Excalibur electronic CHESS STATION User Manual

EXCALIBUR

ELECTRONICS

Chess Station

Ordinateur d’Echecs Pocket LCD Pocket LCD Computer Schachspiel

OPERATING MANUAL	English	p. 2
MANUEL D’INSTRUCTIONS	Français	p. 24
BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG	Deutsch	p. 48

	Model No. 975-3-EFG
	No de modèle 975-3-EFG
www.ExcaliburElectronics.com	Modellnr 975-3-EFG

CENGLISH

ongratulations on your purchase of Excalibur Electronics’

pocket LCD Chess You’ve purchased both your own personalinn va- chesstive trainer and a partner! who’s always ready for a game —and

who can improve as you do!

If your unit has a Pull InstallTab, simplythepull theBatteriestab. You may discard the tab once it has been pulled out. If there is no Pull Tab, or to replace batteries, the procedure is as follows: Using a small Phillips screwdriver, remove the batterycompartment panel screws on the back of LCD Chess. Then remove the panel by pulling gently from the top. Install three fresh AG13 batteries, making sure to follow the diagram near the battery slot so that the polarity (+ or -) of the batteries is correct.

ENGLISH

Layout of Buttons for the Chess Station
DISPLAY		RATING/LEVEL
SCORE		UNDO/
		CONTRAST
		NEW GAME
	RESET	/OFF
ON/CLEAR
HINT/SETUP		SOUND

NEXT/2ND

PHYSICAL

CHESS PIECES

CHESS BOARD

King Arthur brandished a magic from which we take our company

this unique weapon in his hands, he could not

. Although Excalibur Electronics the magical secrets of Merlin, King

Arthur’s court wizard, sometimes our patented technology may make it seem as if we could.

King Arthur chess is another unmatched innovation of Excalibur Electronics.

We make you think.

2

		DOCKING
		STATION
		THREAT
PLAYER		GO
	OPTION
	ARROWS

3

ENGLISH

PlayAfter ayouGamehave installedRight Awaythe batteries, the display will show the chess board with all the pieces on their starting squares. The LCD will also show 01CHESS. This indicates you are at the first move of the game and ready to play chess. If it does not display 01CHESS, press RESET using a thin pointed object.

Unless you instruct it otherwise, Electronic Chess gives you the White pieces—the ones at the bottom of the board. White always moves first.You’re ready to play!

It’s very important to understand that making a move is made up of two parts, choosing a square and a square. In the centerfrom of the key pad,to there are eight

keys — right, left, up,DIRECdown,- TIONand the four diagonal directions.

1. Press a key and the White king’sDIRECTIONpawn (the pawn in front of the king) will flash on and off. The LCD will also show 01FrOm. To select a different piece to move, press a

key— right, left, up, down,DIRECTIONor diag- onal—until the piece or pawn you want to move flashes on and off.

2. Press the OPTIONS/GO key in the center of the

keys. FrOm will disappearDIRECTION. Time 4

will start counting.

3. Press a key to move the pieceDIRECTIONto the square you want. You’ll see your piece flashing on possible squares as you move it—at the sameto time it continues to flash on its from square.

Note: Press CLEAR to stop a square from flashing in #1 or #3 above, and start the move entry

process over.

4. Press the OPTIONS/GO key again to finalize your move.

LCD Chess will now respond with its move, flashing the move for a few seconds. Enter your next move by repeating the above steps, and have fun.

Special Features and

Your FunctionLCD ChessKeyspartner is packed with valuable special features that can help you learn to play better and better chess—and to have a lot of fun!

But there are more special features than there are keys! So each key has two labels, one above and one below.

The black label below each key shows the primary function of the key. The blue label above the key shows its secondary function.

ENGLISH

Your

Pocket

LCD

Chess

is

packed

with

features!

Each

key

has

two

labels.

To

activate

the

feature

named

below

the

key, just

press

the key. To

enjoy the

feature

given

above the key,

first

press NEXT/2nd and

then

the key.

Below are the features available

HINT KEY

to you through the primary func-

Pressing this key displays HinT

tions. Remember, to access any of

and flashes a recommended move

these features, you simply push the

on the screen. To make the hint

proper key, looking at the black

move, just press the

GO key. Or

label below the key.

press a DIRECTION key to select

Primary

ey Functions

a different piece to move.

NEXT/2nd KEY

If the hint is a book move or a

This is a special key, so its color

replay move, OPEn or rPLAY will

is blue. Use this key to select the

be shown instead of HinT .

secondary function

mode of

the

UNDO KEY

other

keys.

(See

"Secondary

This key lets

you

take back a

Functions," page 3.)

move or moves you’ve decided

During move entry, this key

acts

against. Press this key repeatedly to

as a

NEXT

piece key. Use the

continue taking back moves. After

NEXT piece key, if you have diffi-

you take back a move, you can use

culty getting to the piece you wish

the GO key to replay the taken-

to move using the

DIRECTION

back move or moves.

keys.

During move entry, press this

GO KEY

key repeatedly to scan backward to

Press

this key

to register your

select a piece to move.

move, or press it twice before you

CLEAR/ON KEY

register your move to switch sides

Use this key to turn on LCD

(colors)

with

your

computer.

Chess. You can even use it as a

(Between presses, the display will

clear or "escape" key to exit any of

read FLIP.) Also use GO to replay

the special modes like OPTIONS,

moves in the take-back mode (see

SETUP, LEVEL, RATING

and

"UNDO,” above).

CONTRAST.

OFF KEY

This key turns the unit off, auto-

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matically saving a game in progress. Use the ON key to turn the unit back on. If it is not "thinking," LCD Chess will automatically turn off after a period of time, saving your game position. Use the ON key to resume the game.

LEVEL KEY

Use this key to view the current level of play (for more information, see “ ,” page 5). Use the +1,Levels-1, of-10,Plandy +10 keys to change the level number. Also use the LEVEL key to enter level option mode.

How to Change

When Levelthe levelOptisonsdisplayed, pressing the OPTIONS key shows:

FAST: In this mode, LCD Chess uses a more selective search for thinking. It may miss a tactical move, but it can look more deeply into the position. Press the +1 key to turn FAST on or off. Or press the OPTIONS key again to show:

rAnd: Allows the computer to randomly choose between two good moves so that you get to practice and play against different responses. Press the +1 key to turn random on or off.

Press CLEAR when you are finished with the LEVEL key.

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Sec ndary Key Functions
Below are the features available
to you through the secondary func-
tions. To access any of these fea-
tures, you first press the blue 2nd
key and then press the indicated
key, looking at the blue label above
the key. You may press the CLEAR
key or the 2	d key to stop using a
secondary function.
OPTIONS KEY
Pressing	the	OPTIONS	key
repeatedly will display all selec-
table options. To select or change
an option, use the -1 or the +1			key.

Options Before the Game

StartsOPEn: Select one of 34 book opening lines of play. (See page 6.)

GAME: Select one of 16 Great Games. (See page 7.)

MATE: Select one of 31 mate-in- 2 problems. Problem 32 is a mate- in-3 problem. If you can’t find the solution, make LCD Chess show you the correct moves to a problem by setting the level to 73, and then pressing the GO key twice.

TrAIn: Select one of eight training positions. Positions with the Black king in the middle give you practice in checkmating the Black king.

Options Before and During

HELP: Whenthe Gamethis option is turned on, all legal moves for the selected piece will be shown at one time.

InFO: When turned on, this option will display the score, depth of search (number of moves LCD Chess is "thinking ahead"), best move it is considering playing, and clock times. These will be displayed while the computer is thinking at its higher levels.

TOtAL: Your LCD Chess normally shows the time taken for each

. Turning this option ON will moveinstead show the total game time.

CLrBr: Use this option to clear the chess board for easier problem setup. Pressing SETUP now will enter setup mode with the chess board cleared of all pieces except a White king. You must also place a Black king on the board to exit setup mode.

SLEEP: Adjust the automatic shut off time with this key. Setting it to ‘0’ will disable auto shut-off altogether.

FLiP: Use this option to flip the chess board around.

TOUCH: Use this option if you are using the accessory chess board

DOCKER. When turned on, the
pocket LCD Chess will not wait for
you to press on its		from	and to
squares during its move.
SCORE KEY
Your display normally shows the
current move number. Instead, if
you want to see the piece-score of
your current position, press this key
repeatedly to turn this feature on or
off. The scoring totals the following
values: Pawns—1,		Knights—3,
Bishops—3, Rooks—5,			and
Queen—9.

SPEAKER KEY

Pressing this key will display SOUnd. Press this key repeatedly to select between: ‘2’—All sound on; ‘1’—No sound on key presses; ‘0’—No sound, except for error buzzes.

THREAT KEY

If the Threat Warning indicator ‘ ’ is on, pressing this key will flash the! threatening move on the chess board.

PressingLAYER KEY

this key will display PLAYr. Repeatedly press this key to select between: ‘1’—Human vs Computer; ‘2’—Human vs Human; ‘0’—Computer vs Computer.

SETUP KEY

Press this key to promote a pawn 7 that reaches your opponent’s back

rank to a piece other than a queen. (The promotion to a queen is the most common, so it is automatic.) You can also use this key to set up special positions (see page 11).

o/n KEY

Press this (CONTRAST)key repeatedly to adjust the display contrast to one of sixteen settings. This allows you to compensate for differences in lighting and battery strength.

NEW GAME KEY

Use this key to start a new game.

RATING KEY

LCD Chess rates your play! Use this key to view your current rating. Also use it to enter game results for a new rating if the ‘O’ symbol is on, showing you played a ratable game with no hints or take-backs.

How to Update

While viewingYour Rating:your rating with the ‘O’ symbol on, the first press of the OPTIONS key shows:

Win—If you won the game, press the RATING key to see your new rating. Or press OPTIONS a second time to show:

LOSE—If you lost the game, press the RATING key to see your new rating. Or press OPTIONS a third time to show:

8

DrAW—If you drew the game, press the RATING key to see your new rating. Or press OPTIONS to return to your unchanged rating display.

WhenPlayingyou wantthe toBlackplay thePiecesBlack pieces (to let LCD Chess move first) press the GO key before you make your first move as White. You’ll see the White and Black pieces switch places immediately!

DuringDrawthe game,Messagesyour Electronic Chess will display the word DrAW if a three-time repetition of position occurs, or if there has been no pawn moved and no exchanges for 50 moves. When either of these situations takes place, the rules of chess state that a player can claim a draw. If you wish, you can ignore the message and continue the game. When a stalemate is reached, the display will read StALE.

LCDGameChess-Endingwill announceMessagesmate in two (MAtE2) and mate in three (MAtE3). It will display +MAtE when executing a checkmate. When you checkmate LCD Chess, it will display ILOSE. When you want to claim a win, draw, or want to resign—press.the 2nd key and then

NEW GAME

WhenScreena ‘+’ appearsSymbolson the screen, it is a reminder that you are in check. When an ‘O’ appears on the screen, the game you are playing can be rated. When an ‘=’ appears, it indicates you are in two human player mode. And lastly when an ‘!’ appears on the screen, you are being warned that one of your pieces is threatened with capture. (This is similar to the friendly "en garde" warning sometimes used by human players when they are attacking an opponent’s queen.)

Generally,Levelsthe ofhigherPlaythe level you select, the better your LCD Chess will play, and the longer it will think during its moves. The first four levels (1, 2, 3 and 4) are beginner levels and take approximately 4, 8, 12 and 16 seconds per move, respectively. Level 5 is a fixed 1- ply (one-half move) search. Levels 6 through 15 take about 1 second per level number, so level 10 will average about 10 seconds per move. Levels 16 through 72 take about 2 seconds per level number. The amount of time taken will vary depending on the position, the stage of the game, and whether or not the FAST level option is on. (See “Level Options,” page 3)

Level 73 is an infinite level. LCD

9

Chess will take as long to move as you want it to, or until it finds a mate position in its search. Level 73 is good for problem solving (like the MATE problems available under OPTIONS), or it can be used to play against. When you are tired of waiting, press the GO key while the computer is thinking, and the computer will stop thinking and play the best move it’s found so far.

If you wouldA tolikePlayto watch the computer finish a game for you automatically, press the 2nd key, then press the PLAYER key repeatedly to change the number of players to zero. Press CLEAR and then press the GO key twice and watch the game play itself. You may stop auto play at any time by pressing the GO key, which will set the number of players back to one.

LCDBookChessOpeningmakes itTrainereasy for you to learn the same openings that world chess champions play! At the beginning of a game, you may choose to learn one of 34 popular book openings—ways to begin the game—used by chess masters. Press 2nd, then OPTIONS, to dis-

When I LOSE is displayed press the NEW GAME or UNDO key.

play OPEn, and then press the -1 or +1 keys to select the number of the opening you want to learn. (See right.) Then press the CLEAR key to return to normal play.

Now play a move. If your move is not the correct opening move, an error buzz will sound. To learn the correct move press HINT. When the computer comes back with its move, you will briefly see the word OPEn on the screen if you have another opening move to make. If the word OPEn does not appear, you may continue normal play. You have completed the training for that opening line.

The names of the openings are:

1.Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation

2.Ruy Lopez, Closed Defense

3.Ruy Lopez, Open Defense

4.Ruy Lopez Archangel Defense

5.Giuoco Piano

6.Scotch Game

7.Four Knights

8.Petroff Defense

9.Vienna Game

10.	Sicilian, Classical Defense
11.	Sicilian,	Accelerated
Dragon
12.	Sicilian, Rossolimo Attack
13.	Sicilian, Dragon Variation
14.	Sicilian, Scheveningen
	Variation
		10

15.	Sicilian, Najdorf Variation
16.	Sicilian, Moscow Variation
17.	Caro-Kann Defense
18.	Panov-Botvinnik Attack
19.	French Defense, Winawer
	Variation
20.	French Defense,
	Classical Defense
21.	French	Defense,
McCutcheon
Variation
22.	French Defense, Tarrasch
	Variation
23.	Queen’s Gambit Accepted
24.	Queen’s Gambit Declined
25.	Queen’s Gambit, Semi-Slav
	Defense
26.	Queen’s Gambit, Tarrasch
	Defense
27.	Queen’s	Gambit,	Slav
Defense
28.	Nimzo-Indian Defense,
	Rubinstein Var.
29.	Nimzo-Indian Defense,
	Classical Variation
30.	Queen’s Indian Defense
31.	Queen’s Indian
	Defense, Petrosian
	Variation
32.	Bogo-Indian Defense
33.	Gruenfeld Defense
34.	King’s Indian Defense

The moves and explanations of these famous openings are given in many books on chess.

EnteringElectronicYourChessOwnalso allowsOpeningyou to set up any book opening you want—or even an opening you invent—to practice. Press 2nd then repeatedly press PLAYER until the display reads 2PLAYr. Press CLEAR, then make moves for both sides until the opening position you want to practice is reached. Now press 2nd then repeatedly press PLAYER until the display reads 1PLAYr. Press CLEAR and play against the computer in this position.

At theGreatbeginningGamesof the game, you may select one of sixteen of the world’s greatest chess games by pressing 2nd, then OPTIONS twice to display GAME, and then pressing the -1 or +1 key to select a game number.

Along with the game number, you will see the position of the game after the first two moves were played. Press the CLEAR key to return to normal play starting at move three. You take the winning side. The display will show your total great-game score in two digits (zero at the start) on the left. On the right, the display also shows the amount of points you will win if you play the correct next greatgame move.

If you don’t play the correct great-game move, an error buzz will sound and the points for this move will be divided in half. If the bonus goes to zero, the correct move will automatically flash. Most moves start with 4 bonus points, but some brilliant moves start with 8 points.

Go online to the World Chess Hall of Fame & Sidney Samole Museum to find out more about chess and chess greats:

www.chessmuseum.org

The number, players, locations, and dates of the great games are given below, along with a brief explanation of each game. (All game explanations are © 2000 by Al Lawrence; all rights reserved.)

1. Adolf Anderssen vs. Lionel

This marvelousKieseritsky,attackingLondon,game,1851a King's Gambit, is widely known as "The Immortal Game." Both players show the 19th-century preference for attack at all costs, and Anderssen was one of the most ingenious attackers of all time. After 18. Bd6, he gives away both of his rooks and his queen! In the final position, his tiny force is deployed in just the right way to bring the complete Black army to its knees.

2. Adolf Anderssen vs. J. Dufresne,

Again we see Berlin,Anderssen1852bamboozling his opponent. The game starts as an Evan's Gambit, a form of the Giuoco Piano. White's 19th move, Rad1!! is one of the most celebrated in the history of the game. With his reply, … Qxf3, Black actually wins a knight and threatens mate. You'd think that would be enough! But Anderssen follows with a

11 rook and queen sacrifice that forces check-

	mate in a shower of brilliant blows. This							the swashbuckling 11. Nxe5, allowing Black
	classic is known as the "Evergreen Game."							to capture his queen. Black's king is forced
	3. Paul Morphy vs. Duke Karl &							to march to the center of the board, an
								unhealthy spot for a monarch when so many
	While in Paris at the opera, the brilliant,							pieces are still on the board, where he is
	Count Isouard, Paris, 1858
	unofficial	world	champion			from New		mated. It's important to understand that such
								sacrifices don't just happen illogically.
	Orleans plays an offhand game against two
								White's pieces again had a dominating com-
	noblemen. In this case, we're sure it was over
								mand of the board, and Black allowed
	before the	fat lady sang! In a					Philidor
								White's pressure on f7, Black's most sensi-
	Defense, the team of two played a weak 3.
								tive defensive square when he hasn't castled,
	… Bg5 that left Morphy with superior devel-
								to build into an explosion.
	opment (more of his pieces are deployed)
								6. Gaudersen vs. Paul, Melbourne,
	and the bishop pair (two bishops against a
	bishop and knight). These two important							1928
	advantages were all Morphy needed. After							This "miniature" of only 15 moves, starts off
	Black wastes even more time with another							as a French Defense in which White plays
	pawn move, 9. … b5?, Morphy hits the duo							the Advance Variation, placing his pawns on
	with a series of brilliant sacrifices to mate.							d4 and e5. Black's 8th move, castling, was in
	Victory of mind over material is the poetry							this case a blunder because his kingside is
	of chess.							attacked by many pieces and not effectively
	4.Wilhelm Steinitz vs. Kurt von							defended. White's sparkling 9. Bxh7+ is an
								example of a bishop sacrifice that's hap-
	Wilhelm Steinitz, the first official world							pened so often it has a name—the "Greek
	Bard leben, Hastings, 1895
	champion,	begins	this	game		as	a Giuoco	Gift." White's 14. Nxe6+ is an example of a
								discovered check, the dive bomber of the
	Piano. He	maneuvers		deftly		to	keep his
								chessboard. White's amusing 15th move is a
	opponent from castling into safety. Then he
								very rare example of checkmate with the en
	sacrifices his pawn on d5 so that he can
								passant capture.
	make the square available for his knight. But
	the most brilliant move of the game is 22.							7. Edward Lasker vs. George
	Rxe7+. At first glance, it simply looks like a							Thomas, London, 1910
	blunder. All of White's pieces are attacked,							This masterpiece, a Dutch Defense, features
	and if Black wasn't in check, he could play							a famous example of the king’s walk to
	… Rxc1+ with mate next. But if Black can't							mate. Edward, an American distant cousin of
	take the rook—with either his king or							the great world champion Emmanuel Lasker,
	queen—he loses in all variations. And by not							gets his pieces activated against Black's
	taking it, he is eventually mated anyway. If							kingside while the English champion
	you're interested in these complex lines, you							Thomas develops (gets his pieces off the
	can find a complete explanation of this clas-							back rank and into play) too slowly. By 10.
	sic game in many books.							Qh5, White is already threatening an all-out
	5. Alexander Alekhine vs. O. Tenner,							blitzkrieg. His brilliant queen sacrifice 11.
								Qxh7 is followed by a devastating discov-
	World Champion Alekhine					was	a chess	ered double check, 12. Nxf6++. Then Black's
		logne, 1911
	fanatic (he even named his cat "Chess") and							king has to walk the plank, all the way across
								the board to g1, the normal spot for the
	one of the greatest attacking players of all
								White king! Here he breathes his last.
	time. Here he plays the unusual Bishop's
								8. Wilhelm Steinitz vs. A.
	Opening and seems to be developing quietly.
	Black even appears to be getting a good							Mongredien, London, 1862
	game just at the time Alekhine is able to play							12 This game starts out as a Center Counter

(also called Scandinavian Defense). Black	who did not become world champion. The
loses too much time developing his pieces,	opening is a Nimzo-Indian. White's doubled
while White gets his into play aggressively.	pawns are potentially a long-term weakness,
Indeed, White's army dominates the all-	but in the short term they control a good
important center of the board as well as the	many all-important central squares. White
king's side. This sets the stage for a mating	plays cleverly to keep a grip on the position
attack. White's two-move maneuver 13. Rf3	and breaks through on the queenside with his
and 14. Rh3 is called a rook lift, and is a typ-	pawn-push 17. c4-c5. This gives him a
ical attacking strategy. This rook then sacri-	chance to bring his queenside rook into
fices itself on h7 in a way that allows Steinitz	action. He swings it against the kingside,
to bring his other rook quickly into the fray.	sacrificing it on g7 to win. In the final posi-
White is a rook down, but all of his forces	tion, Black's king will be mated by the White
take part in the assault, while the Black	queen, supported by the bishop on c1. Where
queen's rook and bishop seem to be waiting	did Black go wrong? Take a look at his
for the next game. They don't have long to	"unemployed" queen and rook on a8 and b8!
wait.	In a Four Knights' Game, Black gets his king
9. Aaron Nimzovich vs. S. Alapin,
	12. J. Banas vs. P. Lukacs, Trnava, 1986
Riga, 1913	into safety by castling and takes advantage
Another French Defense. In this one, the	of White's awkward piece placement by sac-
great Latvian player and writer Nimzovich	rificing his knight with 9. … Nf3+. Then he
(after whom the Nimzo-Indian Opening is	allows White to take his bishop on c5. But by
named—see page 6) plays an opponent who	that time, White's king is surrounded. In the
wastes time stealing a pawn with 9. … Qxg2.	final position, after 13. … Ng4, White's only
"Nimzo" plays a punishing 12. O-O-O!, sac-	effective defender, his knight on e3, is forced
rificing his knight. He finishes up with a	from its square, allowing … Qg2 mate.
convincing queen sacrifice that forces	13. Anatoly Karpov vs. Victor
checkmate.
10. Jose Capablanca vs. Herman	Twentieth-century chess perfected defense.
	Kortchnoi, Moscow, 1974
Steiner, Los Angeles, 1933	It is no longer typical to see top-level players
The handsome Cuban World Champion Jose	playing only for the attack. In fact, Korchnoi
Capablanca had a deceptively simple style.	at the time of this game was one of the best
Here we see him playing the old-fashioned	in the world, and his for e was defense.
Four Knights' game and opening up his	Many fine players would attack him ingen-
opponent's kingside pawn protection by	iously, only to break up on his rock-like for-
move 11! His first rook sacrifice, 17. Rxf6!,	tifications. Still, World Champion Karpov
can't be refused and forces Black's king into	crushes him in only 27 moves with a mating
a deadly crossfire. With 23. Qxb7!, Capa	attack! In a classic manner against Black's
offers a second rook, which can't be taken	Sicilian Dragon defense (so named probably
immediately because of 23. … Qxf6? 24.	because of the "tail" of control Black's bish-
Qb4 checkmate. But Black is forced to take	op makes from g7 to a1), Karpov plays the
the rook a move later and mate follows on	St. George attack, castling queenside and
the same square.	prying open the h-file to slay the dragon.
11. Mikhail Botvinnik vs. Paul	14. Boris Spassky vs. Tigran
The Hague, 1948	Spassky won the world championship from
Keres,	Petrosian, Moscow, 1969
Botvinnik won the world championship a	Petrosian in the match that produced this
record three times. His opponent here is pos-	game. In this English Opening that becomes
sibly the strongest 20th-century chess player	13 a Queen's Gambit, you'll see that once again

White gets a and quick

of hisstrongpiecescenter. As early as 13.develRd1,- youopmentcan sense that Black is in danger. His king has no piece defenders; his forces seem passive while White's are aggressively coordinated. As often happens in such situations, White breaks through with a pawn push in the center, in this case 15. d4-d5!. It clears the board for White's more active forces. Petrosian, one of the best defenders of all time, tries repeatedly to trade queens, but White wisely rebuffs these offers, which would take much of the power off the board. White's d-pawn becomes a star, advancing all the way to the 7th rank. Because of this queening threat, White is able to sacrifice his queen for one of Black's defending rooks. In the final position, it's hopeless for Black because White will either promote his pawn to a queen or capture whatever Black uses to block on d8.

15. Robert Fischer vs. Reuben Fine,

Nine years beforeNew winningYork, 1963the world championship, Bobby Fischer played this Evan's Gambit (a variation of the Giuoco Piano) against his famous elder. Bobby sacrifices two pawns in order to get his pieces out quickly. Then he plays 14. h2-h4!, sacrificing another pawn to force the Black queen away from the g7-square. After that, Black's king will be stuck in the center and in danger of the h4-d8 diagonal. Bobby's final move, 17. Qg3!, forces Fine to resign, because he must move his queen from the critical black diagonal h4-d8. Even on 17. … Qxg3, White ignores the capture of his own queen and plays 18. Bf6 mate!

16. Lajos Portisch vs. Johannessen,

During the firstHavana,half of this1966game, a Queen's Gambit Slav, the great Hungarian grandmaster Lajos Portisch locks up the center with a d4-e5 structure by move 14. This gives him a "beachhead" on e5 and makes it hard for Black to counterattack in the center, which is the standard antidote for an attack on the wing. The next stage starts with 16.

14

h4. Portisch announces his intention to attack on the kingside. He refrains from castling his own king into safety because he knows it’s safe enough in the center, at least for the time it will take him to break through with his attack. When Black tries to trade off pieces with 17. … Bxf3, Portisch sacrifices a knight for an unstoppable attack with 18. Bxh6 and then calmly moves his king to the second rank to bring his other rook into the game. His Rxh4 was another brilliant sacrifice that crushes any hope of defense. In the final position, Black resigns because White will simply play 26. Rxh6+, winning the Black queen. If 26. … Qxh6, then White plays 27. Qxh6+ and will mate on h7.

At anyUsingtimeSetupduring aModegame when it is your move, you may change the position on the board by adding a piece, removing a piece, or changing any of the pieces—for example, from a queen to a knight.

RemovingPress thea Piecekey, then the SETUP key. Use2ndthe

keys to move the blackDIRECTIONshape over a piece. Press GO to remove the piece. Press CLEAR to continue the game.

AddingPress theor Changingkey, thena Piecerepeatedly press the2nd key to select the correct pieceSETUP. You will see the piece flash on a square. Use the keys to move it to a DIRECsquare. ThenIONpress GO to register the piece. Press CLEAR to continue

the game.

SettingThis isUpanotherSpecialterrificPositionsfeature that allows you to solve problems that you see in magazines or newspapers, or that you make up yourself. It also allows you to enter game positions you want to play, or that you want LCD Chess to look at, perhaps using the Infinite Search level.

Normally, it is easier to start from an empty board to set up such problems. So first, press 2nd then OPTIONS repeatedly until CLrBr (clear board) is displayed. Now press the SETUP key. You’ll see that your display board is automatically cleared, except for a White king.

Use the keys to move the WhiteDIRECTIONking to the correct square and press GO. Continue by placing the Black king on it’s square. (You can’t leave the SETUP mode until both the White and Black king are placed.) Black pawns will be the next piece to place, but you may repeatedly press the SETUP key to select the piece type you want to place on the board. To change the piece’s color, use the θ /ν key. Don’t forget to press GO to register the piece on the board.

Follow this procedure until all the pieces in the problem or position are completely set up. Finally, press

ChessLEAR to play or to have LCD analyze the position.

Make sure that LCD Chess knows which color is to move. When you first enter setup mode, you may change the color of the side to move by pressing θ /ν.

If youOperationalmissed whereHintLCD Chess moved, simply press and then . This will not UNDOaffect being able toGOrate your game.

1General. The two playersRules mustof Chessalternate in making one move at a time. The player with the white pieces moves first to start the game.

2. With the exception of castling (see below), a move is the transfer of a piece from one square to another square which is vacant or occupied by an enemy piece.

3. No piece, except the Knight may cross a square occupied by another piece.

4. A piece moved to a square occupied by an enemy piece captures it as part of the same move. The captured piece must be immediately removed from the chessboard by the player making the capture.

5. When one player moves into a position whereby he can attack the 15 King, the King is in “Check”. His

opponent must either a) move the King

b) block the path of the attacking piece with another piece, or

c) capture the attacking piece.

6. The game is over when there is no escape for the King from an attacking piece. This is known as “Checkmate”.

7. The game is over when the king of the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and the player cannot make any legal moves. This is known as “Stalemate” and is considered a drawn game.

TurnIndividualon the HELPMovesfeature under OPTIONS (see page 4). All legal moves for each selected piece will be shown at one time. You will quickly “learn by doing” the movements of all pieces.

1. The Queen can move to any square along the same row, column, or diagonals on which it stands, but cannot pass over an enemy piece.

2. The Rook can move to any square along the same row or column on which it stands, but cannot pass over an enemy piece. See also Castling (right.)

3. The Bishop can move to any square along the diagonals on which it stands, but cannot pass over an enemy piece.

4.The Knight move is in the shape of an “L”, moving two squares up or down, and then one square over. Or it can be one square up or down, and then two over.

5.The Pawn can move one square forward. On its first move it may move two squares forward. When capturing, it moves diagonally (forward) one square. See also

(below.) en

6.The King can move one square in any direction, as long as it is not attacked by an enemy piece. See also Castling (below).passant

1. CastlingSpecialis a moveMovesof both the King and either Rook which counts as a single move (of the King) and is executed as diagrammed below:

To castle your King on LCD Chess, simply move your King over two squares.

Castlinga) the Kingcannothasoccuralreadyif: been moved.

b) the Rook has already been moved.

c) there is any piece between the King and the Rook.

d) the King’s original square, or the square which the King must cross, or the one which it is to occupy is attacked by an enemy piece.

2. A Pawn may make an capture if it is a reply moveen pasto-

santa double pawn move, and it is a Pawn which is side-by-side with the Pawn which made the double pawn move. The capture of a white Pawn is diagrammed below:

3. A Pawn can be promoted if it advances all the way to the far side of the board. It is immediately promoted, as part of the same move, into a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight, whichever its owner chooses. Since a Queen is the most powerful piece, it is nearly always chosen as the promotion piece.

Through the promotion process, a player may have more than one Queen on the board at the same time.

1General. The two playersRules mustof Chessalternate in making one move at a time. The player with the white pieces moves first to start the game.

2. With the exception of castling (see below), a move is the transfer

of a piece from one square to another square which is vacant or occupied by an enemy piece.

3. No piece, except the Knight may cross a square occupied by another piece.

4. A piece moved to a square occupied by an enemy piece captures it as part of the same move. The captured piece must be immediately removed from the chessboard by the player making the capture.

5. When one player moves into a position whereby he can attack the King, the King is in “Check”. His opponent must either

a) move the King

b) block the path of the attacking piece with another piece, or

c) capture the attacking piece.

6. The game is over when there is no escape for the King from an attacking piece. This is known as “Checkmate”.

7. The game is over when the king of the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and the player cannot make any legal moves. This is known as “Stalemate” and is considered a drawn game.

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17

DOCKER

ACCESSORY

Model 975D

An amazing feature of the LCD Chess, is that it can be connected to a sensory chess board and used with real chess pieces. If you purchased The Excalibur Chess Station, the chess board DOCKER was included with the pocket LCD Chess unit. If you purchased only the pocket LCD Chess unit, con-

tact Excalibur Electronics to order the DOCKER accessory.

To attach the LCD Chess to the DOCKER, first make sure LCD Chess is OFF. Turn the LCD Chess upside down so the cover is nearest you and the batteries are furthest away. Remove the cover using your thumb nail to pry off the cover (see

item 1, right). Now notice the central protruding tip in the middle of one edge of the cover. Then locate the two small protruding dimples on the other edge of the cover.

Insert the protruding central tip in the slot on the back of the LCD Chess with the edge having the two dimples positioned next to the silver name plate (see item 2, below). Now with one hand, place your thumb where the protruding tip was inserted, and two fingers on the two dimples. Push down with your thumb and use your two fingers to GENTLY pull the two dimples toward your thumb a little. This will lock the cover into place. To remove the cover from its storage slot, use your thumb and finger to work it out of its locked position.

Locate the three plastic bumps just above the Excalibur logo on the front of LCD Chess. Now slide the LCD Chess into the DOCKER until the three plastic bumps are just visible above the plastic chute of the DOCKER.

After you have inserted LCD Chess into the DOCKER, set the chess pieces (included with the DOCKER) on their starting squares. Use the chess board screen of LCD Chess as a reference, in case you are unsure where a piece goes. Don’t forget the queen always goes on her own color square.

TurnPlayElectronica GameChessRighton,Awayand using the edge of the pawn (see diagram, left) on square E2 press at the center of square E2.

You will see E2-__ appear on the display of LCD Chess. Now use the edge of the pawn to press the center

Turn OFF pocket LCD Chess before inserting into the DOCKER or removing it from the DOCKER.

of square E4. Place the pawn on square E4.

LCD Chess will respond with its move by showing the from and to square coordinates on the display. LCD Chess will wait until you move its piece by pressing on the from square and then the to square.

It is now your move.

LettingAfter youLCDmakeChessyour moveGo Firston the DOCKER, LCD Chess knows you are connected to the DOCKER. It then will wait for you to press its from and to squares when it moves. But when you want LCD Chess to go first and play the white pieces at the top of the board, you simply press the GO key on LCD Chess. LCD Chess does not know you are using the DOCKER, so it assumes that you are not. Therefore it simply moves its piece on the LCD Chess board, and assumes you will make its opening move on the DOCKER chess board without pressing on its from and to squares.

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19

When youSpecialcastleMovesyour king on the DOCKER, LCD Chess will remind you to move your rook by display- ing the from and to squares. Move the rook in the routine manner, pressing on its from square and then its to square. When LCD Chess castles, it will also remind you to move its rook.

For an en passant cature, press the from and to squares of the capturing pawn. The square of the pawn being captured will then appear on the display. This is to remind you to remove the captured pawn. You must press down on the captured pawn before removing it from the board.

When you undo a move on the DOCKER, you must follow the standard procedure of pushing on the to square and then the from square. When the move is a capture, LCD Chess will also then signal the capture square. Refer to the chess board on the LCD screen for the proper piece to press on the capture square.

If you attempt an illegal move on the DOCKER, you must follow the standard procedure of undoing the illegal move by pushing on the to square and then the from square.

Interrupting a Game

If you are in the middle of a game using the DOCKER, but want to continue the game with only the LCD Chess, just turn off LCD Chess when it is your move. Disconnect LCD Chess from the DOCKER, and turn on LCD Chess. You may now continue your game using the DIRECTION keys to enter your moves.

You may also finish the game on the DOCKER by turning the LCD Chess off, and inserting it into the DOCKER. Turn on LCD Chess and arrange the pieces on the DOCKER chess board to match the chess pieces on the LCD Chess screen.

Note: Do not take-back a move on the LCD Chess until you have made a move on LCD Chess using the DIRECTION keys. Entering your move on LCD Chess tells LCD Chess that you are no longer using the DOCKER.

Playi g without Pieces
You can play without the three-
dimesional pieces, viewing only the
display. Press the	2nd key, then
repeatedly press the	OPTIONS key
until TOUCH is shown. Use the +1
key to turn this option on or off.
With this option on, LCD Chess
will just signal its	move on the

20 screen, you will not have to register

its move on the DOCKER. In this mode, the large playing board acts as a touch screen so that you can input your moves by pressing from and to squares with your finger.

PositionPositionsetup is Setupfaster when the DOCKER chess board is used. Follow the procedure on page 10, but instead of using the DIRECTION keys to move to the square

you wish to change, simply press the square. If you are removing a piece, that is all you need to do. If you are changing or placing a piece on a square, the first time you press the square a black piece of the type you have selected will appear. Press the square once more and the color of the piece will become white. If you made an error and want it to be black instead, just press on the square once more.

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We make you think.

Special Care

• Avoid rough handling such as bumping or dropping.

• Avoid moisture and extreme temperatures. For best results, use between the temperatures of 39ºF and 100ºF (4ºC and 38ºC).

• Clean using only a slightly damp cloth. Do not use cleaners with chemical agents.

Battery Information

•o CAUTION: BATTERIES SHOULD BE REMOVED AND REPLACED BY ADULTS ONLY.

o King Arthur uses 3 AG13 ou LR44 batteries, not included. o Do not mix old and new batteries.

o Do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc) or rechargeable (nickel-cadmium) batteries.

o Do not use rechargeable batteries.

o To avoid explosion or leakage, do not dispose of batteries in a fire or attempt to recharge standard or alkaline batteries.

o Be sure to insert batteries with the correct polarities and always follow the toy and battery manufacturers’ instructions.

o Remove batteries and store them in a cool, dry place when not in use. o Always remove old and dead batteries from the product.

o The supply terminals are not to be short-circuited.

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	Limited One-Year Warranty
	EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC.,	The only authorized service center in
	warrants to the original consumer that	the United States is:
	its products are free from any electrical
	or mechanical defects for a period of	Excalibur Electronics, Inc.
	ONE YEAR from the date of purchase.	13755 SW 119th Ave
	If any such defect is discovered within	Miami, Florida 33186 U.S.A.
	the warranty period, EXCALIBUR	Phone: [phone]
	ELECTRONICS, INC., will repair or	Fax: [phone]
	replace the unit free of charge upon	www.ExcaliburElectronics.com
	receipt of the unit, shipped postage pre-
		Ship the unit carefully packed, prefer-
	paid and insured to the factory address
	shown at right.	ably in the original carton, and send it
		prepaid, and adequately insured.
	The warranty covers normal consumer	Include a letter, detailing the complaint
	use and does not cover damage that	and including your daytime telephone
	occurs in shipment or failure that	number, inside the shipping carton.
	results from alterations, accident, mis-	If your warranty has expired and you
	use, abuse, neglect, wear and tear, inad-	want an estimated fee for service, write
	equate maintenance, commercial use,	to the above address, specifying the
	or unreasonable use of the unit.	model and the problem.
	Removal of the top panel voids all war-
	ranties. This warranty does not cover	PLEASE DO NOT SEND
	cost of repairs made or attempted out-	YOUR UNIT WITHOUT
	side of the factory.	RECEIVING AN ESTIMATE
	Any applicable implied warranties,	FOR SERVICING. WE CANNOT
		STORE YOUR UNIT!
	including warranties of merchantability
	and fitness, are hereby limited to ONE
	YEAR from the date of purchase.

Consequential or incidental damages resulting from a breach of any applicable express or implied

hereby excluded. allow limitations on implied warranties and allow exclusion of consequential damages, above limitations and sions in these instances not apply.

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