Saitek ALCHEMIST User Manual

QUICK STAR T
To play a game of chess right away, without reading the entire manual first, simply follow these Quick Start steps!
Open the battery
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compartment at the back of the computer by sliding it in the direction of the arrow. Insert 3 “AA” (Type AM3/R6) batteries into the computer, making sure that you observe the correct polarity. Reinstall the battery door. (Details at Section 1.1)
Press GO/STOP to turn
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the game on. If the computer does not respond, press a paper clip or similar sharp object into the hole marked ACL in the base of the unit as described in Section 4.1.
Set up the chess pieces in
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the initial starting position for a new game, with the White pieces closest to you.
3 x AA/AM3/R6
8
7
6
5
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3
2
1 ABCDEFGH
Enter moves by executing
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them on the board, pressing the chess pieces down gently on the ‘from’ and ‘to’ squares for each move.
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As soon as the computer makes a move, that move is shown in the display window. Press the computer’s piece lightly onto the indicated ‘from’ and ‘to’ squares to complete the computer’s move. That’s all there is to it!
Make your next move as described above. Press GO/STOP at any time to turn the computer off. Enjoy your game!
PRESS
E7:E5
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ENGLISH
PRESS
Press the NEW GAME key
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to reset the computer for a new game of chess.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK START KEYS AND FEATURES INTRODUCTION
1. USING YOUR CHESS COMPUTER
1.1 Battery Installation
1.2 Making Moves
1.3 The Computer’s Move
1.4 Change Your Mind? Take Back!
1.5 Check, Mate, or Draw!
1.6 Start a New Game
1.7 Change Levels
1.8 Openings Coach
2. ADDITIONAL COMPUTER FEATURES
2.1 Chess Clocks
2.2 Capturing and Special Moves
2.3 Illegal Moves
2.4 Interrupting the Computer’s Search
2.5 Changing Sides with the Computer
2.6 Getting Hints from the Computer
2.7 The Computer Plays Against Itself
2.8 Game Memory and Automatic Power Down
2.9 Openings Library
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Note: Computer will automatically switch off to conserve power if no key is pressed for about 20 minutes when computer is not thinking (see Section
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2.8)
3. LEVELS AND SPECIAL MODES
3.1 Levels of Play
3.2 Fun Levels
3.3 Casual Levels
3.4 Blitz Levels
3.5 Bronstein Levels
3.6 Bonus Timer Levels
3.7 Tournament Levels
3.8 Fixed Depth Levels
3.9 Tactical Level
3.10 Teach Modes
3.11 Selecting Levels and Teach Modes
3.12 Openings Coach Mode
3.13 Verify Mode. Check Piece Positions!
3.14 Non Auto Mode
4. TECHNICAL DETAILS
4.1 The ACL Function
4.2 Care and Maintenance
4.3 Technical Specifications
TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE
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KEYS AND FEATURES
1. LCD Display Window: The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) is
used to show moves, game information, and chess clocks for both players. Most of the symbols it uses are obvious, but a full list is shown in Figure 1.
2 Piece Symbol Keys &(Kings), %(Queen), $(Rook),
#(Bishop), @(Knight), !(Pawn): The Piece Symbol keys
are used to verify positions and to select the different Teach modes, and some pieces are used for under­promotion of pawns.
3 Game Keys
a. GO/STOP key: Press to turn the computer on. Press
again to turn the computer off. The current game is retained in memory for up to 600 hours.
b. NEW GAME key: Press to reset the computer for a new
game of chess.
c. OPENINGS COACH key: Press to enter Openings
Coach mode and train on recognized opening gambits and responses.
d. LEVEL key: Press to enter Level mode to adjust the
level of play to the complexity and type of game you desire. Also used to select the Teach modes.
e. TAKE BACK key: Press to take back the last individual
move made. You may take back up to 14 individual moves. (An individual move is a move for one side.)
f. NON AUTO key: Press to enter Non Auto mode, which
allows moves to be entered manually - the computer monitors the game, but makes no moves.
g. PLAY key: Press to exchange sides with the computer.
Also you may press while the computer is thinking to force it to move, or during your own move to get a suggestion from the computer.
h. SOUND key: Pressing the key causes the sound feature
to cycle through its three levels of operation. You can tell which condition you have selected by the number of high tone beeps you hear:
SOUND LEVEL SIGNAL EMITTED WHEN IT IS SELECTED
Sound and Coach 3 high tones Sound only 2 high tones Silent. 1 high tone
With Coach selected, the computer will evaluate your move immediately it is completed, and emit two low tones if it is considered bad. With Sound selected, the buzzer ‘beeps’ to show that the computer is responding to your actions. The meanings of the various ‘beeps’ are shown in Figure 1.
4 Sensory Chessboard: Each
square has a highly sensitive sensor that registers piece movement. Squares are identified by file (letters) and rank (numbers).
5 ACL (Reset): In the base of the unit
is a recessed reset switch. It is used to eliminate static discharge after inserting a new set of batteries.
6 Battery Compartment: The
batteries are housed in the base of the unit. The computer uses 3 “AA” (Type AM3/R6) alkaline batteries.
7 Piece Storage Area: Handy
storage compartment for your chess pieces.
Figure 1. Display Symbols and Sounds
SYMBOLS
1 ............ 1 A .............A k .... King
2 ............ 2 B ............. b q .... Queen
3 ............ 3 c ............ C r .... Rook
4 ............ 4 D ............ D b .... Bishop
5 ............ 5 E .............E n .... Knight
6 ............ 6 F .............F p .... Pawn
7 ............ 7 G ............ G Sb ... Standard
8 ............ 8 H ............ H
9 ............ 9
0 ............ 0
PM............ Indicates player to move.
S............... Indicates black to move.
ch
- ....... Steady colon indicates that figures are
:
ch
:
ch: EnD
EnDZ ....... Draw
te: .......... Teach mode
oZ:3 ....... Openings Coach (Spanish Opening) -
oz:3 ....... Openings Coach (Spanish Opening) -
-
o
:3 ....... Openings Coach (Spanish Opening) -
o-:3 ....... Openings Coach (Spanish Opening) -
1 high tone ......Acknowledge operation of any key or
1 low tone .......Error – wrong move or wrong key pressed
2 low tones......Warning from Coach
3 high tones ....New game or Sound and coach set
3 low tones......In games against the clock, time has
Minutes and Seconds
- ....... Flashing colon indicates that figures are
Hours and Minutes
--
..... Black in check
-
....... Checkmate – black wins
computer plays both sides
computer plays white
computer plays black
computer plays neither
SOUNDS
sensory square
run out
E7:E5
board
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5
647
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INTRODUCTION
This electronic chess board is a powerful computer that will play chess with you at whatever level of complexity you choose, or if you prefer, you can play a game with a friend and the computer will act as referee. The huge range of levels of play (64) combined with the extended teach modes (11) will satisfy anyone with an interest in chess, including young and old. There are 768 combinations altogether. The teach modes and openings coaches are superb learning features at any level of play, and the various modes of timed competition will please the inter me­diate player .
3 x AA/AM3/R6
ENGLISH
1. USING YOUR CHESS COMPUTER
Battery Installation
1. Your chess computer runs on 3 “AA” (AM3/R6) batteries. For longer battery life (up to 600
hours), use fresh alkaline batteries. Slide back the cover in the back of the case and insert the batteries as shown in Figure 1-1. Reinstall the cover and press GO/STOP to turn the computer on. If the computer does not respond, use a paper clip or other sharp object to press into the hole marked ACL in the base of the unit for at least one second to reset the computer. After the battery is inser ted or ACL is pressed, the computer runs a self-test. 3 ‘beeps’ indicate that the test is OK; a buzz or silence indicates a problem and you should check it with your local distributor.
Note that putting in new batteries or pressing ACL will reset the computer and its memory,
losing any game that it might contain.
Making Moves
2. Follow these steps to start a game.
a. If necessary press GO/STOP to turn the computer on.
b. Set up the chess pieces in their starting positions with the White pieces nearest to you, as
shown in Figure 1-2, and press NEW GAME. The computer will indicate on the display that you should play a White piece
00:00
PM
Note that pressing NEW GAME will cancel Teach mode or Openings Coach if either is
selected, or switch off the Non Auto function.
c. To make a move, lightly press down on the piece you want to move until you hear a ‘beep’
(see Figure Fig 1-3). The computer’s sensory board registers your move, and the display shows on the left side the ‘from’ square that was pressed
E2:zz
d. Take the piece and lightly press it down on the square you want to move to. A second
‘beep’ sounds and the computer briefly shows the ‘to’ square on the right side of the display
E2:E4
As soon as your move is finished, if you have Sound and Coach selected, the display will show Cocch while it evaluates your move. Two low tones are emitted if the move is considered bad.
e. Then it is the computer’s turn, and the computer starts thinking about its move. However, in
the early stages of a game the computer’s response is often virtually instantaneous, because it is playing moves already stored in its openings library (see Section 2.9).
The Computer’s Move
3. When the computer is ready, it ‘beeps’ and shows the ‘from’ and ‘to’ coordinates of its move
in the display, as shown in Figure 1.4. For an example, (see Figures1-5a and b). Press the indicated piece down on its ‘from’ square (E7, in this case), until you hear a ‘beep’ and the ‘from’ side of the display changes to show the color and symbol for that piece. (Figure 1 shows the symbols.)
Next press that same piece down on the second square in the display – the square the com­puter wants to move to (E5 here). Once you press E5, the display clears and you have completed the computer’s move! The display then indicates again that it is your move.
Change Your Mind? Take Back!
4. If you change your mind about a move, you can take it back. Press TAKE BACK while it is
still your turn to move. The display shows the ‘to’ square. Press the piece down on that square. You now see the piece symbol and the square that piece came from. Press the piece down on the ‘from’ square to finish the take-back. If the move taken back was a capture, the computer reminds you to put the captured piece back on the board by displaying the piece type and its square for you. Press this piece down on the indicated square. To take back another move, press TAKE BACK again. You can take back for up to 14 individual moves (or 7 moves for each side), allowing you to experiment and try out various “What If?” approaches. To continue the game, either make your next move or press PLAY to have the computer make it for you.
Figures 1-6a and b show an example of taking back the Knight move from G8 to F6. After
Fig. 1-1
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Fig. 1-2
PRESS
PRESS
Fig. 1-3
E7:E5
Fig. 1-4
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Fig. 1-5a
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Fig. 1-5b
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