Excalibur electronic Games 915 3 User Manual

EXCALIBUR  
ELECTRONICS  
King Ar thur  
OPERATING MANUAL  
English p. 2  
Model No. 915-3  
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KING ARTHUR  
TABLE OF CONTENTS, CONTINUED  
CHAPTER 4: GETTING A RATING AT THE ROUND TABLE .. .. page 18  
CHAPTER 8: TEACHING AND TRAINING FEATURES . . . page 25  
8.1  
Piece training positions  
4.1  
4.2  
Viewing your rating  
The mini-games  
Submitting a game for rating  
The mating-practice positions  
Mate-problem training  
Opening book trainer: learning book openings  
the easy way, with King Arthurs help!  
Multi-move: setting up your own opening positions  
Great games  
8.2  
8.3  
CHAPTER 5: SPECIAL MESSAGES FROM CAMELOT .. ..page 19  
5.1  
5.2  
5.3  
5.4  
5.5  
5.6  
5.7  
5.8  
Check  
Ratable game  
Two-player mode  
Threat  
Draw  
Stalemate  
8.4  
8.5  
CHAPTER 9: SETTING UP SPECIAL POSITIONS . .. .. . . page 34  
9.1  
9.2  
9.3  
9.4  
Removing a piece  
Forced checkmates  
Other checkmates  
Changing the color of a piece  
Adding a piece or changing the type of piece  
Setting up special positions & problems  
CHAPTER 6: SOME SPECIAL CHESS MOVES .. .. ... . .. page 21  
6.1  
6.2  
6.3  
6.4  
Capturing  
Castling  
Promoting pawns  
En passant—taking a pawn in passing  
CHAPTER 10: IMPORTANT TECHNICAL DETAILS . .. .. .page 37  
10.1 The ACL button  
10.2 Special care  
10.3 Battery information  
10.4 Warranty information  
CHAPTER 7: TOO HARD? TOO EASY? ALL ABOUT LEVELS page 23  
7.1  
7.2  
7.3  
7.4  
7.5  
7.6  
Beginner Levels  
Fixed-ply level  
Timed levels  
Infinite search  
Fast level option  
Random level option  
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some products that show an  
ignorance of this basic rule!)  
You’ll see that King Arthurs  
board is of course designed cor-  
rectly.  
Place the chess pieces in their  
initial starting position, as  
shown in the LCD display at the  
bottom of the chessboard,, with  
the White pieces closest to you.  
(If you choose to play Black, go  
to the Section 3.2 “Playing the  
Black pieces from the start of  
the game.)  
1.2  
KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER1:  
Finding the pieces  
The larger compartment lid on  
the left conveniently stores your  
chess pieces when they’re not in  
use. Although one of King  
Arthurs breakthrough features  
permits you to play without  
using these pieces, lets start by  
using them. Open the larger lid  
in the same method you used in  
Step 1. Remove the pieces and  
set them to the side. Then  
replace the lid. Now you can  
turn King Arthur right side up,  
with the Excalibur Knight on the  
bottom left.  
QUICK START & BASICS  
Be sure to read this section. It  
contains information not dupli-  
cated in the rest of this manual.  
Chapter 1 will show you the  
basics of getting started. If  
you’re impatient for the fun to  
begin, you’ll be able to play a  
game of chess with King Arthur  
after only the few minutes read-  
ing this short chapter will take.  
But we recommend that you  
soon go on to read the entire  
operating manual, so that you’ll  
get the full benefit of King  
Arthurs amazing features.  
the pressure-catch at the bottom  
of the lid. Push up and then pull  
out. The lid will detach. Insert  
three (3) fresh, alkaline AA bat-  
teries in the battery holder. Note  
the arrangement of the batteries  
called for by the diagram in the  
holder. Make sure that the posi-  
tive tip of each battery matches  
up with the + sign in the battery  
compartment so that polarity  
will be correct. When the batter-  
ies are properly installed, you’ll  
hear a series of tones as King  
Arthur automatically turns him-  
self on and lets you know hes  
ready for action. Replace the  
battery compartment panel by  
first fitting the two small tabs at  
the top of the lid into their recep-  
tacles. Then place your thumb  
under the pressure catch, push-  
ing up and in until the lid snaps  
into place. Leave King Arthur  
face down.  
1.4  
Making your move  
Besides deciding on a good  
move, you have to move the  
piece in a way that King Arthur  
will recognize whats been  
played. He will automatically  
sense your move if you follow a  
simple routine. Think of com-  
municating your move as a two-  
step process—registering the  
FROM square and then register-  
ing the TO square.  
1.3  
Setting up the pieces  
Whichever side (color) you  
play in chess, a light-colored  
square must always be located  
on your right—chess players say  
“Light on right.” (You’ll have  
fun noticing television and mag-  
azine ads, movies and even  
1.1  
Installing the batteries  
Turn King Arthur over care-  
fully with his chessboard face-  
down, so that the small compart-  
ment lid is at the top right. This  
lid covers the battery compart-  
ment. Place your thumb below  
King Arthur “times out” after not being used for a few minutes.  
If this happens, just press the ON/CLEAR button  
on the bottom row of keys.  
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If you make an illegal move, King Arthur will sound a lower  
In between moves, King Arthur will display the time taken for  
each move and the number of the move.  
tone and display the TO and FROM squares necessary to move  
the piece back to its previous square. When this happens, you  
must follow the standard procedure of pushing on the FROM and  
TO squares to get the piece back in its previous position. Then make  
a legal move.  
need to move the piece on the  
long as you do not interrupt the  
power supply—for example, by  
removing the batteries. To  
resume play, just press the  
ON/CLEAR key. A word of  
warning—your memory of the  
game in progress may get a bit  
vague, but King Arthur will  
remember the game perfectly! If  
you’ve put the pieces safely  
away in their compartment dur-  
ing your break, or they may have  
been disturbed, just use the dis-  
play to help you correctly set the  
pieces back up. If you do want to  
clear the current game at any  
time, just press NEW GAME.  
board for him. Follow the same  
two-step procedure you did  
while registering your own  
move—gently pushing on the  
TO and FROM squares and lis-  
tening for the confirming tones.  
You’re already playing a game!  
Enjoy the contest.  
Lift the piece or pawn you  
want to move. (Moving the  
pawn in front of either your king  
or queen ahead two squares for-  
ward is a great first move for  
White.) Press the edge of the  
pieces base down gently on the  
center of its FROM square.  
You’ll hear a beep, and King  
Arthur will display the FROM  
square—for example “E2 .”  
Then press the edge of the piece  
down gently on the square you  
want to move it to—for exam-  
ple, “E4 .” King Arthur will beep  
again, confirming that he has  
registered your move. Place the  
piece gently on its new square.  
(Some players like to push the  
squares with their forefinger  
while holding the piece in the  
rest of the fingers of the same  
hand.)  
1.6 Putting a game  
“on hold”  
1.5  
Want to stop for a phone call,  
or even a weekend trip? Any  
time its your move and you wish  
to stop playing for a while, just  
press the OFF/SAVE key. King  
Arthur will switch off and go  
into a sleep mode. He will  
remember the last position,  
including the elapsed time, as  
Moving King Arthur’s  
piece-you’ve got a game  
going!  
You’ll notice that King Arthur  
almost immediately displays his  
response to your move. King  
Arthur decides on his own  
move, of course, and lets you  
know what it is by displaying it  
at the top of the LCD board. For  
example, if you play 1. E2-E4,  
King Arthurs display will always show  
he may respond E7-E5. But you  
To register your move properly, press  
the side of the piece’s base gently  
down on the center of the FROM  
square, and then on the center of the  
TO square.  
the correct position as King Arthur “sees” it.  
Its a good idea occasionally to compare  
the position in his “head” to the one  
on the board.  
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KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER 2:  
Sensory Board  
Recognizes your moves.  
KEY FUNCTIONS  
& GENERAL LAYOUT  
RATING Key  
Check your rating.  
Physical chess pieces  
SETUP Key  
Add or remove pieces and  
enter special positions.  
OPTION Key  
Select many features.  
CONTRAST Key  
HINT Key  
Obtain a hint.  
Adjust display  
contrast.  
WIN Key  
Rate a win.  
THREAT Key  
See the threat!  
AUTO Key  
Watch King Arthur  
play himself.  
MODE Key  
Access training features.  
LEVEL Key  
OFF/SAVE Key  
Put King Arthur in sleep  
mode & save your game.  
Change skill levels.  
MOVE Key  
Switch sides or make  
NEW GAME Key  
Start a new game.  
King Arthur move  
immediately.  
TAKEBACK Key  
Take back a mistake.  
ON/CLEAR KEY Turn King Arthur  
LCD Board Display  
Shows piece positions,  
board and messages.  
on or clear an entry.  
MULTI-MOVE Key  
Make moves for both sides  
to set up favorite openings.  
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FROM squares with your fin-  
ger.  
board. You can switch sides  
back and forth as often as you  
like.  
KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER3:  
SPECIAL KEYS & FEATURES  
3.1 Starting a new game  
3.6 Change your mind?  
Take your move back!  
3.4 Adjusting  
the display contrast  
If you’ve made a move and  
then changed your mind, simply  
press the TAKE BACK key. In  
fact, by repeatedly pressing the  
TAKE BACK key, you can take  
back a whole series of moves.  
For each move you wish to take  
back, the display will show the  
TO and FROM squares neces-  
sary to move the piece back to  
its previous square. You must  
follow the standard procedure  
of pushing on each of these  
squares (when a move was a  
capture, King Arthur will then  
signal the capture square, and  
the LCD will display the proper  
piece to restore) to get each  
piece back in its previous posi-  
tion.  
To compensate for differences  
in lighting and battery strength,  
press the CONTRAST key  
repeatedly to adjust the display  
contrast to one of sixteen set-  
tings.  
up at your end—close to the  
LCD.  
Of course, the labels on the  
If you want to start a new  
game, simply push the NEW  
squares can’t change. So when  
GAME button when its not  
playing White, if King Arthur  
King Arthurs move. King  
wants to play what normally  
Arthur will sound the “charge”  
would be “E2-E4” for White,  
for a new game.  
3.5 Playing without the  
physical pieces  
he’ll do this by communicating  
“E7-E5,” which accurately cor-  
3.2 Playing the Black  
You can play without the  
three-dimensional pieces, view-  
ing only the display. Press the  
OPTION key until the display  
shows “TOUCH.” Then press  
the > key. “ON” will be dis-  
played. Now when you play, the  
display will show you King  
Arthurs move, signaling the TO  
and FROM squares several  
times to make it clear, but you  
will not have to register his  
move. In this mode, the large  
playing board acts as a touch  
screen so that you can input  
your moves by pressing TO and  
responds to your board.  
pieces from the start of  
Make all moves and choose  
a game  
all options in the normal fash-  
ion.  
Since White always moves  
first, you’ll want to practice  
playing Black as well as White.  
To play the Black pieces, start a  
new game by pushing the NEW  
GAME button. Then press the  
er its your move you can switch  
MOVE button. King Arthur will  
now automatically make the  
game and color and giving him  
first move. You’ll see that the  
LCD shows Black at the bot-  
button. The pieces will remain  
tom. If you’re using the playing  
board with the three dimension-  
playing from the top of the  
al pieces, set the Black pieces  
3.3 Switching sides  
during a game  
After the first move, whenev-  
sides, taking over King Arthurs  
If you change your mind back  
to the original move, you can  
press the MOVE key to replay  
the taken-back move or moves.  
yours, by pushing the MOVE  
as they are, meaning you will be  
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the number of the current move.  
If instead you want to display  
the piece-score of your current  
position to see quickly whos  
ahead in material, turn on the  
“SCORE” option. The score  
option totals the following val-  
ues: Pawns—1, Knights—3,  
Bishops—3, Rooks—5, and  
Queen—9.  
To show all legal moves for a  
selected piece, press the  
OPTION button until HELP is  
displayed. Press the MOVE >  
key to turn on the option. The  
display will show HELP. Exit 3.13 Replaying  
OPTION mode by pressing a variation  
ON/CLEAR.  
move he is considering, and  
clock times. These will be dis-  
played while the computer is  
thinking at its higher levels.  
3.7 Changing levels  
of play  
You can change levels by  
pressing the LEVEL key to  
increase the level one at a time.  
Pressing the > key increases the  
level by 10. Pressing the < key  
decreases the level by 10. (See  
chapter 7 for a full explanation  
of levels.)  
This feature is used best when  
playing without the physical  
pieces (See 3.5, above.) When  
you want to take back a whole  
series of moves, press AUTO  
then TAKEBACK. King Arthur  
will take back all moves in his  
memory. If you change your  
mind, you can replay the entire  
string of moves by immediately  
3.11 Displaying threats  
King Arthur will tell you when  
there is a serious threat by dis-  
playing the “!” sign. (See also  
Section 5.4.) When this hap-  
pens, you can push the THREAT  
key, and King Arthur will flash  
the threatening move.  
3.8 Display options  
You have quite a choice of  
information that King Arthur  
will display for you. All of these  
options are made available by  
pressing the OPTION key until  
they are displayed. Then press >  
to turn these options on or off.  
Press the CLEAR key to exit  
OPTION.  
3.9 Forcing King Arthur  
to move immediately  
To interrupt King Arthur  
while hes thinking and make  
him move immediately, press the  
MOVE key. King Arthur will  
make the best move hes found  
so far. This feature can be very  
useful on higher levels, when  
King Arthur may take a while  
thinking about his moves.  
pressing  
MOVE.  
(When  
3.12 Peeking into King  
Arthurs brain on higher  
levels  
At levels 6 and above, you can  
actually see what King Arthur is  
“thinking.” Press OPTION until  
InFO” is displayed. Turn this  
option on by pressing > or <.  
Exit OPTION mode by pressing  
ON/CLEAR.  
“rPLAY” is no longer shown on  
the display, the last move of the  
variation has been reached.)  
Displaying total game  
time used:  
3.14 Practicing  
blindfold chess  
Your King Arthur normally  
shows the time taken for each  
move. With the “TotALoption,  
you can instead choose to have  
the total game time displayed.  
Displaying  
3.3 Getting Hints  
If you don’t know which move  
to make, or you simply want to  
see what King Arthur would rec-  
ommend, press HINT, and the  
display will show you the move  
King Arthur believes to be best.  
Very good players sometimes  
amaze people by playing with-  
out looking at the pieces and  
board. King Arthur gives you a  
chance to test yourself at this  
feat. To use this option, clear the  
large playing board of pieces.  
When turned on, this option  
will display the score, depth of  
search (number of moves King  
Arthur is “thinking ahead”), best  
the position score:  
Your display normally shows  
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Press the BOARD key. The  
pieces on the LCD chessboard  
will disappear—you are now  
“blindfolded”! Play chess by  
picturing in your head where the  
pieces are. Enter your moves as  
usual, and register King Arthurs  
moves normally.  
When your memory gets hazy,  
you can push BOARD to con-  
firm the position. You can then  
play the game out normally or  
press BOARD again to continue  
playing “blindfold.” This exer-  
sound on, “1” - No sound on, or  
“0” - No sound except for error  
buzzes. Turn this option off by  
pressing >. Exit OPTION mode  
by pressing ON/CLEAR.  
Even when the sound option is  
turned off, King Arthur will con-  
tinue to announce that he has  
found a move by making his nor-  
mal sound. He will also sound an  
alarm when an illegal move is  
made, and make the “in check”  
warning sound.  
your mind, you can press AUTO  
again, and you will see the dis- 3.18  
play read “1 PLAYr.”) Press Automatic shut-off  
MOVE. King Arthur will play  
himself. King Arthur will  
become fully automatic, not  
needing any move-registration  
help from you. You can see his  
moves on the display. You can  
stop auto play by pressing the  
MOVE key again. All other  
options remain available to you.  
To save battery power, King  
Arthur will turn himself off  
when no key has been pressed  
for a while. You can decrease or  
increase the timing of this auto-  
matic shut-off or turn it off alto-  
gether. Press OPTION until  
“SLEEP” is displayed. Then  
press the > key to select a delay  
from 1 (shortest) to 14 (longest).  
Or select 0 to eliminate the auto-  
matic shut-off.  
3.17  
Human versus human  
You can play another human  
using King Arthurs board. He’ll  
monitor the game for you, mak-  
ing sure all moves are legal, and  
will provide hints and elapsed  
time. Access these in the normal  
ways.  
cise may help you learn to visu- 3.16 King Arthur  
alize better when you play versus King Arthur—  
“without a blindfold.”  
“automatic pilot”  
3.19 Flip option:  
Playing Black from the  
Note: Do not turn on the  
TOUCH option (see 3.5 above)  
while trying blindfold chess,  
since you must see King  
Arthurs move coordinates on  
the display.  
You can choose to have King  
Arthur play both sides of the  
game. (This feature can be used  
from the beginning of the game  
or at any point in a game.) The  
feature can also be used after  
setting up a special position (see  
LCD Side of the Board  
Pressing the OPTION key  
repeatedly will display all selec-  
table options. To play Black  
from the LCD-side of the board,  
press OPTION until "FLIP" is  
displayed. Use this option to flip  
the chessboard around.  
Chess players who play in  
official tournaments receive a  
rating. Similarly, King Arthur  
will rate your play.  
To play a friend in this man-  
ner, simply press MULTI-  
MOVE. Notice that the display  
reads “2PLAYr.” This indicates  
that two humans will be playing.  
You and your friend can begin  
play. (If you change your mind,  
you can press MULTI-MOVE  
again, and you will see the dis-  
play read “1PLAYr.”)  
3.15 Turning  
off the sound  
You may now select between  
three styles of sound effects for  
King Arthur, Do so by pressing  
OPTION until “SOUND” is dis-  
played. Select between “2” - All  
Chapter 10).  
To choose this feature, press  
the AUTO key. You’ll notice that  
the display reads “0 PLAYr.”  
This indicates that no humans  
will be playing. (If you change  
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game sends your rating up 200  
points. You get 100 points for  
winning your third rated game.  
After that, rating adjustments  
are more modest.  
On any given level, you can-  
not improve your rating by more  
than 400 points. When you  
notice that your rating does not  
go up when you submit a game  
that you’ve won, increase your  
playing level by 10 when you  
play rated games. King Arthur  
is telling you that you’ve  
improved and you need to move  
up to a tougher level of play!  
King Arthur will send you  
helpful messages while you  
play.  
KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER4:  
GETTING A RATING AT  
THE ROUND TABLE  
simply press the RATING key  
4.1  
and then press the appropriate  
key: WIN, DRAW, or LOSS,  
depending on your result in the  
game. Thats all there is to it.  
King Arthur will automatically  
adjust your rating. However,  
when you checkmate King  
Arthur, he will display “LOSE.”  
Before updating your rating, you  
must press the NEW GAME key  
and then the RATING key to  
register your win. The “0 ” sym-  
bol will remain on, even when  
NEW GAME is pressed.  
Arthur weighs your first three  
rated games the most heavily in  
order to establish a rough esti-  
mate of your strength quickly.  
Winning your first rated game  
increases your rating by 300  
points. Winning your second  
Viewing your rating  
Press the RATING key to view  
your current rating. But under-  
stand that your rating won’t  
change until you “submit”  
games to the Round Table for  
rating.  
KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER5:  
SPECIAL MESSAGES  
FROM CAMELOT  
4.2  
Submitting a game  
for rating  
General-information  
messages  
5.3 Two-player mode  
To remind you when you are  
in two-player (human versus  
human) mode (see 3.17, above),  
=” will be displayed.  
Like any official tournament  
game, to be eligible for rating,  
your game must be played with  
no HINTS or TAKE-BACKS.  
When you finish such a game,  
King Arthur will confirm that it  
is eligible for rating by display-  
ing a “0” symbol.  
5.1 Check  
When you are in check, King  
Arthur will alert you by display-  
ing a “+” sign.  
5.4 Threat  
King Arthur will tell you  
when there is a serious threat by  
displaying the “!” sign. (See  
also Section 3.11.) When this  
5.2 Ratable Game  
When a game is ratable (see  
Chapter 4), King Arthur will  
display a “0.”  
To enter a game for rating,  
immediately after finishing it,  
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happens, you can push the  
THREAT key, and King Arthur  
will flash the threatening move.  
be displayed. (Stalemate occurs  
when one of the players has no  
legal moves but is not in check.  
Stalemate is one of the ways a  
game can be drawn.)  
KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER6:  
Draw Messages  
5.5 Draw  
When King Arthur recognizes  
that a three-fold repetition of the 5.7 Forced checkmates  
position has occurred, he will  
display “DRAW .” Additionally,  
when King Arthur recognizes  
that 50 moves have been played  
without exchanges or pawn  
moves, he will display “DRAW.”  
In either case, you can accept the  
SOME SPECIAL CHESS MOVES  
Game-ending Messages  
Its useful to focus on four  
chess moves—capturing, cast-  
ling, promoting pawns, and en  
passant—to make sure you  
understand how to operate your  
King Arthur when employing  
these moves.  
the captured piece aside, off the  
board.  
King Arthur will announce  
when he can force a mate-in-two  
(“MAtE2 ”) or a mate-in-three  
(“MAtE3 ”). He will display  
MatE,” along with “+” when  
executing a checkmate.  
When King Arthur displays  
his move and there is one of  
your pieces on his TO square, he  
knows hes capturing that piece.  
Follow the normal procedure:  
Lift his piece off the FROM  
square, pressing the square. Lift  
your piece from King Arthurs  
TO square, and then set King  
Arthurs piece down on its TO  
square, pressing the square. Set  
the captured piece off the board.  
draw or ignore it by continuing 5.8 Other checkmates  
to play.  
6.1 Capturing  
When you checkmate King  
Arthur, he will display “LOSE.”  
When you want to claim a win,  
draw, or want to resign—press  
the NEW GAME key.  
To win at chess, you’ve got to  
know how to take your oppo-  
nents men! Capturing men while  
playing your King Arthur is real-  
ly the same process as moving,  
except, of course, the captured  
5.6 Stalemate  
When either opponent has  
been stalemated, “STALE” will  
piece has to be removed. To 6.2 Castling  
capture one of King Arthurs  
pieces, simply lift your piece off  
its FROM square, pressing the  
square to properly register the  
move. Then lift the piece being  
captured off the TO square, and  
set your piece down on the TO  
square, pressing the square. Set  
Castling is a special and  
important move in chess. It  
whisks the king away to safety  
while getting the rook into the  
game. Castling while playing  
King Arthur is just like moving  
any other piece, except that in  
castling, you move two pieces,  
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and you have to move the king  
first.  
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pawn before removing it from  
the board.  
pawn to a queen, since this is the  
best choice in nearly every case.  
In the unlikely event you want to  
promote your pawn to a piece  
other than a queen, use King  
Arthurs SET UP feature. (See  
Chapter 9.)  
King Arthur immediately rec-  
ognizes your new piece, and  
begins thinking about the posi-  
tion in order to move. When the  
computer pushes a pawn to your  
back row or rank, it will always  
promote to a queen. Remember  
to change the piece on the board  
after either side promotes a  
pawn. When promoting a pawn  
to a queen and the original  
queen is still on the board, chess  
players frequently mark the new  
queen with an upside-down  
rook.  
remove the captured pawn. You  
must press down on the captured  
Whether you’re castling king-  
side or queenside, first move  
and press your king down on its  
FROM square (if castling king-  
side, E1). Then move and press  
your king down on its TO square  
(if castling kingside, G1). King  
Arthur automatically recognizes  
castling maneuvers after the  
king is moved two squares. He  
then reminds you, by displaying  
the proper FROM square, to  
complete castling by moving the  
rook. Move the rook in the rou-  
tine manner, pushing on its TO  
and FROM squares normally.  
Remember, you must always  
move the King first when  
castling!  
KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER 7:  
TOO HARD? TOO EASY?  
ALL ABOUT LEVELS  
You already know, from  
7.1 Beginner levels  
The first four levels (1, 2, 3  
and 4) are beginner levels and  
take approximately 4, 8, 12 and  
16 seconds per move, respec-  
tively.  
Chapter 3, section 3.7, how to  
select the level King Arthur is  
playing at. With his 73 levels of  
play, King Arthur can adjust  
himself to play you a competi-  
tive game, no matter what your  
level of skill! Its more fun and  
more educational to select a  
level that gives both you and  
7.2 Fixed ply levels  
Level 5 is a fixed 1-ply (one-  
half move) search.  
King Arthur  
a
reasonable  
6.3 Promoting Pawns  
7.3 Timed levels  
chance of winning. Try to find a  
level at which you win about  
half the time. As you get better,  
simply adjust King Arthurs  
playing level so he can  
“improve” as you do!  
When a pawn reaches the  
other end of the board, official  
chess rules say that you can pro-  
mote it to a more valuable piece.  
To promote a pawn, make your  
pawn move to the last rank in the  
normal manner. King Arthur  
will automatically promote the  
6.4 En Passant —taking  
a pawn in passing  
Levels 6 through 15 take  
about 1 second per level num-  
ber, so level 10 will average  
about 10 seconds per move.  
Levels 16 through 72 take about  
2 seconds per level numbers.  
The amount of time taken will  
vary depending on the position,  
For an en passant capture,  
press the FROM and TO squares  
of the capturing pawn. The  
square of the pawn being cap-  
tured will then appear on the dis-  
play. This is to remind you to  
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KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER 8:  
the stage of the game, and  
whether or not the FAST level  
option is on.  
ing. In this mode, King Arthur  
will search faster and look more  
deeply into the position. Press >  
or < to turn FAST on or off.  
Press CLEAR to exit options  
mode.  
7.4 Infinite search  
Level 73 is an infinite level.  
King Arthur will take as long to  
move as you want him to, or  
until he finds a mate position in  
his search. Level 73 is perfect  
for problem solving (see  
Chapter 10). You can also play  
against it. When you are tired of  
waiting for King Arthur to  
move, press the MOVE key  
while the computer is thinking,  
and the computer will stop  
thinking and play the best move  
its found so far.  
TEACHING AND  
7.6 Random level option  
Press the OPTION key until  
the display shows “RAND,”  
which stands for “random.”  
RAND” allows King Arthur to  
choose between good moves  
randomly so that you get to  
practice and play against differ-  
ent responses. Press > or < to  
turn “RAND” on or off. Press  
the CLEAR key to exit options  
mode.  
King Arthur offers four major  
teaching and training programs  
that provide you unique and  
enjoyable ways to get to be a  
very strong chess player. You  
can access all of them by press-  
ing the MODE key and selecting  
the training feature you want by  
using the > key.  
TRAINING FEATURES  
remain second nature. Like any  
great trainer, your King Arthur  
8.1  
Piece Training Positions  
You can practice in eight dif-  
ferent training positions. There  
are five special mini-games and  
three mating-practice positions.  
will play you these special prac-  
tice games.  
Press MODE until “TrAIn” is  
displayed. Then press >. Look at  
the LCD to see which of the  
mini-games are displayed. You’ll  
see that the mini-games always  
include the king and pawns for  
both sides. In fact, one mini-  
game contains just this material.  
The other four mini-games use  
kings and pawns, but add a dif-  
ferent single piece to the exer-  
cise—knight, bishop, rook, and  
then queen.  
The mini-games  
The most famous and success-  
ful chess teachers in the world  
take their beginning students  
from the simple to the complex  
by having them play “mini-  
games” of chess that concentrate  
on just one or more types of  
pieces. Even advanced players  
practice these basics, just as a  
concert pianist continues to  
practice the scales so that they  
7.5 Fast level option  
Press LEVEL, then OPTION.  
The display will indicate  
options.  
First the display will show the  
FAST” option. “FAST” uses a  
more selective search for think-  
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Start with the basic king-and-  
pawns mini-game. Press > until  
your display looks like the dia-  
gram below.  
mating-practice exercises will  
make sure you know the tech-  
niques.  
lem youd like to solve.  
Problems 1-31 are mate-in-two  
problems, which means White  
can force mate in two moves.  
There may or may not be other  
ways to win, but you’re looking  
for the two moves that will result  
in checkmate. Most of the time,  
the first of these moves is the  
hardest to find. Problem 32 is a  
mate-in-three.  
If you can’t find the solution,  
make King Arthur show you the  
correct moves to a problem by  
setting his level to 73, and then  
pressing the MOVE key.  
8.3 Opening book train-  
er: learning book open-  
ings the easy way, with  
After pressing MODE until  
TrAIn” appears, again press >  
until you come to positions  
without pawns and with the  
Black king in the middle of the  
board. These are the mate-train-  
ing positions. The three different  
mate-training positions give  
White, besides his king, either  
two bishops, two rooks, or the  
queen. These are excellent exer-  
cises, used by the greatest chess  
teachers in the world. In all three  
positions you can force mate in a  
number of ways. Work on these  
mate-training exercises until you  
can mate Black efficiently.  
King Arthurs help  
One of the most stunning  
innovations of King Arthur is his  
special ability to teach you  
“book openings.” Book open-  
ings are the beginning patterns  
of moves that have been worked  
out by chess masters over the  
centuries as the best ways to  
begin a game. Previously, play-  
ers had to spend tedious hours  
searching out lines of play from  
hard-to-follow columns in books.  
This practice required a confus-  
ing process of looking back and  
wdwdkdwd  
0p0p0p0p  
wdwdwdwd  
dwdwdwdw  
wdwdwdwd  
dwdwdwdw  
P)P)P)P)  
dwdwIwdw  
Make your first move. Your  
object, as in regular chess, is to  
checkmate the king. Normally,  
this means both sides will try to  
force a pawn through to the  
other side of the board safely to  
promote it to a queen. You’ll  
learn lots of principles, tricks,  
and traps in this training mode  
that will win you many full-  
fledged chess games!  
All of these training modes can be made  
even more effective by combining them with other  
teaching features of King Arthur:  
8.2  
Mate-problem training  
You can further hone your  
checkmating skills and have fun  
at the same time by solving the  
32 separate problems available  
on King Arthur. At the start of a  
game, press MODE until  
“MATE” is displayed. Then  
press > or < to select the prob-  
Ask for a HINT any time it’s your move.  
The mating-practice  
positions  
Get King Arthur’s position score.  
(See section 3.8.)  
To win at chess, you have to  
know how to checkmate! Just  
knowing that you have enough  
material to mate doesn’t earn  
you the point. King Arthurs  
Switch sides when you want to practice from  
the Black side.  
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books on chess available at  
bookstores and libraries.  
7. Four Knights  
8. Petroff Defense  
9. Vienna Game  
forth between a book and a  
chessboard. But with your King  
Arthurs special training feature,  
you’ll find yourself learning the  
openings extremely quickly, sav-  
ing yourself many hours—and  
having fun while you learn! Use  
this training mode as often as  
you wish—keep improving your  
knowledge of opening play!  
At the beginning of a game,  
you may choose to learn one of  
34 popular book openings. Press  
MODE until “OP En” is dis-  
played. Then press > until the  
number of the opening (see list  
below) you want to learn or  
review is displayed in the upper  
left of the display. (You can use  
< to “loop” backward in the list.  
For example, if you want to  
select opening 30, its faster to  
use the < key.)  
move is not correct, an error  
buzz will sound and the move  
will NOT be made.You can take  
another guess, or learn the cor-  
rect move by pressing HINT.  
When the computer comes back  
with its move, you will briefly  
see the word “OP En” on the  
screen if you have another  
opening move to make. If “OP  
En” does not appear, you may  
continue normal play or go on to  
another opening. You have com-  
pleted the training for that open-  
ing line.  
10. Sicilian, Classical Defense  
11. Sicilian, Accelerated Dragon  
12. Sicilian, Rossolimo Attack  
13. Sicilian, Dragon Variation  
14. Sicilian, Scheveningen  
Variation  
15. Sicilian, Najdorf Variation  
16. Sicilian, Moscow Variation  
17. Caro-Kann Defense  
18. Panov-Botvinnik Attack  
19. French Defense, Winawer  
Variation  
20. French Defense,  
Classical Defense  
21. French Defense,  
McCutcheon Variation  
22. French Defense,  
8.4 MULTI-MOVE:  
setting up your own  
opening positions  
King Arthur also allows you to  
set up any book opening you  
want—or even an opening you  
invent—to practice. Press  
MULTI-MOVE. Your display  
will read “PLAYr.” Make sure  
the number of players is set to 2.  
Then make moves for both sides  
until the opening position you  
want to practice is reached. Then  
press MULTI-MOVE again to  
set the number of players to 1.  
Press CLEAR and play against  
the computer in this position.  
Tarrasch Variation  
23. Queens Gambit Accepted  
24. Queens Gambit Declined  
25. Queens Gambit,  
Semi-Slav Defense  
26. Queens Gambit,  
Tarrasch Defense  
27. Queens Gambit, Slav Defense  
28. Nimzo-Indian  
Defense, Rubinstein Variation  
29. Nimzo-Indian  
Defense, Classical Variation  
30. Queens Indian Defense  
31. Queens Indian  
Below are the numbers and  
names of openings that you can  
study with King Arthurs Book  
Opening Trainer.  
1. Ruy Lopez, Exchange  
Variation  
2. Ruy Lopez, Closed Defense  
3. Ruy Lopez, Open Defense  
4. Ruy Lopez Archangel Defense  
5. Giuoco Piano  
8.5  
Great Games  
Now play a move. If your  
6. Scotch Game  
One of the many extra features  
offered by King Arthur that is  
both great chess training and a  
lot of fun is the Great Games.  
Over the centuries there have  
been many chess masterpieces  
that players have recorded, stud-  
ied, and passed down to follow-  
ing generations. Top chess play-  
Defense, Petrosian Variation  
32. Bogo-Indian Defense  
33. Gruenfeld Defense  
34. King’s Indian Defense  
After the first move of any opening,  
whenever it’s your move, you can switch sides  
with King Arthur by pressing MOVE.  
In this way, you can practice both sides of these  
important, standard chess openings.  
These openings and the expla-  
nations of each move, along  
with example games by chess  
masters, are given in many  
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ers know many such games by  
heart.  
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ment (more of his pieces are deployed) and  
the bishop pair (two bishops against a bish-  
op and knight). These two important advan-  
tages were all Morphy needed. After Black  
wastes even more time with another pawn  
move, 9. … b5?, Morphy hits the duo with a  
series of brilliant sacrifices to mate. Victory  
of mind over material is the poetry of chess.  
automatically give you the win-  
ning side. Make the best move  
you find!  
tions, and dates of the great  
games are given below, along  
with a brief explanation of each  
game by popular chess writer Al  
Lawrence. (All game explana-  
King Arthur gives you 16 such  
games to enjoy and study.  
Whats more, you play the win-  
ning side in these masterpieces  
and try to find the same ingen-  
ious moves the great masters  
did! Don’t worry; King Arthur  
will help you whenever you  
want. Just push the HINT key to  
find the next move. (Don’t feel  
bad about pushing the HINT key  
often—after all, these are among  
the worlds most brilliant games!)  
To access this feature, at the  
beginning of a game, press  
MODE until “GA ME” is dis-  
played. Then press > until the  
number of the great game (see  
list below) you want to see is  
displayed in the upper left of the  
display. (You can use < to “loop”  
backward in the list. For exam-  
ple, if you want to select Great  
Game 15, its faster to use the <  
key.)  
King Arthur will give you  
points for each correct move that  
you make. 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 cor-  
rect next great-game move.  
If you don’t play the correct  
great-game move, an error buzz  
will sound, the incorrect move  
will NOT be played, 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.  
tions are  
©
2000 by Al  
4.Wilhelm Steinitz vs. Kurt von  
Bardeleben, Hastings, 1895  
Lawrence; all rights reserved.)  
Wilhelm Steinitz, the first official world  
champion, begins this game as a Giuoco  
Piano. He maneuvers deftly to keep his  
opponent from castling into safety. Then he  
sacrifices his pawn on d5 so that he can  
make the square available for his knight. But  
the most brilliant move of the game is 22.  
Rxe7+. At first glance, it simply looks like a  
blunder. All of White's pieces are attacked,  
and if Black wasn't in check, he could play  
… Rxc1+ with mate next. But if Black can't  
take the rook—with either his king or  
queen—he loses in all variations. And by not  
taking it, he is eventually mated anyway. If  
you're interested in these complex lines, you  
can find a complete explanation of this clas-  
sic game in many books.  
1. Adolf Anderssen vs. Lionel  
Kieseritsky, London, 1851  
This marvelous attacking game, a King's  
Gambit, is widely known as "The Immortal  
Game." Both players show the 19th-century  
preference for attack at all costs, and  
Anderssen was one of the most ingenious  
attackers of all time. After 18. Bd6, he gives  
away both of his rooks and his queen! In the  
final position, his tiny force is deployed in  
just the right way to bring the complete Black  
army to its knees.  
2. Adolf Anderssen vs. J. Dufresne,  
Berlin, 1852  
Again we see Anderssen bamboozling his  
opponent. The game starts as an Evan's  
Gambit, a form of the Giuoco Piano. White's  
19th move, Rad1!! is one of the most cele-  
brated in the history of the game. With his  
reply, … Qxf3, Black actually wins a knight  
and threatens mate.You'd think that would be  
enough! But Anderssen follows with a rook  
and queen sacrifice that forces checkmate in  
a shower of brilliant blows. This classic is  
known as the "Evergreen Game."  
5. Alexander Alekhine vs.  
O. Tenner, Cologne, 1911  
World Champion Alekhine was a chess  
fanatic (he even named his cat "Chess") and  
one of the greatest attacking players of all  
time. Here he plays the unusual Bishop's  
Opening and seems to be developing quietly.  
Black even appears to be getting a good  
game just at the time Alekhine is able to play  
the swashbuckling 11. Nxe5, allowing Black  
to capture his queen. Black's king is forced  
to march to the center of the board, an  
unhealthy spot for a monarch when so many  
pieces are still on the board, where he is  
mated. It's important to understand that such  
sacrifices don't just happen illogically.  
White's pieces again had a dominating com-  
mand of the board, and Black allowed  
White's pressure on f7, Black's most sensi-  
tive defensive square when he hasn't castled,  
to build into an explosion.  
These famous games by some  
of the most brilliant chess mas-  
ters of all time can be found,  
along with full explanations of  
the reasoning behind the bril-  
liant moves, in many books on  
chess.  
3. Paul Morphy vs. Duke Karl  
& Count Isouard, Paris, 1858  
While in Paris at the opera, the brilliant,  
unofficial world champion from New  
Orleans plays an offhand game against two  
noblemen. In this case, we're sure it was over  
before the fat lady sang! In a Philidor  
Defense, the team of two played a weak 3. …  
Bg5 that left Morphy with superior develop-  
Along with the game number,  
you will see the position of the  
game after the first two moves  
were played. King Arthur will  
The numbers, players, loca-  
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6. Gaudersen vs. Paul, Melbourne, 1928  
This "miniature" of only 15 moves, starts off  
as a French Defense in which White plays  
the Advance Variation, placing his pawns on  
d4 and e5. Black's 8th move, castling, was in  
this case a blunder because his kingside is  
attacked by many pieces and not effectively  
defended. White's sparkling 9. Bxh7+ is an  
example of a bishop sacrifice that's hap-  
pened so often it has a name—the "Greek  
Gift." White's 14. Nxe6+ is an example of a  
discovered check, the dive bomber of the  
chessboard. White's amusing 15th move is a  
very rare example of checkmate with the en  
passant capture.  
queen's rook and bishop seem to be waiting  
for the next game. They don't have long to  
wait.  
"unemployed" queen and rook on a8 and b8!  
all the way to the 7th rank. Because of this  
queening threat, White is able to sacrifice his  
queen for one of Black's defending rooks. In  
the final position, it's hopeless for Black  
because White will either promote his pawn  
to a queen or capture whatever Black uses to  
block on d8.  
12. J. Banas vs. P. Lukacs, Trnava, 1986  
In a Four Knights' Game, Black gets his king  
into safety by castling and takes advantage of  
White's awkward piece placement by sacri-  
ficing his knight with 9. … Nf3+. Then he  
allows White to take his bishop on c5. But by  
that time, White's king is surrounded. In the  
final position, after 13. … Ng4, White's only  
effective defender, his knight on e3, is forced  
from its square, allowing … Qg2 mate.  
9. Aaron Nimzovich vs.  
S. Alapin, Riga, 1913  
Another French Defense. In this one, the  
great Latvian player and writer Nimzovich  
(after whom the Nimzo-Indian Opening is  
named—see page 6) plays an opponent who  
wastes time stealing a pawn with 9. … Qxg2.  
"Nimzo" plays a punishing 12. O-O-O!, sac-  
rificing his knight. He finishes up with a  
convincing queen sacrifice that forces  
checkmate.  
15. Robert Fischer vs. Reuben Fine,  
New York, 1963  
Nine years before winning the world cham-  
pionship, Bobby Fischer played this Evan's  
Gambit (a variation of the Giuoco Piano)  
against his famous elder. Bobby sacrifices  
two pawns in order to get his pieces out  
quickly. Then he plays 14. h2-h4!, sacrific-  
ing another pawn to force the Black queen  
away from the g7-square. After that, Black's  
king will be stuck in the center and in danger  
of the h4-d8 diagonal. Bobby's final move,  
17. Qg3!, forces Fine to resign, because he  
must move his queen from the critical black  
diagonal h4-d8. Even on 17. … Qxg3, White  
ignores the capture of his own queen and  
plays 18. Bf6 mate!  
13. Anatoly Karpov vs.  
Victor Kortchnoi, Moscow, 1974  
Twentieth-century chess perfected defense.  
It is no longer typical to see top-level players  
playing only for the attack. In fact, Korchnoi  
at the time of this game was one of the best  
in the world, and his forte was defense. Many  
fine players would attack him ingeniously,  
only to break up on his rock-like fortifica-  
tions. Still, World Champion Karpov crushes  
him in only 27 moves with a mating attack!  
In a classic manner against Black's Sicilian  
Dragon defense (so named probably because  
of the "tail" of control Black's bishop makes  
from g7 to a1), Karpov plays the St. George  
attack, castling queenside and prying open  
the h-file to slay the dragon.  
10. Jose Capablanca vs. Herman Steiner,  
Los Angeles, 1933  
7. Edward Lasker vs.  
George Thomas, London, 1910  
The handsome Cuban World Champion Jose  
Capablanca had a deceptively simple style.  
Here we see him playing the old-fashioned  
Four Knights' game and opening up his  
opponent's kingside pawn protection by  
move 11! His first rook sacrifice, 17. Rxf6!,  
can't be refused and forces Black's king into  
a deadly crossfire. With 23. Qxb7!, Capa  
offers a second rook, which can't be taken  
immediately because of 23. … Qxf6? 24.  
Qb4 checkmate. But Black is forced to take  
the rook a move later and mate follows on  
the same square.  
This masterpiece, a Dutch Defense, features  
a famous example of the kings walk to mate.  
Edward, an American distant cousin of the  
great world champion Emmanuel Lasker,  
gets his pieces activated against Black's  
kingside while the English champion  
Thomas develops (gets his pieces off the  
back rank and into play) too slowly. By 10.  
Qh5, White is already threatening an all-out  
blitzkrieg. His brilliant queen sacrifice 11.  
Qxh7 is followed by a devastating discovered  
double check, 12. Nxf6++. Then Black's king  
has to walk the plank, all the way across the  
board to g1, the normal spot for the White  
king! Here he breathes his last.  
16. Lajos Portisch vs. Johannessen,  
Havana, 1966  
During the first half of this game, a Queen's  
Gambit Slav, the great Hungarian grandmas-  
ter Lajos Portisch locks up the center with a  
d4-e5 structure by move 14. This gives him a  
"beachhead" on e5 and makes it hard for  
Black to counterattack in the center, which is  
the standard antidote for an attack on the  
wing. The next stage starts with 16. h4.  
Portisch announces his intention to attack on  
the kingside. He refrains from castling his  
own king into safety because he knows its  
safe enough in the center, at least for the time  
it will take him to break through with his  
attack. When Black tries to trade off pieces  
with 17. … Bxf3, Portisch sacrifices a knight  
for an unstoppable attack with 18. Bxh6 and  
then calmly moves his king to the second  
rank to bring his other rook into the game.  
His Rxh4 was another brilliant sacrifice that  
crushes any hope of defense. In the final  
position, Black resigns because White will  
simply play 26. Rxh6+, winning the Black  
14. Boris Spassky vs. Tigran Petrosian,  
Moscow, 1969  
11. Mikhail Botvinnik vs. Paul Keres,  
The Hague, 1948  
Spassky won the world championship from  
Petrosian in the match that produced this  
game. In this English Opening that becomes  
a Queen's Gambit, you'll see that once again  
White gets a strong center and quick devel-  
opment of his pieces. As early as 13. Rd1,  
you can sense that Black is in danger. His  
king has no piece defenders; his forces seem  
passive while White's are aggressively coor-  
dinated. As often happens in such situations,  
White breaks through with a pawn push in  
the center, in this case 15. d4-d5!. It clears  
the board for White's more active forces.  
Petrosian, one of the best defenders of all  
time, tries repeatedly to trade queens, but  
White wisely rebuffs these offers, which  
would take much of the power off the board.  
White's d-pawn becomes a star, advancing  
Botvinnik won the world championship a  
record three times. His opponent here is pos-  
sibly the strongest 20th-century chess player  
who did not become world champion. The  
opening is a Nimzo-Indian. White's doubled  
pawns are potentially a long-term weakness,  
but in the short term they control a good  
many all-important central squares. White  
plays cleverly to keep a grip on the position  
and breaks through on the queenside with his  
pawn-push 17. c4-c5. This gives him a  
chance to bring his queenside rook into  
action. He swings it against the kingside,  
sacrificing it on g7 to win. In the final posi-  
tion, Black's king will be mated by the White  
queen, supported by the bishop on c1. Where  
did Black go wrong? Take a look at his  
8. Wilhelm Steinitz vs. A. Mongredien,  
London, 1862  
This game starts out as a Center Counter  
(also called Scandinavian Defense). Black  
loses too much time developing his pieces,  
while White gets his into play aggressively.  
Indeed, White's army dominates the all-  
important center of the board as well as the  
king's side. This sets the stage for a mating  
attack. White's two-move maneuver 13. Rf3  
and 14. Rh3 is called a rook lift, and is a typ-  
ical attacking strategy. This rook then sacri-  
fices itself on h7 in a way that allows Steinitz  
to bring his other rook quickly into the fray.  
White is a rook down, but all of his forces  
take part in the assault, while the Black  
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ENGLISH  
queen. If 26. … Qxh6, then White plays 27.  
Qxh6+ and will mate on h7.  
ENGLISH  
pieces—for example, from a  
knight to a queen. Obviously,  
this feature lets you strengthen  
your side of the game or the  
computers, resurrect lost pieces,  
or even move your king out of an  
imminent checkmate threat.  
up yourself. It also allows you to  
enter game positions you want  
to play, or that you want King  
Arthur to look at, perhaps using  
his Infinite Search level (see  
Chapter 7).  
Normally, it is easier to start  
from an empty board to set up  
such problems. So first, press  
OPTION until “CLr Br” (clear  
board) is displayed. Then press  
the SETUP key. You’ll see that  
your display board is automati-  
cally cleared. The word “nOnE”  
will appear.  
You’re ready to set up the  
kings in the new position.  
(Notice that the SETUP key is  
also the king key.) Press the sen-  
sory board square on which one  
of the kings should stand. Push  
the square until the king is the  
proper color on your display.  
Then press the square on which  
the other king should stand;  
9.3 Adding a piece or  
changing the type of a  
piece  
At any time during a game  
when it is your move, you may  
change the position on the board  
by adding a piece or pieces,  
removing one or more pieces, or  
even changing any of the  
To add or change a piece,  
press SETUP, then press the key  
that indicates the type of piece  
you want to place on the board.  
Then press the square on the  
sensory board until the piece  
appears as the correct color on  
your display board. Press  
CLEAR to continue the game.  
KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER 9:  
SETTING UP SPECIAL  
POSITIONS  
9.4 Setting up special  
positions & problems  
Using the three techniques  
above, you can easily relocate a  
piece by chossing its square,  
making it blank, and then choos-  
ing another square and setting  
up the piece once again.  
Using the SETUP key, you  
can also set up a problem you  
want King Arthur to solve or a  
position you want to practice  
with King Arthur. Your LCD  
board display makes it easy to  
see the position and verify it as  
you’re setting it up. The whole  
process takes only a minute.  
tinue the game.  
9.2 Changing  
the color of a piece  
Press the SETUP key. Press  
the key that shows the same  
type of piece as the one that you  
want to change the color of.  
(The piece keys are located to  
the left of the display.) On the  
sensory board, then press the  
square of the piece until it  
appears the right color on your  
display. Press CLEAR to con-  
tinue.  
This is another terrific feature  
that allows you to solve prob-  
lems that you see in magazines  
or newspapers, or that you make  
9.1 Removing a piece  
Using the above three techniques, you can  
easily relocate a piece by choosing its square,  
making it blank, and then choosing another  
square and setting up the piece once again.  
Press the SETUP key. Then,  
on the large, sensory board,  
press the square the piece is on  
until the square on your display  
is empty. Press CLEAR to con-  
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ENGLISH  
ENGLISH  
KING ARTHUR  
CHAPTER 10:  
IMPORTANT TECHNICAL  
DETAILS  
press it until the king is the cor-  
rect color. (You won’t be permit-  
ted to leave the SETUP mode  
until both the White and Black  
king are placed.)  
Next, pick out another piece in  
the problem or position you  
want to set up, and press the  
appropriate piece key to the left  
of the display. Then press the  
square on the sensory board  
where this piece should stand.  
Press the square until the piece  
appears in the right color on  
your display.  
Follow this procedure until all  
the pieces in the problem or  
position are completely set up.  
Make sure that King Arthur  
knows which color is to move—  
press CONTRAST (/) to  
change the side to move. Finally,  
press CLEAR to play or to have  
King Arthur analyze the posi-  
tion.  
10.1 The ACL button  
10.2 Special Care  
Avoid rough handling such as  
bumping or dropping.  
King Arthur may occasionally  
“freeze up” or refuse to function  
properly because of static elec-  
tric discharge. If this happens,  
press the ALL CLEAR (ACL)  
button.  
Avoid moisture and extreme tem-  
peratures. Store away from win-  
dows and other direct sources of  
heat and cold, such as heating, air  
vents or direct sunlight. For best  
results, use between the tempera-  
tures of 39º and 100º Fahrenheit  
(4º and 38º Celsius).  
To do this, turn King Arthur  
upside-down so the battery com-  
partment is on the upper right.  
The ALL CLEAR button is  
recessed. You'll see a "dimple"  
toward the bottom right. It has a  
small hole in it. Gently push a  
ballpoint pen or a straightened  
paper clip into the hole and then  
release. You'll again hear King  
Arthur's ready tones.  
Nearly all operational problems are caused by incor-  
rectly registering moves! King Arthur can’t see your  
moves, he has to “feel” them. Remember—always follow the  
simple two-step  
Clean using only a slightly damp  
cloth. Do not use cleaners with  
chemical agents.  
procedure:  
1. Push the FROM square; listen for  
the confirming, high-pitched beep.  
2. Push the TO square; listen for  
the confirming, high-pitched beep.  
SPECIAL NOTE: After you push  
the ACL button, King Arthur will have  
forgotten any game positions that may  
have been in his memory.  
If a low-pitched beep sounds, look carefully at the LCD and  
follow the directions displayed to replace the illegally moved  
piece. Then make a legal move.  
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ENGLISH  
ENGLISH  
10.3 Battery Information 10.4 Limited One-Year  
LIMITED  
O
NE-YEAR WARRANTY  
Warranty  
Any applicable implied warranties,  
including warranties of merchantability  
and fitness, are hereby limited to 90  
DAYS from the date of purchase.  
Consequential or incidental damages  
resulting from a breach of any applica-  
ble express or implied warranties are  
hereby excluded. Some states do not  
allow limitations on the duration of  
implied warranties and do not allow  
exclusion of incidental or consequential  
damages, so the above limitations and  
exclusions in these instances may not  
apply. The only authorized service cen-  
ter in the United States is:  
Ship the unit carefully packed, prefer-  
ably in the original carton, and send it  
prepaid, and adequately insured. Include  
a letter, detailing the complaint and  
including your daytime telephone num-  
ber, inside the shipping carton.  
CAUTION: BATTERIES  
EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS, INC., war-  
rants to the original consumer that its prod-  
ucts are free from any electrical or mechan-  
ical defects for a period of ONEYEAR from  
SHOULD BE REMOVED  
AND REPLACED BY  
ADULTS ONLY.  
King Arthur uses 3 AA bat-  
teries, not included.  
Do not mix old and new  
the date of purchase. If any such defect is  
discovered within the warranty 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 on  
the back page of this operating manual.  
If your warranty has expired and you  
want an estimated fee for service, write  
to the above address, specifying the  
model and the problem.  
batteries.  
Do not mix alkaline, stan-  
dard (carbon-zinc) or  
rechargeable (nickel-cadmi-  
um) batteries.  
PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR  
UNIT WITHOUT RECEIVING AN  
ESTIMATE FOR SERVICING. WE  
CANNOT STORE YOUR UNIT!  
The warranty covers normal consumer use  
and does not cover damage that occurs in  
shipment or failure that results from alter-  
ations, accident, misuse, 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.  
Do not use rechargeable  
Excalibur Electronics, Inc.  
13755 SW 119th Ave  
Miami, Florida 33186 U.S.A.  
batteries.  
To avoid explosion or leak-  
age, do not dispose of bat-  
teries in a fire or attempt to  
recharge standard or alka-  
line batteries.  
Phone: 305.477.8080  
Fax: 305.477.9516  
Be sure to insert batteries  
with the correct polarities  
and always follow the toy  
and battery manufacturers’  
instructions.  
Remove batteries and store  
them in a cool, dry place  
when not in use.  
(Warranty information is continued  
on following page.)  
We make  
you think.  
Always remove old and  
dead batteries from the  
product.  
The supply terminals are  
not to be short-circuited.  
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Excalibur Electronics, Inc.  
13755 SW 119th Avenue,  
Miami, Florida 33186 U.S.A.  
Phone: 305.477.8080  
Fax: 305.477.9516  
Play games live at:  
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