Illegal Moves; Changing Sides With The Computer; Check, Mate, And Draw; Need Help? Ask For A Hint - Saitek Mephisto CT01 Instructions Manual

promoted piece, along with the flashing to square. Simply
press down on the to square, change the computer's piece
on the board, and continue your game!

2.3 Illegal Moves

Your computer will never accept an illegal move! If you try
to make one, you'll hear a beep and the display will alternate
between showing the from square and the time. Either move
that same piece to another square, or press the piece back
down on its original from square and move a different piece.
If you don't move the computer's piece correctly, you'll
also hear an error beep. This means that you are either
moving the wrong piece, or moving the computer's piece to
the wrong square. Check the display and make the move
again.
If you press down on a piece and the from square is
displayed, but you decide not to make that move, simply
press down on that same square again to cancel. Then
make another move. If you change your mind after entering
your whole move, take the move back as described in Sec-
tion 1.4.
Caution: Be careful when playing with the sound turned
off, since you won't be able to hear the error beeps!

2.4 Check, Mate, and Draw

Check: When a King is in check, the computer first dis-
plays the move as usual. After the move is made, the display
alternates between the time and ch:__ (if White is in check)
or ch:)) (if Black is in check).
Checkmate: When a game ends in checkmate, the dis-
play flashes End_ (if White has won) or End) (if Black has
won).
Draws: The computer recognizes draws by stalemate and
immediate three-fold repetition. After a draw has occurred,
the display will flash End(, along with the drawing move.
2.5 Interrupting the Computer's Search
Think the computer is taking too long to move? No prob-
lem—you can interrupt it any time! Simply press PLAY while
the computer is thinking, and it will stop and make the move
it is currently considering.
This feature can come in handy for those of you who are
impatient—especially when using Fixed Depth Levels C6
and higher, where the computer can occasionally take an
hour or more to make its move.

2.6 Changing Sides with the Computer

To change sides with the computer, press PLAY when it's
your turn to move—and the computer will make the next
move for your side. Change sides as often as you wish!
Want the computer to play the first move for White at the
start of a new game? Press NEW GAME to reset the com-
puter, and then press PLAY!
Want to watch the computer play chess against itself?
Press PLAY after each move—and watch as the computer
plays for both sides of the board, one move after another.
Study its strategies, and you might improve your own game!
When you switch sides with the computer, so that you are
playing Black and the computer is playing White, the "side to
move" indications will be shown as follows: Both "PM" and
"S" will be displayed when it is your turn to move for Black,
and neither one will be displayed when it is the computer's
turn to move for White.

2.7 Need Help? Ask for a Hint!

It's easy to get assistance from the computer whenever
you need it. On your turn, simply press and hold down HINT,
and the computer will display a move suggestion!
Note that pressing and holding HINT repeatedly may give
you more than one suggested move in certain positions. The
computer may take a few seconds to display a hint
especially in complicated position.

2.8 Chess Clocks

Your computer contains a built-in chess clock that keeps
track of the time, with a four-digit display showing the total
elapsed time for the side to move (computer or player) while
that side is thinking. Here's an easy way to differentiate
between the time displays at a glance:
• For the first hour, the display will show MM:SS
(Minutes:Seconds), with a steady colon in the middle
and a leading zero.
• If the total elapsed time exceeds one hour, you'll see
HH:MM (Hours:Minutes), with a flashing colon in the
middle and no leading zero.
Please also note the following points in regard to the
chess clocks:
• The clocks will stop in certain situations, such as when
moves are taken back, or when levels are changed or
verified. In these cases, the times are retained in
memory, and the clock resumes when play is continued.
• Occasionally, while the computer is thinking, the display
may skip a few seconds, or the duration between con-
secutive seconds may appear to be uneven. Your game
will not be affected.

2.9 Built-In Openings

At the beginning of a game, the computer will often move
instantly on many levels. This is because it is playing from
memory, using its own built-in "book" of opening chess
moves, which includes most major openings. If the current
board position is in its book, the computer will play a re-
sponse to that position automatically, instead of having to
think about the move!

2.10 Auto Power Down

Whenever it's your turn to move and you haven't made a
move or pressed a key for 20 minutes, the computer will
automatically turn itself off to conserve batteries. To continue
your game, press GO/STOP to turn the unit back on. Note
that the computer will not turn itself off while it is thinking.
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