Saitek BULLET User Manual

KEYS AND FEATURES AT A GLANCE

1. PROTECTIVE COVER: Detachable, hinged lid keeps dust

out and keeps pieces in place during travel.

2. BATTERY COMPARTMENT: In base of unit. Uses four
“AA” (Type AM3/R6) alkaline batteries.

3. SENSORY CHESSBOARD: Each square contains a sensor
that registers piece movement.

4. GAME KEYS

• NEW GAME: Press to reset for a new game of chess.

• LEVEL: Press to enter Level Mode, when pressed to-

gether with a piece symbol key, to access the Teach
Modes.

• NON AUTO: Press to enter Non Auto Mode, which allows

moves to be entered manually.

• VOICE COACH: Press to select Voice Coach Level

options.

• EVALUATE: Press

the computer’s evaluation of the current board position.

• TAKE BACK: Press to take back the last individual move.

Take back up to six individual moves (three per side).

• SAY AGAIN/DISPLAY MOVE: Press when it’s your turn to

have the last voice output repeated. Press and hold down

while the computer is thinking

considering.

• SMART HINT: Press to get a level-independent move

suggestion.

• PLAY: Press to change sides with the computer; press

while the computer is thinking to force it to move. Press at
the beginning of a new game to play Black from the
bottom of the board.

• PIECE SYMBOL KEYS: Used for piece verification and

pawn promotion; also used to select Teach Modes.

• VOLUME SLIDER: Used to turn the volume up and down.

• GO/STOP: Used to turn the computer on and off. Current

position is retained in memory even when turned off.

5. ACL (Reset): In base of unit. Used to eliminate static

while the computer is thinking

to display the move it is

to get

discharge after inserting new batteries.

6. BOARD LIGHTS: Used to show moves and game information, verify
pieces, indicate the side to move, and show the playing levels. Also used
to indicate check, mate, and draw, and to give you insight into the
computer’s thought process.

7. PIECE STORAGE AREA: For storage of captured pieces.

8

7

LEVEL PLAY

6

5

4

3

2

1

CHECK DRAW MATE

ABCDEFGH

NEW GAME

VOICE
COACH

SAY

AGAIN

DISPLAY

MOVE

VOLUME

STOP •

• GO

EVALUATE

SMART

HINT

TAKE
BACK

NON
AUTO

A PORTABLE
CHESS COACH
THAT TALKS —

what a great way to
learn about chess!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1. GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS

1.1 First, Install the Batteries

1.2 Ready to Play? Here’s How!

1.3 The Computer Makes Its Move

1.4 Change Your Mind? Take Back!

1.5 Game Over? Start a New Game

1.6 Too Easy/Hard? Change Levels!

1.7 Voice On/Off? It’s Your Choice!

2. ADDITIONAL FEATURES

2.1 Indication of the Side to Move

2.2 Captures and Special Moves

2.3 Illegal Moves/Wrong Moves

2.4 Check, Mate, and Draw

2.5 Need Help? Ask for a Hint!

2.6 Interrupting the Search

2.7 Changing Sides with the Computer

2.8 Game Information

2.9 Verifying Piece Positions

2.10Non Auto Mode

2.11Playing Black from the Bottom

2.12Book Openings

2.13Game Memory

3. LEVELS OF SKILL

Selecting a Playing Level

3.1 Beginner Levels

3.2 Fun Levels

3.3 Infinite Level

3.4 Combination Finder Level

3.5 Mate Finder Level

3.6 Practice Levels

3.7 Tactical Levels

3.8 Fixed Depth Levels

3.9 Quiet Closed Game Levels

3.10Aggressive Game Levels

3.11Normal Playing Levels

4. SPECIAL COACHING MODES

4.1 Voice Coach Levels

4.2 Teach Modes

5. TECHNICAL DETAILS

5.1 The ACL Function

5.2 Care and Maintenance

5.3 Technical Specifications

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing this unique computer as your new chess
partner and opponent. This chess computer will give you countless
hours of valuable chess instruction and exciting game play! As the
computer patiently guides you and teaches you about this great game,
your chess skills are bound to improve. The voice will follow your every
move, occasionally even offering helpful advice and encouragement.
This is interactively at its best—watch, listen, and learn as you play!

Your computer knows the rules of chess. For those who are new to
the game, we have enclosed an overview of the rules. We hope this
will help you to understand the game better and get a feel for the
strategies involved. For more detailed information and further study, we

suggest a visit to your local library, where you are sure to find a wealth
of interesting chess books!

1. GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS

1.1 First, Install the Batteries

Your computer runs on four “AA” (AM3/R6) batteries. For longer
battery life, use fresh alkaline. Slide the GO/STOP switch to GO, and
then insert the batteries as shown in the Quick Start. After a short self­test, a

Welcome

is ready to play! If the unit doesn’t respond, reset the computer by
using a paper clip or another sharp object to press into the hole marked
ACL in the base of the unit for at least one second.

See “KEYS AND FEATURES AT A GLANCE” for an itemized

overview of your chess computer’s main points!

1.2 Ready to Play? Here’s How!

Follow these steps to start a game:

a.Switch to GO to turn the unit on, if you haven’t already done so.

b.Set up the pieces in their starting positions, with the White pieces

nearest to you, as shown in the Quick Start. Press NEW GAME;
the computer confirms by announcing

c. To make a move, lightly press down on the piece you want to

move until you hear the voice identify that piece. The sensory
chessboard registers your move, and two board lights turn on to
indicate the piece.

d.Take the piece and gently press it down into the hole of the

square you want to move to. A beep will sound, and the computer
will then start thinking about its move.

At the beginning of a game, the computer often replies instantly on
many levels, playing moves directly from its openings library (see
Section 2.12).

1.3 The Computer Makes Its Move

When the computer moves, it beeps and turns on two board lights
indicating the horizontal row and vertical column of the piece it wishes
to move. Press this piece down gently on the square.

The computer then uses the board lights to show you where the

message will greet you, signalling that the computer

New Game

.

2

piece should go. Move the piece to the indicated square and press the
piece down. Once you have pressed this square, you have completed
the computer’s move!

See the “QUICK START” for an example of how the board lights
would indicate a computer move from e7 to e5!

1.4 Change Your Mind? Take Back!

If you make a mistake or change your mind about a move, it’s easy
to take moves back! Press TAKE BACK when it is your turn, and the
computer will announce the move to be taken back (e.g.,

back Knight move

through the take-back. The to square of the last move lights first—
press the indicated piece down on that square. The computer then
shows you where the piece came from. Press the piece down on the
from square to complete the take-back. Repeat this procedure to take
back more moves, up to a total of six individual moves.

). The computer also uses board lights to guide you

Black takes

When taking back captures or castling maneuvers, the computer will
remind you which pieces should be put back on the board! It does so
by turning on board lights to indicate the position. It also announces the
color and type of the captured piece.

1.5 Game Over? Start a New Game

Whenever you finish a game (or if you decide to abort your current
game), press NEW GAME to reset the computer. The computer is then
ready for another game, using the currently selected level.

Caution: Since pressing NEW GAME clears your current game from
memory, be careful not to press this key by mistake!

1.6 Too Easy/Hard? Change Levels!

When the computer is first turned on, it is set to Level H4 (ten
seconds a move). However, you may choose any of the 64 playing
levels described in Section 3! Press LEVEL to enter Level Mode, and
the board lights will indicate the current level. To change levels, press a
board square to activate your desired level, using the Level Chart in
Section 3 as a guide. Press LEVEL again to exit Level Mode.

1.7 Voice On/Off? It’s Your Choice!

Your computer’s informative and entertaining voice output is on by
default, and the Volume Control Slider sets the desired volume. How-

ever, if you would rather not have the voice on, you have other options!
As noted in Section 4.1, you can choose to hear only beeps, or even
turn the sound off for completely silent operation, if desired.

By the way, if you don’t hear what the computer says, simply press
SAY AGAIN on your turn to have the last message repeated. Note the
following exceptions: If you press SAY AGAIN in Verify Mode or when
the computer is displaying a hint on your turn, the computer will simply
return to normal playing mode. Also, SAY AGAIN is disabled if the
Voice Coach Level is set to G or H, or when you are in Level Mode.

2. ADDITIONAL FEATURES

2.1 Indication of the Side to Move

When Black is thinking about its move, board light 8 flashes. After it
has moved, the 1 light comes on steadily to show that it is now White’s
turn to move. Similarly, if the computer plays White, the 1 light flashes
during its turn, and the 8 light comes on steadily after it has moved. It’s
easy to tell whether the computer is thinking and whose turn it is!

2.2 Captures and Special Moves

During the game, the computer’s voice will normally alert you to
captures and special moves, such as castling or pawn promotions.

Captures: To capture, press down lightly on the piece you want to
move—the voice will identify that piece. Take the captured piece off the
board, and press your piece on the square of the captured piece. The
capture will be announced, as in

En Passant: In an en passant capture, the computer uses board
lights to remind you to remove the captured pawn. Press down on the
captured pawn before removing it from the board. Although beginning
players are often confused when this type of capture occurs, the voice
output

takes pawn en passant

making this move unmistakable!

Pawn Promotion:

• When you promote a pawn, first press your pawn down on its

from square, as usual. As soon as you press down on the to square,

you will hear
comes a Queen!

or Rook,

square, press the Piece Symbol key for the Knight, Bishop, or Rook.

Pawn now Queen—

If you would rather underpromote to a Knight, Bishop,

first press the from square. Then, before pressing the to

takes Bishop.

is heard after pressing the to square—

and your pawn automatically be-

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3

Finally, press down on the to square. You will hear
Remember to change your piece on the board or make a distinguishing
mark on the pawn.

• When the computer promotes a pawn, it first indicates its move
as usual. As soon as you press its from and to squares, it will an­nounce

Pawn now Queen

computer underpromotes,

After the underpromotion is announced (
example), and the to square flashes, press the corresponding Piece
Symbol key (the BISHOP key, in this case) to acknowledge the under­promotion, and the to square lights will turn off. If you have the voice
turned off and the computer underpromotes, check its chosen piece by
pressing the Piece Symbol keys in succession—the key which turns
the flashing to square off indicates the correct piece. Don’t forget to
replace the computer’s pawn with its new piece or make a distinguish­ing mark on it.

Castling: The computer automatically recognizes castling after the
King is moved. After you have pressed the King down on its from and
to squares, the computer announces
to remind you to move the Rook. Press down on the Rook’s indicated

from and to squares to finish the castling move.

2.3 Illegal Moves/Wrong Moves

Your computer will never accept an illegal move. If you attempt such
a move, the computer will announce your error! If you press the wrong
to square, you hear
indicate the square the piece came from. To clear the illegal move,
either move that same piece to another square, or press it back down
on its from square and move a different piece.

If you press on the wrong color piece, you will hear

type]

or

and make the move correctly.
wrong piece, or move the computer’s piece to the wrong square), you

hear a triple beep. Check the lights, and move the piece correctly.
that move, press down on the same square again to cancel the input.

Then make another move. If you change your mind after entering your
whole move, take the move back as described in Section 1.4.

White [piece type] – Illegal Move.

If you don’t execute a computer move correctly (if you move the

If you press a piece down on a from square but decide not to make

if it is promoting to a Queen.

first press its from and to squares as usual.

Pawn now Bishop

Castling,

Illegal move

—and the board lights continue to

Pawn now [piece]

When the

, for

and uses board lights

Black [piece

Check the side to move

2.4 Check, Mate, and Draw

.

When your King is in check, the computer says
the A and B board lights. When a game ends in mate,
announced, followed by
loses, or simply
board lights will also flash. The computer recognizes draws by stale­mate and consecutive three-fold repetition. When either a stalemate or
consecutive three-fold repetition draw occurs, the voice says

Play again?,

2.5 Need Help? Ask for a Hint!

Whenever you need help, press SMART HINT on your turn, and the
computer will give you a move suggestion! If it thinks moving your
Knight from g1 to f3 is the best move, for example, it uses the board
lights to indicate that move, and tells you to
that you will get a hint in around five seconds no matter which level you
are on, since the hint move is based on a special “Best Play Level”
rather than the current level. So—you’ll always get immediate feedback
whenever you’re in need of assistance!

To accept the hint as your move, simply make the suggested move
on the board. If you would rather make a different move, disregard the
hint and press another piece to make a move of your own.

2.6 Interrupting the Search

To interrupt the computer while it is thinking, press PLAY—it will
then play the best move it has found so far. This feature can be very
useful on the higher levels, where the computer can take a long time to
move, and on the Infinite Level, where it keeps thinking indefinitely
unless you stop it!

and the D and E lights flash.

Good game! Play again?

Play again?

if you have lost. The A, B, G, and H

Check!

Checkmate!

if the computer

Move Your Knight!

On the Mate Finder and Combination Finder Levels, pressing PLAY
does not cause the computer to make a move. Instead, it sounds a
double beep to indicate that it was interrupted before it found a mate or
solution. To continue your game, switch to another level.

2.7 Changing Sides with the Computer

To change sides with the computer, press PLAY when it is your turn
to move—and the computer will make the next move for your side.

To have the computer play against itself, simply press PLAY after
each move—watch as it plays for both sides of the board, one move
after another. Study its strategies—you might improve your own game!

and flashes

is

Draw!

Note

4

2.8 Game Information

In a normal game of chess, you would never ask your opponent
what move he was thinking about, nor would you question him as to
how he would evaluate the current position. When playing against this
chess computer, however, you can do just that! Upon request, it will
show you the move it is considering and evaluate the position for you.
Studying this information can help you to learn more about chess!

See “WATCH THE COMPUTER THINK!” for a quick reminder of

which keys activate these special features!

Position Evaluation: To get the computer’s evaluation of your
position, press EVALUATE while the computer is thinking.

Note that the evaluation feature is not valid on the Mate Finder and
Combination Finder Levels, because of their special search algorithms.

Positions are evaluated on a scale from 1 to 8, as indicated by
board lights 1 through 8. In a balanced position, for example, board
lights 4 or 5 may be on. If the side playing from the bottom improves its
position, lights 6, 7, or 8 may come on. Light 8 represents a great
material advantage for the side playing from the bottom—most prob­ably a won position! When the computer thinks the side playing from
the top has a won position, board light 1 turns on. Watch the evaluation
change as the computer searches deeper and considers more moves!

Display Computer’s Current Move: To see the move the computer
is currently considering, press and hold down DISPLAY MOVE while
the computer is thinking. The move is indicated with flashing board
lights—the from and to squares flash alternately. Watch carefully, and
you may see the computer change its mind about a move!

Note that
Display Move is not available on the Mate Finder and Combination
Finder Levels.

2.9 Verifying Piece Positions

See “PRACTICE USING VERIFY MODE!” for an illustrated
example—follow the steps, and you’ll see how easy it is!

If you should knock over the pieces, or if you think your position
might be wrong, you can have the computer verify the piece locations
for you! On your turn, press one of the Piece Symbol keys. The com­puter will identify that piece by name, and it will use the board lights to
show where the first piece of that type is located. Steadily lit board

WATCH THE COMPUTER THINK!

•Press EVALUATE

thinking

•Press and hold down DISPLAY MOVE

to see which side is ahead!

the computer is thinking

currently thinking about!

For more details, see Section 2.8.

while the computer is

while

to see the move it’s

EVALUATE

DISPLAY

MOVE

PRACTICE USING VERIFY MODE!

PRESS LIGHTS ON VOICE DESCRIPTION

New game

1st White Rook

2nd White Roo

1st Black Rook

2nd Black Rook

1

New Game

White Rook

White Rook

Black Rook

Black Rook

NEW GAME

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Any key Exit by making a move or pressing any other key

7.

lights indicate White pieces, and flashing lights indicate Black pieces.

Press the same Piece Symbol key repeatedly to see the locations of
more pieces of that same type. When there are no more pieces of that
type, a beep will sound. Repeat this procedure using the other Piece
Symbol keys, verifying the entire board, if desired!

Since the voice announces the pieces as you move them during the
game, the voice can also be used for a quick verification! Pressing any

1
+

A 1

(on)

+

H

+

A 8

(flashing)

+

H 8

(Double beep—no more Rooks on the board)

5

ENGLISH

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