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won or lost. A display of Checkmate! will then end the game.
The computer recognizes draws by stalemate, three-fold repetition,
and the 50-move rule. In each of these cases, the corresponding
display will be shown after the drawing move has been made.
2.5 Try the Self-Rating System
Whenever you play on any of the Tournament Levels, the computer
will provide you with an approximate ELO rating after the game has
ended, based on your performance. Not sure what a “rating” is? It’s a
universally recognized method of measuring chess performance or
describing relative playing ability. The international body which
governs chess is called FIDE, or
Fédération Internationale des
Échecs,
and FIDE ratings are sometimes referred to as ELO ratings.
The United States Chess Federation (USCF) uses a similar rating
system. Ratings are usually four-digit numbers, with stronger players
having higher ratings. Towards the upper end of the scale, Masters
rank in at 2200 and above, with International Grandmasters at 2500+.
Want to know where you stand? Here’s your chance! Refer to Section
5.3 for more information on the Tournament Levels.
2.6 Want a Hint? Just Ask!
If you ever need help with a move, the computer will be glad to
oblige! Press HINT/INFO during your turn, and the computer will
display a move suggestion. If the hint happens to be e4xd5, for
example, Ply 1: e4xd5 will be displayed. A “ply” is an individual
move, or a move for either side. The hint can take from one to five
seconds to show, but it may sometimes take longer. To accept the
hint, make the displayed move on the board. To make a different
move, simply disregard the hint and make a move of your own. You
can also cancel the hint display by pressing ‘ (CLEAR).
2.7 Interrupting the Search
To interrupt the computer while it’s thinking about a move, press
ENTER. This forces the computer to play the best move it has found
so far. This feature can be extremely useful on the higher levels,
where the computer may take a long time to move, and on the Infinite
and Tactical Levels, where it thinks indefinitely unless you stop it.
On the Problem Solving Levels, pressing ENTER while the com-
puter is thinking will not cause the computer to make a move. Instead,
the computer will display No move found! to indicate that it was
interrupted before finding a mate. To continue, switch to another level.