EXCALIBUR 375X LCD Chess Express - Manual (Page 4)

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SLEEP: Adjust the automatic shut off
time with this key. Setting it to ‘
0’ will
disable auto shut-off altogether.
CONTR: Adjust the display contrast to
one of six settings.
Playing the Black Pieces
When you want to play the Black pieces
(to let LCD Chess move first) press the
GO key before you make your first move
as White. You’ll see the White and Black
pieces switch places immediately!
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 situation 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 show
STALE.
Game-Ending Messages
LCD Chess will announce mate in two
(
MATE2) and mate in three (MATE3).
It will also display
+MATE when exe-
cuting a checkmate or when you check-
mate LCD Chess. When you want to
claim a win, draw, or want to resign—
press the MENU key and then GO.
Screen Symbols
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
human player mode. And lastly when an
‘!’ appears on the screen, you are being
warned that one of your pieces is threat-
ened with capture. (This is similar to the
friendly "en garde" warning sometimes
used by human players when they are
attacking an opponent’s queen.) To see
which of your pieces is threatened, press
the MENU/
! key.
Auto Play
If you would like to watch the computer
finish a game for you automatically, press
the MENU key repeatedly until the
option
PLAYR is showing. Use the
LEFT DIRECTION button to change the
number of players to zero. Press CLEAR
to exit the MENU mode. Now press the
GO key twice and watch the game play
itself. You may stop auto play at any time
by pressing the GO key. Doing so will set
the number of players back to one.
Book Opening Trainer
LCD Chess makes it easy for you to learn
the same openings that world chess
champions play! At the beginning of a
game, you may choose to learn one of 32
popular book openings—ways to begin
the game—used by chess masters. Press
MENU key to display OPEN, and then
press the LEFT or RIGHT DIRECTION
button to select the number of the open-
ing you want to learn. (See below.) Press
the CLEAR key to return to normal play.
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 complet-
ed the training for that opening line.