Excalibur 417 User manual

Excalibur
Electronics
Bridge
Bridge T Tutor utor
Model No. 417
OPERATING MANUAL
www.ExcaliburElectronics.com

3
Congratulations on your purchase of Excalibur Electronics’
Bridge Tutor. You’ll have hours of fun playing against the
computer.
Your Bridge Tutor is programmed with the most commonly used
system for bidding and playing, the Standard American Yellow
Card (SAYC) system. The 300 hands included in the computer
were carefully researched to provide you with entertaining and
instructional hands to play. Commentaries on the bidding and play
of each hand can be downloaded from our website shown below
or can be sent for at our address located on page 12.
Bridge Tutor is easy to use, but be sure to use it safely. Before
starting, please read this manual thoroughly, especially noting
safety, care and battery information. Keep this manual for refer-
ence.
Installing the Batteries
Your Bridge Tutor requires three
AAA batteries, not included. To
install the batteries, carefully turn
Bridge Tutor over so that the unit is
face-down on a soft surface. Find the
battery compartment on the back of
the unit. Use a small Phillips screw-
driver to remove the screw. Lift off
the battery compartment lid. Install
the batteries, making sure to match
polarity (+ and -). Place the tab of the
battery compartment lid in its slot
and close the compartment door.
Replace the screw and tighten.
Layout of Bridge Tutor
If you need to review the
rules of bridge or the
meaning of special bridge
terms, just go to:
www.ExcaliburElectronics.com
ON/NEW GAME:Press to turn the unit
on. The current game will be retained
in memory when the computer is
turned off. Press and hold the button
for one second to begin a new game.
SOUND: Press to turn the sound on or
off. (The sound defaults to on when
the unit is turned on.) A sound icon is
displayed on the LCD when the sound
is on.
LEVEL: Press to select whether you
would like to play at the Beginner or
the Intermediate level.
RESET:If your Bridge Tutor locks up
or malfunctions, use a ballpoint pen to
press RESET. Also press RESET after
inserting new batteries.
HINT/SCORE: Press to get the comput-
er’s suggested bid during bidding or
the computer’s suggested card to play
during a game in progress. Each time
HINT/SCORE is used, your E-Bridge
score will decrease by either 5 or 10
points and (-5 or -10) will display in
the right hand corner of the LCD.
After all the tricks are played, press
ENTER/DEAL to confirm the game and
then press HINT/SCORE to see three
different kinds of scoring: Score,
DISPLAY
SOUND key
ON/NEW GAME key
HAND SELECT
key
RESET key
NT key
(NO TRUMP)
UNDO key
TRICK REVIEW key
PASS/CLAIM key
Functions of Buttons
HINT/SCORE key
AUCTION REVIEW
key
LEVEL key
DBL/REDBL key
ENTER/DEAL key
CARD VALUES
(A THROUGH K)
SUITS

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step 3.
2. Press the LEVEL button.
“Beginner” is displayed. Pressing
the LEVEL button again will dis-
play the flashing “Intermediate.”
(Press LEVEL again to return to
“Beginner.”) Press ENTER/DEAL
to select one of the levels. The
number of the hand that you are
now playing is displayed. Please
go to step 4.
3. Press the HAND SELECT button.
“Hand” is now displayed along
with a number. Press the CARD
VALUES buttons to select a specific
hand from 1 to 300. Press
ENTER/DEAL to confirm your
selection. The Hand number you
selected will be displayed along
with the associated level of play of
the hand, either “Beginner” or
“Intermediate.” (Note: If you
change your mind and would like
to select another hand, press the
UNDO button before pressing the
ENTER/DEAL button. Then enter in
the number of the hand you would
like to play and press
ENTER/DEAL.)
4. Press ENTER/DEAL. The cards are
now dealt to each player. You are
in the South chair.
5. Because the computer assigns who
the dealer is according to which
hand is selected, you might open
the bidding or might have to wait
for the other players to bid. Press
ENTER/DEAL until the “S” and
“Auction” flashes on the
LCD. It’s now your turn to
bid.
Note: At any time during the bid-
ding, you may press the ON/NEW
GAME button for one second to
stop the bidding. In that case,
please return to step 1 above for
instructions on starting a new
game.
6. The upper right hand corner of the
display gives you information for
bidding. The first display shows
who dealt the hand (for example,
“N” for hand 1). The display to the
right of the first display shows
who is vulnerable. The possible
values are “NIL” for no
one, “EW” for
East-West, “NS” for North-South
and “ALL” for both partnerships.
To bid, press a SUITS button or the
NT button, followed by a CARD VAL-
UES button (you may also press the
CARD VALUES button first and then
the SUITS button or the NT button).
You can also press the DOUBLE but-
ton to double your opponent’s bid,
or press PASS/CLAIM.
Note: If you change your mind
and would like to make another
bid, press the UNDO button before
pressing the ENTER/DEAL button.
7. Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm your
which is your contract bridge score;
E-Bridge Score, which displays the
skill with which you played a hand
(100 points is perfect play); and E-
Bridge Av Score, which averages the
E-Bridge Scores for all the hands you
have played.
AUCTION REVIEW: Press to review
the bidding. If there were more than
four rounds of bidding, continue
pressing this key to see all the bids.
HAND SELECT: Press to select the spe-
cific hand you would like to play.
When the icons “Level” or “Hand”
are flashing, press the HAND SELECT
button and then the number of the
hand you would like to play.
PASS/CLAIM: Press to pass during bid-
ding. Also press to claim the tricks
you expect to win during the game in
progress. You can claim only the
number of tricks that remain to be
played. If you press PASS/CLAIM to
claim the rest of the tricks when not
all of them are yours, then five points
will be subtracted from your E-
Bridge Score.
UNDO: Cancels your bid during bid-
ding or the card played during the
play of the hand. UNDO must be
pressed before confirming your bid
or play with the ENTER/DEAL button.
TRICK REVIEW:During the play of
the hand and during tricks 2 to 12,
you may press the button to review
the cards played on the last trick.
DBL/REDBL:Press to select Double or
Redouble during bidding.
ENTER/DEAL:Press either to confirm
the selected function, bid or led card
displayed on the screen or to deal the
cards. Also, when you’re playing a
hand, you may press ENTER/DEAL
and the computer will play for you
the lowest card of the suit in play.
NT: Press to bid No Trump during
bidding.
SUITS (SPADES, HEARTS, DIAMONDS
OR CLUBS): Press to select the suit to
be bid or played.
CARD VALUES (A THROUGH K): Press
to select the value of the card to be
bid or played.
Playing Bridge Tutor
Your Bridge Tutor was especially
designed to allow you to learn the
game and also improve your playing
skill. You may choose between two
levels of difficulty in the bidding and
playing of the hands, and after the
hand is over, you can check three dif-
ferent scores to judge your skill.
Bidding your Hand
1. After inserting new batteries,
press RESET and then press
ON/NEW GAME to
turn on the unit. “Level”and
“Hand” will flash in turn. If
you would like to select the Level
of play, go to step 2. If you would
like to select a specific Hand, go to

North and South hands, and the 13
cards of the dummy hand will be
displayed at the top of the screen.
You may select a card by using the
SUITS and CARD VALUES buttons
(see Bidding your Hand, step
number 6 above). You may also
press ENTER/DEAL to play the low-
est card of the suit led.
Note: At any time during the play
of the hand, you may press the
ON/NEW GAME button to quit the
game. Also, if you change your
mind and would like to make
another card play, press the UNDO
button before pressing the
ENTER/DEAL button.
3. Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm your
card choice. The computer has
established what your best play
should be. If you don’t make that
play, “Invalid” will flash for one
second, if the sound is on you will
hear a “Beep”, and “E-Bridge
Score” with a score of -5 will be
displayed. You then will need to
make another play. If you play the
correct card, a “Beep” will sound
and the play will continue. If you
don’t make the best play, you again
will see 5 points subtracted from
your E-Bridge Score. If you want
to take the computer’s advice for a
card, press the HINT/SCORE button.
The recommended card will be
displayed for you, “Hint” will
flash on the screen, and 5 points
will be subtracted from your E-
Bridge Score. Press ENTER/DEAL to
confirm your play.
4. The “E” icon will flash and then
the card played by East will be dis-
played. The “S” icon will flash and
then you must select the card you
will play as South. You may select
a card by using the SUITS and CARD
VALUES buttons or press
ENTER/DEAL to play the lowest
card of the suit led. Press
ENTER/DEAL to confirm your
card choice. The computer has
established what your best play
should be. If you don’t make that
play, “Invalid” will flash for one
second, if the sound is on you will
hear a “Beep”, and “E-Bridge
Score” with a score of -5 will be
displayed. You then will need to
make another play. If you play the
correct card, a “Beep” will sound
and the play will continue. If you
don’t make the best play, you again
will see 5 points subtracted from
your E-Bridge Score. If you want
to take the computer’s advice for a
card, press the HINT/SCORE button.
The recommended card will be
displayed for you, “Hint” will
flash on the screen, and 5 points
will be subtracted from your E-
Bridge Score. Press ENTER/DEAL to
confirm your play.
5. If you won the trick, one will be
added to the “Trick” count dis-
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bid. The computer has established
what your best bid should
be. If you don’t
make that bid, “Invalid” will flash
for one second, and if the sound is
on you will hear a “Beep,”
and “E-Bridge Score” with a
score of -10 will be displayed.
This means that 10 points have
been subtracted from your E-
Bridge Score (see the function of
the HINT/SCORE button for details).
You then will need to make anoth-
er bid. If you make the correct bid,
a “Beep” will sound and the bid-
ding will continue. If you don’t
make the best bid, you again will
see 10 points subtracted from your
E-Bridge Score. If you want to
take the computer’s advice for a
bid, press the HINT/SCORE button.
The recommended bid will be dis-
played for you, “Hint” will flash
on the screen, and 10 points will be
subtracted from your E-Bridge
Score. Press ENTER/DEAL to
confirm your bid.
Note: You may review the bid-
ding at any time by pressing the
AUCTION REVIEW button. Press
ENTER/DEAL to exit this mode.
8. Every time the “S” and “Auction”
flashes on the LCD, it’s your turn
to bid again. The bidding will con-
tinue until there have been three
consecutive passes. The
“Auction” icon will stop flashing
on the display. Bidding is then
over and the playing phase of the
game begins.
Note: If a bid is doubled, an “X”
is displayed as that player’s bid.
If a bid is redoubled, “XX” is dis-
played as that player’s bid. After
the bidding is over, the “X” or
“XX” will be displayed next to
the declarer’s contract.
Playing your Hand
Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm the bids
and enter into the playing phase of
the game. The contract and the
declarer will be displayed. If you are
the Declarer (if the Declarer is shown
as “S”), go to the “Playing as the
Declarer” section. If you are the
Declarer’s partner (the dummy, if the
Declarer is shown as “N”), go to the
“Playing as the Dummy” section. If
one of your opponents is the Declarer
(if the Declarer is shown as “E” or
“W”), go to the “Playing against the
Declarer” section.
Playing as the Declarer
1. Press ENTER/DEAL again and Trick
“0” will display. This indicates
that you haven’t won any tricks
yet. The player who is supposed
to lead the first card has their icon
flash- ing (“W”). Press
ENTER/DEAL to see what
card they play.
2. When the “N” icon flashes, it’s
your turn to lead a card from your
dummy. You will play both the

played on the LCD. Press
ENTER/DEAL to clear the table of
cards and start the next trick. From
tricks 2 to 12 you may review the
last trick by pressing the TRICK
REVIEW button. Press ENTER/DEAL
to exit this mode. Note: You may
pressPASS/CLAIM to claim the rest
of the tricks to be played at any
time. If the computer agrees that
all the rest of the tricks are yours,
the computer will play the rest of
the hand for you. If the computer
disagrees with your claim, it will
subtract 5 points from your E-
Bridge Score and play will con-
tinue.
6. The play continues until all 13
tricks have been led and won by
one of the partnerships. The com-
puter will automatically play the
13th card for you. After the last
trick has been played, the number
of tricks that your partner-
ship won is displayed, along
with whether or not the contract
was made or went down.
Press ENTER/DEAL to see
your contract score. Press
HINT/SCORE once to see your E-
Bridge Score, and twice to see
your Average E-Bridge Score.
Press ENTER/DEAL to start the next
game. Make your selections as
outlined above.
Playing as the Dummy
1. Press ENTER/DEAL again and Trick
“0” will display. This indicates
that you haven’t won any tricks
yet. The player who is supposed to
lead the first card has their icon
flashing (“E”). Press ENTER/DEAL.
The card from East will then be
played.
2. When the “S” icon flashes, it’s
your turn to lead a card. You may
select a card by using the SUITS
and CARD VALUES buttons (see
Bidding your Hand, step number
6 above). You may also press
ENTER/DEAL to play the lowest
card of the suit led. Because you
are the Dummy, your cards have
been switched and are now at
the top of the display (the icon
“Shift Sides” displays on the
LCD). T h e
Declarer’s hand (North) is at
the bottom of the display.
Note: At any time during the
play of the hand, you may press
the ON/NEW GAME button to
end the game. Also, if you
change
your mind and would like to
make another card play, press
the UNDO button before pressing
the ENTER/DEAL button.
3. Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm your
card choice. The computer has
established what your best play
should be. If you don’t make that
play, “Invalid” will flash for one
second, if the sound is on you will
hear a “Beep”, and “E-Bridge
Score” with a score of -5 will be
displayed. You then will need to
make another play. If you
play the correct card, a “Beep” will
sound and the play will contin-
ue. If you don’t make the
best play,
you again will see 5 points sub-
tracted from your E-Bridge Score.
If you want to take the computer’s
advice for a card, press the
HINT/SCORE button. The recom-
mended card will be displayed for
you, “Hint” will flash on the
screen, and 5 points will be sub-
tracted from your E-Bridge Score.
Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm your
play.
4. The “W” icon will flash and then
the card played by West will be
displayed. The “N” icon will flash
and then you must select the card
you will play. You may select a
card by using the SUITS and CARD
VALUES buttons. You may also
press ENTER/DEAL to play the low-
est card of the suit led. Press
ENTER/DEAL to confirm your card
choice. The computer has estab-
lished what your best play should
be. If you don’t make that play,
“Invalid” will flash for one
se- cond, if the
sound is on you will
hear a “Beep”, and “E-Bridge
Score” with a score of -5 will be
displayed.
You then will need to make anoth-
er play. If you play the correct
card, a “Beep” will sound and
the play will continue. If you don’t
make the best play, you again will
see 5 points subtracted from your
E-Bridge Score. If you want to
take the computer’s advice for a
card, press the HINT/SCORE button.
The recommended card will be
displayed for you, “Hint” will
flash on the screen, and 5 points
will be subtracted from your E-
Bridge Score. Press ENTER/DEAL
to confirm your play.
5. If you won the trick, one will be
added to the “Trick” count dis-
played on the LCD. Press
ENTER/DEAL to clear the table of
cards and start the next trick. From
tricks 2 to 12 you may review the
previous trick by pressing the
TRICK REVIEW button. Press
ENTER/DEAL to exit this mode.
Note: You may press PASS/CLAIM
to claim the rest of the tricks to
be played at any time. If the com
- puter agrees that all the rest of
the tricks are yours, the computer
will play the rest of the hand for you.
If the computer disagrees with your
claim, it will subtract 5 points
from your E-Bridge Score and
play will continue.
6. The play continues until all 13
tricks have been led and won by
8 9

one of the partnerships. The com-
puter will automatically play the
13th card for you. After the last
trick has been played, the
number of tricks that your
partnership won is displayed, along
with whether or not the contract
was made or went d o w n .
Press ENTER/DEAL to see
your contract score. Press
HINT/SCORE once to see your E-
Bridge Score, and twice to see
your Average E-Bridge Score.
Press ENTER/DEAL to start the next
game. Make your selections as
outlined above.
Playing against the
Declarer
1. Press ENTER/DEAL again and Trick
“0” will display. This indicates
that you haven’t won any tricks
yet. The player who is supposed to
lead the first card has their icon
flashing (either “N” or “S”). If
“N” is flashing, press ENTER/DEAL
again. Then the card for East will
be played.
2. When the “S” icon flashes, it’s
your turn to lead a card. You may
select a card by using the SUITS
and CARD VALUES buttons (see
Bidding your Hand, step number
6 above). You may also press
ENTER/DEAL to play the lowest
card of the suit led (if at least one
card has been played).
Note: At any time during the
play of the hand, you may press
the ON/NEW GAME button to quit
the game. Also, if you change
your mind and would like to
make another card play, press the
UNDO button before pressing the
ENTER/DEAL button.
3. Press ENTER/DEAL to confirm your
card choice. The computer has
established what your best play
should be. If you don’t make that
play, “Invalid” will flash for one
second, if the sound is on you will
hear a “Beep”, and “E-Bridge
Score” with a score of -5 will be
displayed. You then will need to
make another play. If you play the
correct card, a “Beep” will sound
and the play will continue. If you
don’t make the best play, you
again will see 5 points subtracted
from your E-Bridge Score. If you
want to take the computer’s advice
for a card, press the HINT/SCORE
button. The recommended card
will be displayed for you, “Hint”
will flash on the screen, and 5
points will be subtracted from
your E-Bridge Score. Press
ENTER/DEAL to confirm your play.
4. The play will proceed around the
table. After the dummy plays his
card, all of the dummy’s cards will
be displayed at the top of the LCD.
If you won the trick, one will be
added to the “Trick” count dis-
Bridge Tutor may lock up due to static discharge
or other electrical disturbances.
If this should happen, use a slim, pointed object to press
the button marked “RESET” on the front of the unit.
Due to continuing improvements, actual product may
differ slightly from the product described herein.
• Avoid rough handling such as bumping or dropping.
• Avoid moisture and extreme temperatures. For best results, use
between the temperatures of 39ºF and 100ºF (4º C and 38º C).
• Clean using only a slightly damp cloth. Do not use cleaners with chemical agents.
Special Care & Handling
• Batteries should be installed or replaced only by an adult.
• Your Bridge Tutor uses 3 AAA batteries, not included.
• Do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc) or rechargeable (nickel-
cadmium) batteries.
• Do not mix old and new batteries.
• Do not use rechargeable batteries.
• Remove exhausted batteries from the unit.
• Do not short circuit battery terminals.
• Remove batteries and store them in a cool, dry place when not in use.
• To avoid explosion or leakage, do not dispose of batteries in a fire or attempt to recharge alka
line or other non-rechargeable batteries.
Battery Information & Special Care
played on the LCD. Press
ENTER/DEAL to clear the table of
cards and start the next trick.
From tricks 2 to 12 you may
review the last trick by pressing
the TRICK REVIEW button. Press
ENTER/DEAL to exit this mode.
5. The play continues until all 13
tricks have been led and won by
one of the partnerships. The com-
puter will automatically play the
13th card for you. After the last
trick has been played, the num-
ber of tricks that your partner-
ship won is displayed, along
with whether or not the contract
was made or went d o w n .
Press ENTER/DEAL to see
your contract score. Press
HINT/SCORE once to see your E-
Bridge Score, and twice to see
10 11

EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC.,
warrants to the original consumer that its
products are free from any electrical or
mechanical defects for a period of 90
DAYS from the date of purchase. If any
such defect is discovered within the war-
ranty period, EXCALIBUR ELECTRON-
ICS, INC., will repair or replace the unit
free of charge upon receipt of the unit,
shipped postage prepaid and insured to
the factory address shown at right.
The warranty covers normal consumer
use and does not cover damage that occurs
in shipment or failure that results from
alterations, accident, misuse, abuse, neg-
lect, wear and tear, inadequate mainte-
nance, commercial use, or unreasonable
use of the unit. Removal of the top panel
voids all warranties. This warranty does
not cover cost of repairs made or attempt-
ed outside of the factory.
Any applicable implied warranties,
including warranties of merchantability
and fitness, are hereby limited to 90
DAYS from the date of purchase.
Consequential or incidental damages
resulting from a breach of any applicable
express or implied warranties are hereby
excluded. Some states do not allow limi-
tations on the duration of implied war-
ranties and do not allow exclusion of inci-
dental or consequential damages, so the
above limitations and exclusions in these
instances may not apply.
The only authorized service center in the
United States is:
Excalibur Electronics, Inc.
13755 SW 119th Ave
Miami, Florida 33186 U.S.A.
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Play games live at:
www.ExcaliburElectronics.com
Ship the unit carefully packed, preferably
in the original carton, and send it prepaid,
and adequately insured. Include a letter,
detailing the complaint and including
your daytime telephone number, inside
the shipping carton.
If your warranty has expired and you want
an estimated fee for service, write to the
above address, specifying the model and
the problem.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND
YOUR UNIT WITHOUT
RECEIVING AN ESTIMATE FOR
SERVICING. WE CANNOT
STORE YOUR UNIT!
Limited 90-Day Warranty
We make you think.