8
the time you are taking for your move to think ahead and plan its own
strategies. It tries to guess the move you are likely to make, and then
calculates its responses for that particular move while you are still
thinking. If the computer has guessed right, there’s no reason for it to
keep on calculating—it immediately plays the move it has already
found.
To disable this feature, turn on the Easy Mode option, as described in
Section 5.2.
2.9 Game Memory
Press GO/STOP at any time to interrupt a game. Play is then sus-
pended, and the computer stores your current game in memory (up to
50 individual moves). When you switch back on again, you can continue
right where you left off!
3. THE PLAYING LEVELS
Your chess computer offers 64 different levels of play. When you set
the level, keep in mind that when the computer has more time to think
about its moves, it becomes stronger and plays better—just like a
human chess player! For an overview of all the levels, refer to the Level
Chart. The levels are also described individually in this section.
Setting a Playing Level
See “USE THIS CHART TO SELECT A PLAYING LEVEL!” for
an illustrated look at how to set a level and a chart showing all the
levels at a glance.
There are two methods of setting levels—by using the game keys or
pressing the board squares. Whichever method you use, always press
LEVEL first to enter Level Mode, and the computer will display the
current playing level. When you enter Level Mode the first time, the
computer is set on Normal Playing Level A4 (with an average response
time of five seconds a move), and the display shows
L 0:05
.
• To select a level by using game keys: After entering Level Mode
by pressing LEVEL, change levels one at a time by using the
BLACK/+ and WHITE/– keys. As a shortcut, press LEVEL repeat-
edly to skip over eight levels at a time. When the display shows
your desired level, press ENTER to enter your new level into the
computer and exit Level Mode.
• To select a level by pressing board squares: As shown in the
Level Chart, each of the 64 squares corresponds to one level. After
entering Level Mode by pressing LEVEL, take a chess piece and
press the desired square to activate a level, using the chart as a
guide. When you press down on your chosen square and that level
shows in the display, press ENTER to enter your new level into the
computer and exit Level Mode.
Note that when making your selec-
tion via the board squares, pressing CLEAR has the same effect
as pressing ENTER—it enters your level into the computer.
• To verify the level without changing it: If you press LEVEL to
verify the level but you don’t want to actually change levels, press
CLEAR. This returns you to normal play without changing the level
or clock settings, even while the computer is thinking.
Other important points to remember regarding levels:
• Changing the level always resets the chess clocks.
• We don’t recommend changing levels while the computer is think-
ing, since the clock is reset and the current search is aborted. If
you must do this, first press ENTER to abort the computer’s
search, and make its move on the board. Then, take back the
computer’s move and change the level. Finally, press ENTER to
make the computer start thinking on the new level.
3.1 Normal Playing Levels (Squares A1-B7)
LEVEL
TIME PER MOVE
DISPLAY
A1 .................... 1 second ....................
L 0:01
A2 .................... 2 seconds ..................
L 0:02
A3 .................... 3 seconds ..................
L 0:03
A4 .................... 5 seconds ..................
L 0:05
A5 .................. 10 seconds ..................
L 0:10
A6 .................. 15 seconds ..................
L 0:15
A7 .................. 20 seconds ..................
L 0:20
A8 .................. 30 seconds ..................
L 0:30
B1 .................. 45 seconds ..................
L 0:45
B2 .................... 1 minute ....................
L 1:00
B3 .................... 1.5 minutes ...............
L 1:30
B4 .................... 2 minutes ...................
L 2:00
B5 .................... 3 minutes ...................
L 3:00
B6 .................... 5 minutes ...................
L 5:00
B7 .................. 10 minutes ...................
L10:00