THE PLAY

Plug in the game and turn on the switch. Four zeros should appear in the display window. Press and release Reset; two red lights should appear momentarily. Set up all the chess pieces according to the rules of chess. You always have the white pieces, and the computer always has the black pieces.

Each square of the chess board is designated by a number and a letter of the alphabet, which must be conveyed to the computer when chess moves are made. The vertical squares (the File) are numbered 1 to 8; the horizontal squares (the Rank) are lettered A to H. Therefore, when the game begins, the white king's pawn, for example, is on square 5b; the black king's pawn is on square 5g.

ALWAYS ENTER THE NUMBER (the File) FIRST, AND THEN, ENTER THE LETTER (the Rank).

The windows will always display a number and then a letter. For example, to move the white king's pawn two squares forward, press 5b, and the FROM window will display 5b; then press 5d, and the TO window will dis­play 5d. Then, manually move the white king's pawn from square 5b to 5d. This move is now ready to be stored in the computer's memory. Now, press ENter, which effectively registers the move in the computer. Almost immediately the window will display the com­puter's counter move, which should be FROM 5g TO 5E. Now, manually move the designated black piece in ac­cordance with the computer's instruction.

If you choose not to use the above example as your opening move, press CLear; this erases the FROM 5b TO 5d before it is entered into the computer. You may always erase a move before pressing ENter. You cannot erase a move after pressing ENter.

Whenever you enter a move, the computer will respond with its best counter move. Furthermore, the computer will always make a move according to the rules of chess, and assumes the player will do likewise. If you inadver­tently make an illegal move TO an empty square, the computer will accept your move. It will not, however, al­low you to make an illegal move FROM an empty square. In that instance, four zeros will appear in the windows. As in a normal game of chess, when your pawn reaches the "H" Rank, the computer automatically converts the pawn to a queen.

You, as the player, have the objective to checkmate the computer's king. The computer, however, will be satis­fied with a draw. Additionally, if the computer captures your king, it will continue to play until every piece is re­moved from the board.

NOTE: Turning the game OFF or pressing REset automatically resets the program to the first move, and you will be compelled to start again.