Excalibur Mirage User Manual Download | Manualshive

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M I R AG E

U S E R
M A N UA L

M I R AG E

U S E R
M A N UA L

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Summary of Contents for Mirage

Page 1: ...MIRAGE USER MANUAL MIRAGE USER MANUAL ...

Page 2: ...ted chess pieces the computer moves effortlessly across the board the Mirage will provide the most unique chess playing experience in the world Match wits with the computer or simply sit back and watch the computer play itself The Mirage comes with an extensive list of features that can help beginners improve their game and challenge advanced players as well Other innovative Excalibur products inc...

Page 3: ... or the Mirage to use as a storing area for pieces captured during the game The combination of its special features and the strength of the chess program make the Mirage an amazing machine that will become your favorite chess adversary You will learn more about the Mirage s features and controls as you play Right now why not sit down face to face with your new opponent and challenge the computer t...

Page 4: ...ER Plug the adapter into the Mirage adapter port and then into a wall outlet Use only the factory authorized adapter supplied with your game Any other type of adapter may damage your game You may also use 5 D sized alkaline batteries Make certain you observe the correct polarity when inserting your batteries Please note the batteries have a limited life so you should use the adapter whenever possi...

Page 5: ... First plug the adapter into the Mirage adapter port and then into the wall outlet The Mirage is designed to work with the voltage supplied from the wall outlet through the transformer adapter that comes with the game Use only the factory authorized adapter Optional Batteries Your computer can run on 5 D Size batteries to accommodate your need to play the Mirage anywhere there is no plug for the p...

Page 6: ...e Mirage will move your piece back to its previous location If you decide to take back a move you may only do so when it is your turn to move Once you have taken back the position to your desired move choice just begin again with your new choice or press MOVE if it is the computer s turn to move Following this procedure allows you to take back up to 12 moves previously made in the game If you pres...

Page 7: ...bout castling en passant captures pawn promotion and stalemate It will never break any of these rules Sometimes it may seem that the computer has made an irregular move What may have happened is that you accidentally made a mistake when entering a move or you may have accidentally put one or more of the chess pieces on the wrong square during the game If this happens you should verify the location...

Page 8: ...ece back down on its original FROM square and move a different piece If you press down on a piece and the from square appears in the display but you decide not to make that move press down on that same square again to cancel the input This has the same effect as using CLEAR You may also use the CLEAR button to change the move Now make another move of your choice If you change your mind after enter...

Page 9: ...on many levels because the computer is playing moves that are stored in its book opening library The computer s opening library consists of many positions from grandmaster play If the current board position is in its opening book instead of thinking about a move the Mirage instantly plays a response to that position from its collection of moves THINKING ON THE OPPONENT S TIME As you play you will ...

Page 10: ...en the player moves and the computer responds with a move this is one complete move There are 2 plies for one move If you are a beginner and you are not winning in level 6 we have some additional things you can do to help with your chess training process One option would be to use the SETUP feature and remove the computer s Queen and then begin the game With a Queen advantage a beginner should hav...

Page 11: ...ed during the first time period can be added to the next time period LEVEL 90 60 moves every 60 minutes LEVEL 91 40 moves every 60 minutes LEVEL 92 40 moves In 120 minutes then 20 moves every 60 minutes LEVEL 93 20 moves every 60 minutes INFINITE LEVEL On level 94 the computer will normally go on thinking until you press the MOVE key Otherwise it will not move unless a it has a book move available...

Page 12: ...confirm you really wish to clear the board Press OPTION once more and the board will be clear You will hear the error beep The Mirage is reminding you that the position on the board is illegal because there are no kings Place the kings or any other piece back on the board by pressing the location in the Border Area and then the square where you wish it to be In set up mode you may also change the ...

Page 13: ...ottom of the board press MOVE at the beginning of a game and the display will show FLIP The Mirage is asking you to confirm your choice Press MOVE again and the computer will flip the white pieces with the black pieces If instead of pressing MOVE again you press CLEAR the computer will play white from the bottom of the board Please allow 2 to 3 minutes for the Mirage to physically move all the pie...

Page 14: ...ite piece The computer will continue the process until all the pieces are taken and only the two queens remain If you want to sit back and watch the piece movement just press AUTO PLAY You also have the option to play each move for yourself by just making the moves The computer will tell you when you are making an illegal move You can also press HINT for a suggestion at any time Press NEW GAME and...

Page 15: ...ms are similar to those used on the piece type keys on your chess computer CHESS NOTATION We describe the moves of a chess game using a system called algebraic notation The files or vertical columns of squares on the chessboard are identified by the letters a h looking at the board from White s side and reading from left to right The ranks or horizontal rows are numbered 1 8 starting from the Whit...

Page 16: ...ill learn how the kings can be used to attack and defend pawns and to help create passed pawns which can later be promoted to queens This is a very good way to learn the fundamentals of chess Once you are confident that you understand how the kings and pawns relate to each other you can use the modes which allow you to commence a game with only the kings and knights on the board or kings and bisho...

Page 17: ...ng position while Black s is taking no active part in the game 7 Kc4 d5 White threatens the pawn on e5 If this pawn falls White will be a pawn ahead which is usually enough of an advantage to force a win 7 f7 f6 8 Kd5 e6 Although Black has defended his e5 pawn White s king marches on mercilessly The target is now the group of black pawns on c7 b7 and a7 8 Kh8 g8 9 Ke6 d7 c7 c5 10 Kd7 c7 b7 b5 11 K...

Page 18: ...ng 1 a2 a4 g7 g6 2 a4 a5 h7 h6 A mistake Black has completely overlooked White s idea 3 a5 a6 A fine move No matter how Black responds the black pawns on the queen s side will be forced to weaken their formation allowing the white king to decimate them 3 b7xa6 White was threatening simply 4 a6xb7 followed by 5 b7 b8 promoting to a queen Black s only alternative was equally unpalatable 3 b7 b6 4 Kc...

Page 19: ...tion so White must advance either his a pawn or his b pawn Which should it be 1 b3 b4 With this move White creates a passed pawn The alternative 1 a3 a4 allows Black to blockade the queen s side with 1 a6 a5 when White can not advance his b pawn without losing it for nothing 1 Kh7 g8 Black sees what is about to happen and rushes back to try to stop White from promoting 2 a3 a4 Kg8 f8 3 b4 b5 a6xb5...

Page 20: ... before the black king can rush back to the queen s side Can you see how 1 b5 b6 a7xb6 If Black tried 1 c7xb6 then 2 a5 a6 sacrifices a second pawn to decoy the black pawn on b7 away from its defense of c6 2 b7xa6 3 c5 c6 followed by 4 c6 c7 and 5 c7 c8 Q winning 2 c5 c6 b7xc6 3 a5 a6 And the promotion of White s a pawn cannot be stopped ...

Page 21: ...easy for an unsuspecting player to overlook a simple threat 1 Nbl c3 Ng8 f6 This move appears to be a serious mistake because it does not take into account white s threat Safe moves for Black include 1 Nb8 c6 or 1 a7 a6 2 Nc3 b5 Nb8 a6 Defending the c7 pawn 3 Nb5xa7 So White has won a pawn Does this mean that the game will be a relatively easy win for white Not at all 3 c7 c6 The white knight on a...

Page 22: ... 3 pawns but in this position White has no passed pawns and none of White s pawns is any kind of a threat to Black so Black has a clear advantage KINGS AND BISHOPS After pressing MODE and seeing TEACH displayed on the LCD if you press the BISHOP key the computer will be ready to start play with only the kings and bishops on the board The bishop is often a mobile piece but it is important that it d...

Page 23: ... the black pawn advances to h4 if White captures g3xh4 then the black bishop can escape from h2 But here this plan is too slow 5 Kel fl Black has no satisfactory way to meet the threat of Kfl g2 5 h5 h4 Of course White must not now play g3xh4 because then the bishop on h2 would escape This is one of the ideas behind the advance of Black s h pawn 6 Kfl g2 h4xg3 7 f2xg3 And on the next move Black lo...

Page 24: ...e a6 and f5 and if the bishop returns to a6 then the black king returns to b6 So White plays 5 Bc8 f5 Bg6xf5 6 g4xf5 And White will eventually win because of his extra pawn GOOD BISHOP vs BAD BISHOP We refer to a bishop that has plenty of scope as a good bishop and one which is restricted by its own pawns as a bad bishop In the above position the black bishop on c8 is bad because its own pawns at ...

Page 25: ...ly safe for each player Black s king for example cannot be dislodged from the e6 square because it can NEVER be checked by the white bishop and by leaving his own bishop occupying or controlling the d5 square Black prevents his opponent from advancing the pawn from d4 to d5 To put it very simply Black can simply move his bishop back and forth between the squares for example a8 d5 and hl and refuse...

Page 26: ...ck this means putting the rooks on the rank numbered 2 in the above diagram After 5 Rf8 c8 White should continue with the plan Kgl fl Kfl el Kel dl followed only now by Rclxc8 and then Ral cl challenging for control of the open file If instead of playing 5 Rf8 c8 Black forgets about the open file White can quickly build up a completely overwhelming position Watch how easy it is for Black to go ast...

Page 27: ...rtant advice to remember about the Queen is Be Careful Always think about every move that your opponent can make with his Queen in case one of them would cause you serious problem Here we cans see how easy it is to overlook a powerful queen move 1 e2 e4 d7 d6 From the normal starting position with all 32 pieces on the board this would be perfectly acceptable first move In the above position howeve...

Page 28: ...ve been affected by a static discharge which may have caused it to lock up Press a thin object in the ACL hole in the front of the computer and press it down firmly once THE COMPUTER REFUSES TO MAKE A MOVE If the computer has been playing normally but then refuses to make a move 1 If the computer s color symbol is flashing then the computer is still thinking Be patient if you can or press the MOVE...

Page 29: ...rage for a period of time and do not remember whether or not you cleared the board the last time you played with it you should use the ACL button to clear any data that may be stored in its memory You may also use the VERIFY button to remind you of the position the last time you played THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO Never press NEW GAME while the Mirage is in the middle of moving a piece Never press t...

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