5
ENGLISH
A8
A7
A6
A5
A4
A3
A2
A1
B8
B7
B6
B5
B4
B3
B2
B1
C8
C7
C6
C5
C4
C3
C2
C1
D8
D7
D6
D5
D4
D3
D2
D1
E8
E7
E6
E5
E4
E3
E2
E1
F8
F7
F6
F5
F4
F3
F2
F1
G8
G7
G6
G5
G4
G3
G2
G1
H8
H7
H6
H5
H4
H3
H2
H1
LEVEL
LEVEL
8 sec.
per move
00:08
13 sec.
per move
00:13
40 sec.
per move
00:40
Fun
Level 13
Fu 13
6 ply
search
FD16
4 sec.
per move
00:04
12 sec.
per move
00:12
35 sec.
per move
00:35
2 ply
search
FD 4
Fun
Level 12
Fu 12
3+ ply
search
FD 8
4+ ply
search
FD11
3 sec.
per move
00:03
11 sec.
per move
00:11
30 sec.
per move
00:30
Fun
Level 11
Fu 11
Fun
Level 16
Fu 16
1+ ply
search
FD 2
4 ply
search
FD10
2 sec.
per move
00:02
10 sec.
per move
00:10
25 sec.
per move
00:25
Fun
Level 2
Fu 2
Fun
Level 3
Fu 3
Fun
Level 4
Fu 4
Fun
Level 5
Fu 5
Fun
Level 6
Fu 6
Fun
Level 7
Fu 7
Fun
Level 8
Fu 8
Fun
Level 9
Fu 9
Fun
Level 10
Fu 10
Fun
Level 14
Fu 14
Fun
Level 15
Fu 15
1 ply
search
FD 1
1++ ply
search
FD 3
2+ ply
search
FD 5
2++ ply
search
FD 6
3 ply
search
FD 7
3++ ply
search
FD 9
4++ ply
search
FD12
5 ply
search
FD13
5+ ply
search
FD14
5++ ply
search
FD15
5 sec.
per move
00:05
6 sec.
per move
00:06
7 sec.
per move
00:07
1 sec.
per move
00:01
9 sec.
per move
00:09
14 sec.
per move
00:14
15 sec.
per move
00:15
16 sec.
per move
00:16
20 sec.
per move
00:20
45 sec.
per move
00:45
50 sec.
per move
00:50
55 sec.
per move
00:55
1 min.
per move
01:00
Fun
Level 1
Fu 1
2 min.
per move
02:00
3 min.
per move
03:00
4 min.
per move
04:00
5 min.
per move
05:00
6 min.
per move
06:00
10 min.
per move
10:00
15 min.
per move
15:00
FUN LEVELS
FIXED DEPTH
LEVELS
CASUAL LEVELS
A QUICK AND EASY GUIDE
TO LEVEL SELECTION!
1.
Press LEVEL to enter
Level Mode.
For example: To select
Level G2 (with an average
computer response time
of 25 seconds per move),
press Square G2. The
display will alternate
between
L:G2
and
00:25
.
For more details on the levels, see Section 3.
2. Next, select your level, using the
chart on the right. Simply locate
your level square and press down
on the square to display that level!
3.
Finally, press LEVEL again
to exit Level Mode.
Now
you can start playing on your
newly selected level!
experimenting a little—start out with some of the lower level
settings, and advance to the more difficult levels as your
skills grow!
Note that on some of the higher levels, the computer may
take a long time to complete its search. If you want to force
the computer to stop thinking and make a move, simply
press PLAY at any time.
Press LEVEL to enter Level Mode, and the current level is
shown, with the display alternating between the Level
Square and the Level Name. As an example, Level A4 (Fun
Level 4), which is the default level at the first power-up,
displays as
L:A4
and
Fu 4
. To change the level, press a
board square (using the Level Selection Chart as a guide),
and that level will be displayed. Press LEVEL again to exit
Level Mode, with your newly selected playing level in effect.
Other important points to remember regarding levels:
• If you press LEVEL to verify the level, but you don’t want
to change levels, press LEVEL again to exit without
making any changes.
• You can use LEVEL to check the playing level while the
computer is thinking, but you cannot change the level
until it’s your turn to move.
• Pressing NEW GAME resets the computer and retains
the current playing level.
3.1 Fun Levels (Squares A1-B8)
LEVEL
ALTERNATING
LEVEL
ALTERNATING
SQUARE
DISPLAY
SQUARE
DISPLAY
A1 .......
L:A1 / Fu 1 .....
B1 .......
L:B1 / Fu 9
A2 .......
L:A2 / Fu 2 .....
B2 .......
L:B2 / Fu10
A3 .......
L:A3 / Fu 3 .....
B3 .......
L:B3 / Fu11
A4 .......
L:A4 / Fu 4 .....
B4 .......
L:B4 / Fu12
A5 .......
L:A5 / Fu 5 .....
B5 .......
L:B5 / Fu13
A6 .......
L:A6 / Fu 6 .....
B6 .......
L:B6 / Fu14
A7 .......
L:A7 / Fu 7 .....
B7 .......
L:B7 / Fu15
A8 .......
L:A8 / Fu 8 .....
B8 .......
L:B8 / Fu16
If you are a novice or beginning player, the Fun Levels are
especially for you—they’ll give you the opportunity to beat
the computer for a change! Here, the computer does not
exhaustively search for the best available move, as you
would normally expect. Instead, it disregards scores and
uses a strong randomizer to deliberately weaken play—
which causes it to sometimes make moves that are not
necessarily the best it has found. This variability makes the
computer prone to some very human errors in judgment.
Beat the computer by capitalizing on its mistakes, and you
may soon discover that you can win games against friends in
the same manner! The Fun Levels start out easy and get a
little stronger as they go, allowing you to strengthen your
playing abilities along the way.
3.2 Fixed Depth Levels (Squares C1-D8)
LEVEL SQUARE
SEARCH DEPTH
ALTERNATING DISPLAY
C1 .................. 1 ply ..................
L:c1 / Fd 1
C2 .................. 1 ply+ ................
L:c2 / Fd 2
C3 .................. 1 ply++ ..............
L:c3 / Fd 3
C4 .................. 2 ply ..................
L:c4 / Fd 4
C5 .................. 2 ply+ ................
L:c5 / Fd 5
C6 .................. 2 ply++ ..............
L:c6 / Fd 6
C7 .................. 3 ply ..................
L:c7 / Fd 7
C8 .................. 3 ply+ ................
L:c8 / Fd 8
------------------------------------------------------------
D1 .................. 3 ply++ ..............
L:D1 / Fd 9
D2 .................. 4 ply ..................
L:D2 / Fd10
D3 .................. 4 ply+ ................
L:D3 / Fd11
D4 .................. 4 ply++ ..............
L:D4 / Fd12
D5 .................. 5 ply ..................
L:D5 / Fd13
D6 .................. 5 ply+ ................
L:D6 / Fd14
D7 .................. 5 ply++ ..............
L:D7 / Fd15
D8 .................. 6 ply ..................
L:D8 / Fd16
On the Fixed Depth Levels, the computer’s search depth is
limited to a certain number of moves, or ply. A “ply” is an
individual move, or a move for either side. For example, on
Level C1, the computer searches to a depth of one ply, and
thus looks ahead only one individual move. On this level,
therefore, it will often overlook a mate in one. This produces
weaker play, giving beginners a better chance of beating the
computer! Use these levels to sharpen your skills—as you
