Excalibur electronic Games LCD CHESS User Manual

EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC.  
13701 SW 119th Ave  
Miami, Florida 33186 U.S.A.  
Phone: 305.477.8080  
LCD  
Chess  
Fax: 305.477.9516  
OPERATING  
MANUAL  
English  
Français  
Deutsch  
Español  
Nederlandse  
We make you think.  
 
English  
White. (See "Special Features and  
Function Keys" below.) You’ll see  
the White and Black pieces switch  
places immediately!  
Your Excalibur LCD Chess is packed with  
Special Features and  
Function Keys  
features! Each key has two labels. To activate  
the feature named below the key, just press  
the button. To enjoy the feature given above  
the key, first press MODE/ON and then the button.  
Your LCD Chess partner is packed  
with valuable special features that  
can help you learn to play better  
and better chess—and to have a lot  
of fun!  
Draw Messages  
During the game, your LCD Chess  
will display the word “DRAW” if a  
three-time repetition of position  
occurs, or if there has been no pawn  
moved and no exchanges for 50  
moves. When either of these situa-  
tion takes place, the rules of chess  
state that a player can claim a draw.  
If you wish, you can ignore the  
message and continue the game.  
When a stalemate is reached, the  
display will read “STALE.”  
any of the special modes like  
OPTIONS, SETUP, LEVEL, RAT-  
ING, and CONTRAST.  
This key is used in one method of  
moving the pieces. Pressing it  
makes it “scan” left of the flashing  
piece to find another piece. If there  
is no piece to the  
Features are controlled by the func-  
tion keys—the black buttons on  
your LCD Chess. But there are  
more special features than there are  
keys! So each one has two labels,  
one above and one below.  
HINT  
Press this key if you want to get  
hints from your LCD Chess part-  
ner. If the threat warning is on (see  
“Options During the Game”), the  
display shows “THRT” and the  
threatening move is flashed. Press  
HINT once more to view a tip on  
how to avoid the danger!  
left, it scans down one rank and  
starts scanning from the right to the  
left.  
The black label below each key  
shows the primary function of the  
key. The blue label above the key  
shows its secondary function.  
NEXT PIECE  
Use this key, along with the LAST  
PIECE key, to move pieces. It  
scans right from the flashing piece  
to find another piece for you to  
move. If there is no piece to the  
right, it moves up one rank and  
starts scanning from left to right.  
Game-Ending Messages  
LCD Chess will announce mate in  
two (“MAtE2”) and mate in three  
(“MAtE3”). It will display  
+MAtE” when executing a check-  
mate. When you checkmate LCD  
Chess, it will display “LOSE.”  
When you want to claim a win,  
draw, or want to resign—press the  
MODE key and then NEW GAME.  
Below are the features available to  
you through the primary functions.  
Remember, to access any of these  
features, you simply push the prop-  
er button, looking at the black label  
below the key.  
If LCD Chess sees a hint for you, it  
displays “HINT” and flashes a rec-  
ommended move on the screen. To  
make the HINT move, just press  
the MOVE key. Or press NEXT  
PIECE or LAST PIECE to select a  
different piece to move.  
MOVE  
Press this key to register your  
move, or press it twice before you  
register your move to switch sides  
(colors) with your computer.  
(Between presses, the display will  
read “FLIP.”) Also use MOVE to  
replay moves in the TAKE BACK  
mode (see "TAKE BACK,” above).  
Primary Functions  
(Simply push the indicated key.)  
TAKE BACK  
MODE/ON  
This key lets you take back a move  
or moves you’ve decided against.  
Press this key repeatedly to contin-  
ue taking back moves. After you  
take back a move, you can use the  
MOVE key to replay the taken-  
back move.  
This is a special key, so both its  
upper and lower labels are blue.  
Use this key to turn on LCD Chess.  
Also use it to select the secondary  
function mode of the other keys.  
(See "Secondary Functions,"  
below, page 4.) You can even use it  
as a clear or "escape" key to exit  
You have your choice  
of two methods of  
moving your pieces.  
LCD Chess  
automatically makes  
its own moves!  
OFF  
This turns the unit off, automatical-  
ly saving a game in progress. Use  
LAST PIECE  
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English  
the ON key to turn the unit back on.  
If it is not "thinking," LCD Chess  
will automatically turn OFF after a  
period of time, saving your game  
position. Use the ON key to resume  
the game.  
you the correct moves to a problem  
by setting the level to 73, and then  
pressing the MOVE key twice.  
the display contrast to one of eight  
setings. This allows you to com-  
pensate for differences in lighting  
and battery strength.  
INFO”: When turned on, this  
option will display the score,  
depth of search (number of moves  
LCD Chess is "thinking ahead"),  
best move it is considering play-  
ing, and clock times. These will be  
displayed while the computer is  
thinking at its higher levels.  
TRAIN”: Select one of eight train-  
ing positions. Positions with the  
Black king in the middle give you  
practice in checkmating the Black  
king.  
RATING KEY  
LCD Chess rates your play! Use  
this key to view your current rating.  
Also use it to enter game results for  
a new rating if the ‘Osymbol is on,  
showing you played a ratable game  
with no hints or take-backs.  
Below are the features available to  
you through the secondary func-  
tions. To access any of these fea-  
tures, you first press the MODE  
key and then press the indicated  
button, looking at the blue label  
above the key.  
CLRBR”: Use this option to clear  
the chess board for easier problem  
setup. Then press SETUP to enter  
setup mode with the chess board  
cleared of all pieces except a White  
king.  
Options During the Game  
TOTAL”: Your LCD Chess nor-  
mally shows the time taken for  
each move. While in the TOTAL  
option, you can instead choose to  
have the total game time displayed.  
Choose “On TOTAL.”  
OPTIONS key with RATING  
While viewing your rating with the  
O” symbol on, this button shows  
WIN,” “DRAW,” or “LOSS.”  
Secondary Functions  
(Press the MODE key and then the  
indicated key below. Also, press  
MODE to stop using a secondary  
function.)  
SOUND”: Press this key to turn  
the sound on or off. However, error  
buzzes will sound even if sound is  
off.  
SCORE”: Your display normally  
shows the number of the current  
move. If instead you want to see the  
piece-score of your current posi-  
tion, select “On SCORE.” The  
scoring totals the following values:  
Pawns—1, Knights—3, Bishops—  
3, Rooks—5, and Queen—9.  
WIN”—If you won the game,  
press the RATING key to see your  
new rating. Or press OPTIONS.  
OPTIONS KEY  
SLEEP”: Adjust the automatic  
shut off time with this key. Setting  
it to “0” will disable auto shut-off  
altogether.  
Pressing the OPTIONS key repeat-  
edly will display all selectable  
options. To select or change an  
option, use the LAST PIECE or the  
NEXT PIECE key.  
DRAW”—If you drew the game,  
press the RATING key to see your  
new rating. Or press OPTIONS.  
LOSSIf you lost the game,  
press the RATING key to see your  
new rating. Or press OPTIONS.  
SETUP KEY  
Press this key to promote a pawn  
that reaches your opponent’s back  
rank to a piece other than a queen.  
(The promotion to a queen is the  
most common, so it is automatic.)  
You can also use this key to set up  
special positions, so that you can  
use your LCD Chess to solve prob-  
lems given in books and maga-  
zines.  
“PLAYR”: Select between: “1”—  
Human vs Computer; “2”—  
Human vs Human; “0”—  
Computer vs Computer.  
Options Before  
the Game Starts  
OPEN”: Select one of 30 book  
opening lines of play. (See below,  
page 6.)  
LEVEL KEY  
Use this key to set the level of play  
(for more information, see “Levels  
of Play,” at right). Use the DIREC-  
TION button to change the level by  
one (by pushing on the right) or by  
ten (by pushing at the top). Also use  
the LEVEL key to enter level  
option mode.  
THRT”: When “THRT” is turned  
on, the threatened square will flash  
during the game to warn you.  
GAME”: Select one of 16 Great  
Games. (See below.)  
HELP”: When this option is  
turned on and a hint is available,  
the hint from square will flash on  
every move.  
MATE”: Select one of 31 mate-in-  
2 problems. Problem 32 is a mate-  
in-3 problem. If you can’t find the  
solution, make LCD Chess show  
K /I (CONTRAST) KEY  
Press this key repeatedly to adjust  
OPTIONS key with LEVEL  
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English  
When the level is displayed, press-  
ing the OPTIONS key shows:  
will play, and the longer it will  
think during its moves. With over  
1,000 level setting combinations  
(incorporating options such as FAST,  
RANDOM, INFO, HELP and the train-  
ing modes) to choose from, you can  
learn and grow with this chess  
computer!  
board by using SETUP. The display  
will show “SETUP.” Use the  
DIRECTION button to move the  
piece around the board.  
beginning of a game, you may  
choose to learn one of 30 popular  
book openings—ways to begin the  
game—used by chess masters.  
Press MODE, then OPTIONS, to  
display “OPEN,” and then press  
the LAST PIECE or NEXT PIECE  
keys to select the number of the  
opening you want to learn. (See  
below.) Then press the MODE key  
to return to normal play.  
FAST”: Uses a more selective  
search for thinking. In this mode,  
LCD Chess will play faster and  
look more deeply into the position.  
Press NEXT PIECE to turn FAST  
on or off. Or press the OPTIONS  
key again to show:  
When setup starts, the setup piece  
is an empty square shown by the  
black color figure. To place this  
piece on a square, press MOVE. To  
change the setup piece, use the  
NEXT PIECE and LAST PIECE  
keys. To change the piece’s color,  
use the K /I key. When you are  
finished with setup, press the  
MODE key. When you first enter  
setup mode, you may also change  
the color of the side to move by  
pressing the K /I key.  
The first four levels (1, 2, 3 and 4)  
are beginner levels and take  
approximately 4, 8, 12 and 16 sec-  
onds per move, respectively. Level  
5 is a fixed 1-ply (one-half move)  
search. Levels 6 through 72 take  
about 1 second per level number, so  
level 6 will average about 6 sec-  
onds per move. The amount of time  
taken will vary depending on the  
position, the stage of the game, and  
whether or not the FAST level  
option is on. (See “Options,” pages  
4 & 5.)  
RAND”: Allows the computer to  
randomly choose between two  
good moves so that you get to prac-  
tice and play against different  
responses. Press the NEXT PIECE  
key to turn RANDom on or off. Or  
press the MODE key.  
Now play a move. If your move is  
not the correct opening move, an  
error buzz will sound. To learn the  
correct move press HINT. When  
the computer comes back with its  
move, you will briefly see the word  
OPEN” on the screen if you have  
another opening move to make. If  
the word “OPEN” does not appear,  
you may continue normal play. You  
have completed the training for that  
opening line.  
Additional Information  
and Features  
Screen Symbols  
Auto Play  
If you would like to watch the com-  
puter finish a game for you auto-  
matically, push the MODE key,  
then press OPTIONS, until the  
option “PLAYR” is showing. Use  
the LAST PIECE key to change the  
number of players to zero. Press  
MODE to exit the OPTIONS  
mode. Now press the MOVE key  
and watch the game play itself. You  
may stop auto play at any time by  
pressing the MOVE key. Doing so  
will set the number of players back  
to one.  
When a “+” appears on the screen,  
it is a reminder that you are in  
check. When an “O” appears on the  
screen, the game you are playing  
can be rated. When an "=" appears,  
it indicates you are in two- player  
mode. And lastly when an “!”  
appears on the screen, you are  
being warned that one of your  
pieces is threatened with capture.  
(This is similar to the friendly "en  
garde" warning sometimes used by  
human players when they are  
attacking an opponent’s queen.)  
Level 73 is an infinite level. LCD  
Chess will take as long to move as  
you want it to, or until it finds a  
mate position in its search. Level  
73 is good for problem solving  
(like the MATE problems available  
under OPTIONS), or it can be used  
to play against. When you are tired  
of waiting, press the MOVE key  
while the computer is thinking, and  
the computer will stop thinking and  
play the best move it’s found so far.  
Computers can  
sometimes "lock up"  
due to static dis-  
charge or other elec-  
trical disturbances. If  
this should happen,  
use a slim, pointed  
object to press the  
button marked  
Book Opening Trainer  
LCD Chess makes it easy for you  
to learn the same openings that  
world chess champions play! At the  
Levels of Play  
Generally, the higher the level you  
select, the better your LCD Chess  
Setup  
“RESET.”  
You may change any piece on the  
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English  
Trnava, 1986  
13. Karpov, A. vs. Korchnoi, V.,  
Moscow, 1974  
14. Spassky, B. vs. Petrosian, T.,  
Moscow, 1969  
15. Fischer, R. vs. Fine, R.,  
New York, 1963  
The names of the openings are:  
1. Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation  
2. Ruy Lopez Closed Defense  
3. Ruy Lopez Open Defense  
4. Ruy Lopez Archangel Defense  
5. Giuoco Piano  
6. Scotch Game  
7. Four Knights  
8. Petroff Defense  
9. Vienna Game  
pressing MODE, then OPTIONS to  
display “GAME,” and then press-  
ing the LAST PIECE or NEXT  
PIECE key to select a game num-  
ber.  
4. Steinitz, W. vs. Von Bardeleben, C.,  
Hastings, 1895  
5. Alekhine, A. vs. Tenner, O.,  
Cologne, 1911  
6. Gaudersen vs. Paul,  
Melbourne, 1928  
7. Lasker, Ed vs. Thomas,G.,  
London, 1910  
8. Steinitz, W. vs. Mongredien, A.,  
London, 1862  
9. Nimzowitsch, A. vs. Alapin, S.,  
Riga, 1913  
10. Capablanca, J. vs. Steiner, H.,  
Los Angeles, 1933  
11. Botvinnik, M. vs. Keres, P.,  
The Hague, 1948  
Along with the game number, you  
will see the position of the game  
after the first two moves were  
played. Press the MODE/ON key  
to return to normal play starting at  
move three. You take the winning  
side. The display will show your  
total great-game score in two digits  
(zero at the start) on the left. On the  
right, the display also shows the  
amount of points you will win if  
you play the correct next great-  
game move.  
16. Portisch, L. vs. Johannessen, S.,  
Havana, 1966.  
These famous games by some of  
the most brilliant chess masters of  
all time can be found, along with  
in many books on  
explanations,  
chess.  
10. Sicilian Defense  
11. Sicilian, Accelerated Dragon  
12. Sicilian, Rossolimo Attack 1  
13. Sicilian, Dragon Variation  
14. Sicilian, Rossolimo Attack 2  
15. Caro-Kann Defense  
Excalibur Electronics reserves the  
right to make technical changes  
without notice in the interest of  
16. French Defense  
12. Banas, J. vs. Lukacs, P.,  
17. French, Classical Variation  
18. French, Tarrasch Variation  
19. Queen’s Gambit Accepted  
20. Queen’s Gambit Declined  
21. Queen’s Gambit,  
Special Care  
Battery Information  
Avoid rough handling such as bumping  
or dropping.  
If you don’t play the correct great-  
game move, an error buzz will  
sound and the points for this move  
will be divided in half. If the bonus  
goes to zero, the correct move will  
automatically flash. Most moves  
start with 4 bonus points, but some  
brilliant moves start with 8 points.  
Do not mix old and new batteries.  
Do not mix alkaline & standard  
(carbon zinc) or rechargeable  
(nickel cadmium) batteries.  
Semi-Slav Defense  
22. Queen’s Gambit,  
Avoid moisture and extreme tempera-  
tures. Store away from windows andother  
direct sources of heat and cold, such as heat-  
ing, air vents or direct sunlight. For best  
results, use between the temperatures of 39º  
and 100º Fahrenheit (4º and 38º Celsius).  
Clean using only a slightly damp cloth.  
Do not use cleaners with chemical agents.  
Tarrasch Defense  
Install batteries so that the polarity  
(+ and -) matches the diagrams in  
the battery compartment.  
Your LCD Chess Computer uses  
3 “AAA” batteries.  
Weak batteries should be replaced  
immediately.  
Before changing batteries, turn the unit off.  
Do not attempt to recharge  
23. Queen’s Gambit, Slav Defense  
24. Nimzo-Indian, Rubinstein  
25. Nimzo-Indian, Classical  
26. Queen’s Indian Defense  
27. Queen’s Indian, Petrosian  
28. Bogo-Indian Defense  
29. Gruenfeld Defense  
The players, location, and date of  
the great games are:  
30. King’s Indian Defense  
The moves and explanations of  
these famous openings are given in  
many books on chess.  
non-rechargeable batteries.  
Remove rechargeable batteries from the  
unit before charging them.  
Charge rechargeable batteries only under  
adult supervision.  
Use only batteries of the same type and  
equivalency.  
Remove exhausted batteries from the unit.  
Do not short circuit supply terminals.  
Keep the packaging—it contains  
important information.  
1. Anderssen, A. vs Kieseritsky, L.,  
London, 1851,  
"The Immortal Game"  
2. Anderssen, A. vs. Dufresne, J.,  
Berlin, 1852,  
"Evergreen Game"  
3. Morphy, P. vs. Duke Karl  
& Count Isouard,  
Great Games  
At the beginning of the game, you  
may select one of sixteen of the  
world’s greatest chess games by  
Paris, 1858  
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progress.  
Français  
Limited One-Year Warranty  
EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC., warrants to  
the original consumer that its products are free  
from any electrical or mechanical defects for a  
period of ONE YEAR from the date of purchase.  
If any such defect is discovered within the warran-  
ty period, EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC.,  
will repair or replace the unit free of charge upon  
receipt of the unit, shipped postage prepaid and  
insured to the factory address shown at right.  
exclusion of incidental or consequential damages,  
so the above limitations and exclusions in these  
instances may not apply.  
Authorized Service for  
Your LCD Computer Chess  
The only authorized service center in the United  
States is:  
Excalibur Electronics, Inc.  
13701 SW 119th Ave, Miami,  
The warranty covers normal consumer use and  
does not cover damage that occurs in shipment or  
failure that results from alterations, accident, mis-  
use, abuse, neglect, wear and tear, inadequate  
maintenance, commercial use, or unreasonable use  
of the unit. Removal of the top panel voids all  
warranties. This warranty does not cover cost of  
repairs made or attempted outside of the  
factory.  
Florida 33186 U.S.A.  
Phone: 305.477.8080; Fax: 305.477.9516  
Ship the unit carefully packed, preferably in the  
original carton, and send it prepaid, and adequate-  
ly insured. Include a letter, detailing the complaint  
and including your daytime telephone number,  
inside the shipping carton.  
If your warranty has expired and you want an  
estimated fee for service, write to the above  
address, specifying the model and the  
problem.  
Any applicable implied warranties, including  
warranties of merchantability and fitness, are  
hereby limited to ONE YEAR from the date  
of purchase. Consequential or incidental  
damages resulting from a breach of any  
applicable express or implied warranties  
are hereby excluded. Some states do not  
allow limitations on the duration of  
implied warranties and do not allow  
DO NOT SEND YOUR UNIT  
WITHOUT RECEIVING AN  
ESTIMATE FOR SERVICING.  
WE CANNOT STORE  
YOUR UNIT!  
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