5
Playing chess against the computer is like playing
with a human opponent — you make your move,
and the computer responds with its move.
Making a move involves a FROM square and a TO
square. The FROM square is the current location of
the piece you plan to move; the TO square is where
you are moving the piece. ±ý°
°°
°
1. When it is your turn to move, repeatedly press
NEXT PIECE or LAST PIECE to select the piece
you want to move. The piece alternately
flashes on its FROMsquare and oneof its legal
destinations.
2. If the move that appears is not the one you
want, repeatedly press NEXT MOVE or LAST
MOVE to select other legal moves for the piece.
±
3. Press OPTIONS/MOVE to make your
move. flashes to indicate it is the
computer’s turn, and the game timer counts up
while the computer plans its move.
To select a different move after you press
OPTIONS/MOVE in this step, you must wait for
the computer to make its move, then press
/UNDO to take back the computer’s
move. Press /UNDO again to take back
your previous move.
°
°°
°"*+06"°
°°
°"
If the next move you make
will capture one of your
opponent’s pieces, press
LAST MOVE instead of
NEXT MOVE. The
computer displays each
move your piece can make
that would result in the
capture of your opponent’s
piece,rather than any other
legal movesyour piece can
make.
±"016'"±"
• On the display, in-
dicates it is white's turn
to move, while
indicates it is black's turn
to move.
• You cannot enter a
command before the
computer makes its
move.
• To select a different
piece after you pressed
LAST MOVE or NEXT
MOVE in this step,
repeat Steps 1 and 2.
• The computer might
respondinstantly,soyou
might not see
flash and the
game timer count up.
• If you do not want to wait
for the computer to
calculate its move, you
can press OPTIONS/
MOVE to force the
computer to make a
move.
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9
Basic OperationBasic Operation
4. Once the computer has determined its move,
the piece it selects to move flashes on its
FROM square and TO square alternatively,
then stops on its TO square. The computer
displays to indicate it is your turn to
move, and the game timer continues to count
up.
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#"/18'
The computer can suggest moves for you during a
game.
To view the move the computer suggests for you,
press SETUP +/HINT during your turn. The computer
displays the move it suggests. Press OPTIONS/
MOVE to make the move the computer suggested,
or repeatedly press NEXT PIECE or LAST PIECE to
select another move and continue the game. ±
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The computer is set so you play the white pieces
and it plays the black pieces. You can change col-
ors with the computer so it plays the white pieces
and you play the black pieces.
To change colors before you begin a game, press
OPTIONS/MOVE. To change colors during a game,
press /UNDO when it is your turn to move.
The game timer counts up and flashes while
the computer takes back its last move. Then you
can take over and enter moves for the computer's
side and continue to play the same game.
70&1+0)"/18'5
This function lets you take back any move made by
you or the computer after the move has been com-
pleted. ±
±"016'"±"
The game timer continues
to count up while you press
SETUP +/HINT.
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10
Basic Operation
To undo a move, press /UNDO when it is your
turn to move. The computer takes back its last
move. Press /UNDO again when it is the com-
puter’s turn to move. The computer takes back your
previous move.
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The computer can show each legal move you can
make during a game.
1. Press SHIFT. CeZ;ý(
CeZ;ý(CeZ;ý(
CeZ;ý( appears.
2. Press OPTIONS/MOVE then repeatedly press
NEXT MOVE until >;BF
>;BF>;BF
>;BF appears.
3. Repeatedly press NEXT PIECE or LAST PIECE
until ED
EDED
ED appears.
4. Press CLEAR/ON to return to the game.
5. Repeatedly press NEXT PIECE or LAST PIECE
to select the piece you want to move. <hEC
<hEC<hEC
<hEC and
an icon appear. The icon indicates the location
of the piece you can move legally.
6. Press NEXT MOVE or LAST MOVE to select your
move, then press OPTIONS/MOVE to make your
move.
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Whenever a checkmate situation occurs on the
board, the computer says “Checkmate” and C7j;
C7j;C7j;
C7j;
appears.
To start another game, press SHIFT then NEW
GAME/REPEAT.
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Whenever a check situation occurs on the board,
9>;9
9>;99>;9
9>;9 appears for a few seconds, then !
!!
!appears
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