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375X
User Manual
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EXCALIBUR 375X User Manual

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Page 1
LCD Chess
EXPRESS
Operating Manual
Model 375X
Congratulations on your purchase of Excalibur Electronics’ LCD Chess! You’ve purchased both your own person­al chess trainer and a partner who’s always ready for a game—and who can improve as you do!
Install the Batteries
Using a small Phillips screwdriver, remove the battery-compartment panel screw on the back of LCD Chess. Install two fresh, alkaline AAA batteries, mak­ing sure to follow the diagram in each battery slot so that the
polarity (+ or -) of
the batteries is correct.
Replace the battery compartment panel. When replacing the screw, secure it gen­tly, do not force or over-tighten it.
Play a Game Right Away
After you have installed the 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, LCD Chess gives you the White pieces—the
ones at the bottom of the board. White always moves first. You’re ready to play!
The way you select and make your move is very simple.
• Press a DIRECTION key and the White king’s pawn will flash on and off. The LCD will also show
01FROM. Then
press a DIRECTION key—to the right, left, up, down or diagonally—until the piece or pawn you want to move flashes on and off. NOTE: If you have trouble getting to the piece you want using a DIRECTION but- ton, you may press the PREV or NEXT key to select a piece for movement.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
When you are in check, you
have very few moves. If you find
you can’t select the move you
want to make, look for the ‘+’
check sign. You probably forgot
you are in check.
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• Press the GO button in the middle of the DIRECTION keys. FROM,will dis­appear, TO will now be shown and time will start counting.
• Press a DIRECTION key to move the piece to the square you want. You’ll
see your piece flashing on possible to squares as you move it—at the same time it con­tinues to flash on its from square.
• Press the GO button again to finalize your move.
After you make your move, LCD Chess will reply with its move automatically. You’ll see the piece flash on its from square and move to its to square. Throughout the game, the display at the bottom keeps track of the move number and the elapsed time for each move.
Key Functions
ON/OFF KEY Use this key to turn LCD Chess off and on. LCD Chess will remember the board position while it is off. 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.
HINT/NEXT KEY Press this key if you want to get hints from your LCD Chess partner. It displays HINT and flashes a recommended move on the screen. To make the hint move, just press the GO key. Or press a DIRECTION key to select a different piece to move.
If the hint is a book move or a replay move, OPEN or RPLAY will be shown
instead of HINT .
Also use this key during move entry to select the next FROM piece, or in SETUP mode to select the next piece type.
UNDO/PREV KEY This key lets you take back a move or moves you’ve decided against. Press this key repeatedly to continue taking back moves. After you take back a move, you can use the GO key to replay the taken­back move or moves.
Also use this key during move entry to select the previous FROM piece, or in SETUP mode to select the previous piece type.
GO KEY Press this key to register your move, or press it twice before you register your move to switch sides (colors) with your LCD Chess. (Between presses, the dis­play will show FLIP.) Also use GO to replay moves in the takeback move mode (see "UNDO/PREV,” above).
CLEAR KEY Use this key to exit any of
the special modes like MENU, SETUP, and LEVEL. Also use this key during move entry to clear your move entry , and start the move entry process over.
MENU/ ! KEY Pressing the MENU key displays a num­ber of options. To view a different option, press the MENU key again, or the UP or the DOWN DIRECTION key.
Also use this key in SETUP to change the side to move, or to flash the piece that is threatened when the threat warning “!” ICON is on.
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Menu Options
Menu Options Before the Game Starts
OPEN: Use the LEFT or the RIGHT
DIRECTION key to select one of 32 book opening lines of play. (See page 4.)
TRAIN: Use the LEFT or the RIGHT DIRECTION key to 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
the Game
NWGAM: To start a new game, press GO.
LEVEL: To view the current level set-
ting, or to change the level setting, press GO. (see “Levels of Play,” page 5)
CLRBR: Use this option to clear the chess board for easier problem setup. Pressing the GO key 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.
HELP: When turned on, all legal moves for the selected piece will be shown at one time.
NOTE: When the HELP option is on, possible capturing moves are shown by flashing the captured pieces central black figure. Do not confuse this with selecting a capture move, which flashes the entire piece that is to be captured.
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.
RATE: Turning this option ON will enable your rating to be updated if you select a tournament level type or a sudden death type level to play against. Turn this option off, when you want to practice on those levels. During a rated game the ‘O’ symbol will appear as a reminder. When the ‘O’ symbol is on, you will see a “SURE?” warning if you try to TAKE­BACK mistakes, add pieces in SETUP mode, ask for a HINT, or try to start a NEW GAME before the game is com­pleted. LCD Chess will rate the game a loss for you if you are losing and a draw if the position is equal. If you are sure, press the key once more, otherwise press CLEAR. If the score is greater than 9.0, you can claim a victory with the NWGAM option.
SOUND: Use this option to turn the sound On or off.
FLiP: Use this option to turn the chess board around.
PLAYR: Select between: ‘1’—Human vs Computer; ‘2’—Human vs Human; ‘0’—Computer vs Computer.
SCORE: If you want to see the piece­score of your current position, turn this option on. The scoring totals the follow­ing values: Pawns—1, Knights—3, Bishops—3, Rooks—5, and Queen—9.
Use the LEFT or the RIGHT
DIRECTION keys to change the
condition of the following options.
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Playing the Black Pieces
When you want to play the Black 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!
Draw Messages
During the game, your LCD 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 situation 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 show STALE.
Game-Ending Messages
LCD Chess will announce mate in two (MATE2) and mate in three (MATE3). It will also display +MATE when exe­cuting a checkmate or when you check­mate LCD Chess. When you want to claim a win, draw, or want to resign— press the MENU key and then GO.
Screen Symbols
When a ‘+’ appears on 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
Auto Play
If you would like to watch the computer finish a game for you automatically, press the MENU key repeatedly until the option PLAYR is showing. Use the LEFT DIRECTION button to change the number of players to zero. Press CLEAR to exit the MENU mode. Now press the GO key twice and watch the game play itself. You may stop auto play at any time by pressing the GO key. Doing so will set the number of players back to one.
Book Opening Trainer
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.
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The names of the openings are:
1. Ruy Lopez, Open Defense
2. Ruy Lopez, Zaitsev Defense
3. Ruy Lopez, Exchange
4. Scotch Game
5. Scotch Four Knights
6. Giuoco Piano
7. Two Knights Defense
8. Four Knights
9. Petroff’s Defense
10. Sicilian Alapin Variation
11. Sicilian, Najdorf Variation
12. Sicilian, Dragon Variation
13. Sicilian, Keres Attack
14. Caro-Kann Defense
15. Panov-Botvinnik Attack
16. Caro-Kann Excahnge Variation
17. Queen’s Gambit Declined
18. Lasker Defense, Queen Gambit Declind
19. Queen Gambit Declined Exchange Var.
20. Slav Defense
21. Queen’s Gambit Accepted
22. Nimzo-Indian Defense, Classical Var.
23. Nimzo-Indian Defense, Rubinstein Var.
24. Semi-Slav Defense
25. Queen’s Indian Defense
26. Queen’s Indian Defense, Petrosian Var.
27. Bogolubow Indian Defense
28. Catalan
29. Gruenfeld Defense
30. King’s Indian Defense
31. Modern Benoni Defense
32. Benko Gambit
The moves and explanations of these famous openings are given in many books on chess.
Entering Your Own Opening
LCD Chess also allows you to set up any book opening you want—or even an opening you invent—to practice. Press MENU repeatedly until the display shows PLAYR. Use RIGHT DIREC- TION button to set players to 2. Press CLEAR, then make moves for both sides
until the opening position you want to practice is reached. Now press MENU repeatedly until the display shows PLAYR. Use the RIGHT DIRECTION button to set players to 1. Press CLEAR and play against the computer in this position.
Levels of Play
Press MENU repeatedly until the display shows LEVEL then GO to see the cur­rent level. When you are finished review­ing the level or changing the level, press CLEAR to return to normal play.
At this point you may use the UP or DOWN DIRECTION button to change to a different level type. There are six types of levels.
Level types Fixed, Beginner, Sudden, and Tournament can be adjusted for three dif­ferent strengths. Use the UP or DOWN DIRECTION button to change to a dif­ferent level strength. The strengths are shown as 'E' for Easy, 'A' for Average, and 'H' for Hard.
Beginner Level Type
Press the LEFT or RIGHT DIRECTION button to select 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, or 15 seconds per move.
B:E0:01 B:E0:02 B:E0:03 B:E0:04
B:E0:05 B:E0:07 B:E0:10 B:E0:15
B:A0:01 B:A0:02 B:A0:03 B:A0:04
B:A0:05 B:A0:07 B:A0:10 B:A0:15
B:H0:01 B:H0:02 B:H0:03 B:H0:04
B:H0:05 B:H0:07 B:H0:10 B:H0:15
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Fixed Time Level Type
Press the LEFT or RIGHT DIRECTION button to select 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 seconds, and 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 5:00 minutes per move. FIXED Time Level "inf" is infinite time, and will only stop thinking when the GO key is pressed, or a mate is found.
F:E0:01 F:E0:02 F:E0:03 F:E0:05
F:E0:10 F:E0:15 F:E0:20 F:E0:30
F:E0:45 F:E1:00 F:E1:30 F:E2:00
F:E2:30 F:E3:00 F:E5:00 F:Ei:nF
F:A0:01 F:A0:02 F:A0:03 F:A0:05
F:A0:10 F:A0:15 F:A0:20 F:A0:30
F:A0:45 F:A1:00 F:A1:30 F:A2:00
F:A2:30 F:A3:00 F:A5:00 F:Ai:nF
F:H0:01 F:H0:02 F:H0:03 F:H0:05
F:H0:10 F:H0:15 F:H0:20 F:H0:30
F:H0:45 F:H1:00 F:H1:30 F:H2:00
F:H2:30 F:H3:00 F:H5:00 F:Hi:nF
Sudden Death Level Type
Press the LEFT or RIGHT DIRECTION button to select the amount of time in minutes for the entire game. If you run out of time you lose or forfeit, FORFT will be shown on the display. After every move, you receive a bonus 10 seconds to make up for the time it takes to enter your move.
S:E :05 S:E :10 S:E :15 S:E :20
S:E :30 S:E :45 S:E :60 S:E :90
S:A :05 S:A :10 S:A :15 S:A :20
S:A :30 S:A :45 S:A :60 S:A :90
S:H :05 S:H :10 S:H :15 S:H :20
S:H :30 S:H :45 S:H :60 S:H :90
Tournament Level Type
Press the LEFT or RIGHT DIRECTION button to select the the amount of time in HOURS:MINUTES format to play the number of moves shown on the left side of the display. If you run out of time before you play the indicated number of moves, you lose or forfeit, FORFT will be shown on the display. After every move, you receive a bonus 10 seconds to make up for the time it takes to enter your move.
40 T:E0:30 45 T:E0:45 40 T:E1:00 40 T:E1:30 35 T:E1:30 45 T:E1:55 40 T:E2:00 45 T:E2:25
40 T:A0:30 45 T:A0:45 40 T:A1:00 40 T:A1:30 35 T:A1:30 45 T:A1:55 40 T:A2:00 45 T:A2:25
40 T:H0:30 45 T:H0:45 40 T:H1:00 40 T:H1:30 35 T:H1:30 45 T:H1:55 40 T:H2:00 45 T:H2:25
PLy Level Type
Press the LEFT or RIGHT DIRECTION button to select the depth of search from 1 to 8 ply. A ply is one half move.
PLY 1PLY 2PLY 3PLY 4 PLY 5PLY 6PLY 7PLY 8
MAtE Solver Level Type
Press the LEFT or RIGHT DIRECTION button to select the number of moves to mate the program will search. nOnE will appear if no mate is found.
MAtE 1 MAtE 2 MAtE 3 MAtE 4 MAtE 5 MAtE 6 MAtE 7 MAtE 8
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Note: You can only change the level while it is your turn to play.
Rating
To view your rating, press MENU repeat- edly until RATE is shown.Your current rating appears on the display.
To have your rating change, you must complete a rated game on a tournament or sudden death level.
When you are ready to play a rated game, select the RATE option.
1. Press the MENU key repeatedly until you see RATE appear.
2. Press LEFT or RIGHT DIRECTION button to turn the option On.
3. Press CLEAR.
Finally select the Tournament Level or Sudden Death Level you wish to play against.
When O appears on the display, the game you are playing can be rated. Since the game you are playing is rated, you cannot ask for a HINT, nor TAKEBACK a bad move, nor use SETUP to improve your position. You also cannot use the NWGAM option to start over during a rated game.
These conditions attempt to allow you to experience what it is like to play a game against an opponent in a rated tourna­ment. In rated tournaments a chess clock is always used, so that you play your moves within agreed upon time limits. Your LCD Chess computer has the chess clock built in to it.
If you attempt to use the HINT or UNDO keys during your rated game, LCD Chess will ask "SURE?". It will do the same
thing if you try to start a New Game, use SETUP, or change the LEVEL. LCD Chess will rate the game a loss for you if you are losing and a draw if the position is equal. If you are sure, press the key once more, otherwise press CLEAR.
During a rated game if you are winning by 9.0 or more points and want LCD Chess to resign, press MENU then GO. LCD Chess will show "SURE?". LCD Chess will then wait for you to press GO once more.
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Using Setup Mode
At any time during a game 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.
Removing A Piece
Press MENU repeatedly until SETUP is shown, and then press GO. Use the DIRECTION buttons to move the king cross over a piece. Press GO to remove the piece. Press CLEAR to continue the game.
Adding or Changing a Piece
Press MENU repeatedly until SETUP is shown, and then press GO. Now press HINT/NEXT repeatedly to select the cor-
rect piece and use the MENU/! key to select the correct color.
Use the DIRECTION buttons to move it to a square. Then press GO to register the piece. Press CLEAR to continue the game.
Setting Up Special Positions
This is another terrific feature 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 MENU repeatedly until CLRBR (clear board) is displayed. Then press the GO key. You’ll see that your
display board is automatically cleared, except for a White king. Use the DIRECTION buttons to move the White king 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.) Repeatedly press the NEXT key or PREV key to select the piece type you want to place on the board. To change the piece’s color, use the MENU/! 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 CLEAR to play or to have LCD Chess 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 MENU/!.
Computers can sometimes "lock
up" due to static discharge or
other electrical disturbances. If
this should happen, use a slim,
pointed object to press the but-
ton marked “RESET.”
General Rules of Chess
1. The two players must alternate 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
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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.
Individual Moves
Turn on the HELP feature (see page 3.) All legal moves for each selected piece will be shown at one time. You will quickly “learn by doing” the movements of all pieces.
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.)
5. The Pawn can move one square for­ward. On it’s first move it may move two squares forward. When capturing, it moves diaganolly (forward) one square. See also en passent (below.)
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)
Special Moves
1. Castling is a move of both the King and either Rook which counts as a single move (of the King) and is executed as diagrammed below:
Castling cannot occur if:
a) the King has already 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 en passent cap­ture if it is a reply move to a double pawn move, and it is a Pawn which is side-by­side with the Pawn which made the dou­ble pawn move. The capture of a white Pawn is diagrammed below:
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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, there may be more than one Queen on the board at the same time.
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
• Your LCD Chess uses 2 “AAA” batteries.
• Do not mix old and new batteries.
• Do not mix alkaline & standard or rechargeable batteries.
• Install batteries so that the polarity (+ and -) matches the diagrams in the battery compartment.
• Remove exhausted batteries from the unit.
• Do not short circuit battery terminals.
Excalibur Electronics reserves the right to make technical changes without notice in the interest of progress.
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Limited One-Year Warranty
Limited One-Year Warranty
EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC., war­rants to the original consumer that its products are free from any electrical or mechanical defects for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of purchase. If any such defect is dis­covered within the warranty period, EXCAL­IBUR ELECTRONICS, 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, neglect, wear and
tear, inadequate maintenance, commercial use, or unreason-
able use of the unit. Removal of the top panel voids all war-
ranties. This warranty does not cover cost of repairs made or
attempted outside of the factory.
Any applicable implied warranties, including warranties of
merchantability and fitness, are hereby limited to ONE
YEAR from the date of purchase. Consequential or inciden-
tal damages resulting from a breach of any applicable express
or implied warranties are hereby excluded. Some states do
not allow limitations on the duration of implied warranties
and do not allow exclusion of incidental 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: 305.477.8080
Fax: 305.477.9516
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.
DO NOT SEND YOUR UNIT WITHOUT
RECEIVING
AN ESTIMATE FOR SERVICING.
WE CANNOT STORE YOUR UNIT!
FCC Notice
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired opera­tion. NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful inter­ference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio com­munications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turn­ing the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
-- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
-- Increase the separation between the equip­ment and receiver.
-- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiv­er is connected.
-- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
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375X-063005-01
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