Saitek AURORA User Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

QUICK START KEYS AND FEATURES INTRODUCTION

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

ENGLISH

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

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

4. TECHNICAL DETAILS

4.1 The ACL Function

4.2 Care and Maintenance

4.3 Technical Specifications

TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE

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: &(King), %(Queen), $(Rook), #(Bishop), @(Knight), and !Pawn. The Piece Symbol keys are used to

verify positions and to select the different Teach modes, and some pieces are used for under-promotion of pawns.

3. Game Keys a. SAY AGAIN key: The key is used to ask the computer to

repeat its last spoken announcement.

b. SOUND key: Pressing the key causes the sound feature to

cycle through its three levels of operation. Provided you haven’t previously selected ‘silent’, 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

Beep and Voice 3 high tones Beep only 2 high tones Silent 1 high tone

Holding the key pressed for a second or more will cause a spoken message to be repeated. Voice offers helpful remarks from the coach, and the buzzer ‘beeps’ to show that the computer is responding to your actions. The meanings of the various ‘beeps’ are shown in Figure 1.

c. NEW GAME key: Press to reset the computer for a new

game of chess. d. 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.

e. 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.

f. 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.)

g. 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 550 hours.

h. OPENINGS COACH key: Press to enter Openings Coach

mode and train on recognized opening gambits and responses.

I. 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.

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

8 ................8 H ................. H

9 ................9

0 ................0

PM .............Indicates player to move.

S.................Indicates black to move.

- ..............Steady colon indicates that figures are Minutes

- ..............Flashing colon indicates that figures are

ch:

ch:zz .......White in check

EnD

EnDZ .........Draw

te: ...........Teach mode

oZ:3 .........Openings Coach (Spanish Opening)- computer

oz:3 .........Openings Coach (Spanish Opening)- computer

:3 .........Openings Coach (Spanish Opening)- computer

o-:3 .........Openings Coach (Spanish Opening)- computer

and Seconds

Hours and Minutes

.......Black in check

.........Checkmate – black wins

plays both sides

plays white

plays black

plays neither

SOUNDS

1 high tone .............Acknowledge operation of any key or

sensory square

1 low tone .............. Error – wrong move or wrong key pressed

2 low tones.............Warning from Coach

3 high tones ...........New Game or Beep and Voice set

3 low tones.............In games against the clock, time has run out

E7:E5

7 45

ENGLISH

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 intermediate player.

1. USING YOUR CHESS COMPUTER

Battery Installation

1. Your chess computer runs on 3 “AA” (AM3/R6) batteries. For longer battery life, use fresh alkaline

batteries. Push the tab of 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 inserted 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 say “Let’s play”, and indicate on the display that you should play a White piece.

00:00

2 x AAA/AM4/R03

Fig 1-1

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Fig 1-2

Fig 1-3

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 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

E7:E5

Fig 1-4

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 voice selected, the display will show Co ch while it evaluates your move. Commentary message for the move you executed may be emitted.

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 Figures 1-5a 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 do this 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/b show an example of taking back the Knight move from G8 to F6. After pressing TAKE BACK, the display shows F6, the square the Knight moved to (Figure 1-6a). Press down on F6, and the display changes to show the piece color and symbol (Black Knight) and the square that piece came from (Figure 1-6b). Press the Knight back down on G8.

Note that en passant captures cannot be replayed if the take back of its previous move was not allowed.

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Fig 1-5a

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Fig 1-5b

:f6

Fig 1-6a

ENGLISH

Check, Mate, or Draw!

5.Whe a King is in check, the display shows the check symbol (alternately with the clock display if the clock is

running). When the game ends in checkmate, draw by stalemate, draw by immediate 3 fold repetition or draw by 50 move rule, the End symbol is displayed. These symbols are shown in Figure 1.

n:g8

Fig 1-6b

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