Copyright: ®1995 Imagination Enterprises
Citation: ®1995 Imagination Enterprises


Program Overview
Grandmaster Championship Chess Version 1.0

Welcome to Grandmaster Championship Chess, the most powerful & versatile chess program developed for Microsoft Windows.

Help is available on the following topics:

•	The Rules of Chess

•	Entering Moves

•	The Control Panel

•	The Menu Bar

If youd like to search for help on a topic, click the Search button above.


The Control Panel

At the bottom of the screen you will see a VCR-style control panel which looks like this:

The List button will toggle the game Move List window on or off.

The Clock button will toggle the Clock window on or off.

The Advise button will cause the computer to search the current position and give you natural language advice.

The Hint button will cause the computer to find a suggested move for you.

The Book button will display a list of legal moves from this position with a score for each one found in the opening book.

The Think button toggles the Thinking Window on or off.

Use the < or > buttons to undo moves or advance through a game.

The Move button forces the computer to calculate a move.


The Menu Bar Commands
The Menu Bar

The Menu Bar, just above the board, controls all program options.

Select from the following menus:

File Menu	Games Menu

Analysis Menu	Openings Menu

Preferences Menu	Communications Menu


The File Menu

Save Game - Saves the current game to a file.

Load Game - Loads a game from a file.  The current game on the screen is replaced by the loaded game.

Load PGN Game - Loads a game from a list of games in Portable Game Notation (PGN).  Thousands of games are available on the Grandmaster CD-ROM in PGN format, and you can collect many more from the Internet and computer service providers like AOL and CompuServe.

Export Game to ASCII - Saves the game to a text file in reduced algebraic notation.  You can then import these ASCII files into most word processors--send your favorite games to friends in letters!

Import Game from ASCII - Reads a game from a text file.  You can use this to import games from other programs which can save in ASCII format.

Print Game Moves - Prints all the moves in the current game in reduced algebraic notation.

Print Diagram - Prints the current board diagram.

Save Settings - Saves the current settings (board type, strength, time control and so on).  Settings are also saved automatically when you quit the program.

Quit - Quits the program.


The Games Menu

Start New Standard Game - Begins a new game, resetting the board.  The current game is lost.

Start New Special Game - Begins a special new game, resetting the board.  The current game is lost.  You can play games with piece odds, play a game of Pheasant or other variations on chess.  In Pheasant, like normal chess, the object is to checkmate your opponent -- but white has only 8 pawns and black has 2 knights and one pawn.  If you find the program too hard to beat, try playing a game with piece odds.  Another variation available is scrambled pieces.  The pieces are given random starting positions.  It is interesting to play with 2 bishops both on white squares!

Resign - Lets you resign the game.

List Moves - Puts a scroll box on the screen listing all the moves in this game.  You can instantly return to a move by clicking on it.

Make Move - Forces the computer to calculate a move.  You can have the computer move for you, if it's your turn to move.  Pressing the Move button while the computer is thinking will cause it to move immediately--playing the best move it has found so far.

Undo Move - Takes back the last move made.

Next Move - Makes the next move in the current game.  To have the computer calculate a move, use Make Move.

Switch Sides - Exchanges control of Black and White pieces.

Set Players - Lets you choose to play against the computer or another human.  If Human is selected, the computer will not make a move for you but will monitor moves for legality.  You can also choose Computer vs. Computer to have Grandmaster play both sides while you watch.

Playing Strength - You can choose how well the computer plays from Beginner level (weakest) to Master + (strongest).  You can also control the playing strength by limiting the time the program uses to search (see Time Control below).  To learn to play chess better, you should select a playing strength that beats you at least 2 out of 3 games.

Playing Style - You can choose the style of play--Balanced, Active of Defensive.

Engine Parameters - the chess playing logic (or engine) can be fine tuned.

Click here for Help on Engine Parameters.

Set Pondering - When checked, pondering will allow Grandmaster to predict a move for you and calculate a response while you are choosing a move.  This improves play if the prediction is right.

Time Control - Lets you set how long Grandmaster takes to calculate a move.

Adjust Clocks - Lets you adjust the clocks for White or Black.

Edit Board - Lets you create any board position to analyze.  Click on a square to highlight it, then use P for Pawn, N-Knight, B-Bishop, R-rook, Q-queen and K-King.  Menus let you select color to move or edit.  Click on Done in the menu when you are finished.


The Analysis Menu

Get Hint - Calculates a recommended move for you.

Run Lesson - Lets you select a lesson file (ending in .LSN) and run it.  Lessons give basic strategy, teach you the rules of chess and show you how to play better chess.

Show Thinking - Toggles a Thinking window on or off.  This shows you how the calculated "Best Line" of play, number of board positions searched and score estimate.

Rewind Game - Takes you back to the beginning of the game.  You can use the > and < buttons to step through the game, or bring up the List Moves window and select any move in the game.

Analyze Position - Analyzes the current position and explains the best move sequence found in beginners terms.  Analyze Position can help you learn why a sequence of moves is good.

Compute Rating - Computes an estimated USCF rating for you based on the results of completed games you have played.  You should play 20 games or more to get an accurate rating.

Reset Rating - Deletes all the information on previously played games to reset the rating estimate.


The Openings Menu

Select Library - Lets you choose the opening book library file you wish to use.

Use Book - When selected, the computer will use the opening book library to help select moves.  Turn this off for weaker play.

Candidate Moves - Shows all legal moves from this position, along with the score of each move in the opening book library (if any).

Adjust Variety - Lets you choose if the program should play what it thinks is the Best move in the opening book library, or play with more variety.

Add Position - Adds the current board position to the opening book library and gives it a score of 0.  Use Change Score to change the score, if desired.

Delete Position - Deletes the current position from the opening book library (if it is found in the current book).

Change Score - Changes the score of the current board position in the opening book library (from -100 to +100).  Scores below  -75 will not be played by the program.  The higher the score, the more likely a move will be played.

Line Add - Adds all moves up to this point in this game to the opening book library, giving them a score of 0.


The Preferences Menu

You may custom configure Grandmaster Championship Chess.   It is suggested that you try various combinations of boards and pieces to find a set you feel comfortable playing.  The following options are available:

Board View - Lets you select 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional board views.

Board Surface - Lets you choose the board surface style.

Piece Set - Let you choose the piece type displayed.

Board Rotation - Rotates the board 180 degrees.

Slide Pieces - Lets you toggle between pieces which slide, or which just jump to their final squares.

Coordinates - Shows coordinates along the edge of the board.

Clock Display - Turns the clock display on or off (only on the 2D board).

Move Notation - Lets you display the moves in Full or Reduced Algebraic notation.

Show Legal Moves - When a piece is selected, all legal moves for that piece will be highlighted.

Sound - Lets you control Beep, Voice and Music play during the game.

Music Selection - Lets you select the .MID file played for music.  You may choose from the selections enclosed with Grandmaster Championship Chess or specify your own file.

Learning - When selected, the computer remembers positions where the score changes significantly to help avoid losses in the future.

Announce Checks - Toggles announcement of checks on or off.

Blindfold - Lets you hide White, Black or both color pieces.

Player Name - Lets you supply your name to the program.


The Communications Menu

Grandmaster Championship Chess allows you to play someone else over the telephone or a computer network.  If communicating over the telephone, each computer must have a modem with the Hayes AT command set (which most do).  If communicating on a computer network, each user must select a directory on a disk drive shared by both computers (such as on a server).

Note:  One side must place the call while the other side answers the phone.

Connect (Place Call) - This will be the side which places the call.  You will get a "ready" message when the connection is made.  You may also get messages like "Busy" or "No Dial Tone" depending on the capabilities of your modem.  If running under Network Play (see below), you may also get a message warning you that you have entered a bad Network Directory Path.

Disconnect - This hangs up the phone or terminates network play.  If you have trouble making a connection, select Disconnect, then try Connect again.

Set Phone Number - Lets you enter the phone number to dial.

Answer (Wait for Call) - This will be the side which waits to answer the phone.  One player must have this item checked, and the other player unchecked.

Network Play - If checked, the computer will communicate by using a common network sub directory instead of using a modem.  You set the common network directory under Settings.

Settings - Lets you enter the Baud Rate, Serial (COM) Port or Network Directory to use in communications.

Simple Terminal - When checked, this lets you play with another person using a simple ASCII terminal program.  Simple ASCII boards and instructions will be displayed for them to use.  Use this option only with Modem play (not Network Play).

Send Message - Sends a text message to the other player.  Useful for talking to the other player and informing them of status or resignation.


Entering Moves

Using the mouse:

Place the mouse cursor over the piece you want to move.  Press and HOLD the left mouse button.  Drag the piece to the desire square, then release the mouse button.

Using the keyboard:

Enter your move in "computer algebraic" (like e2e4<Enter>) or

reduced algebraic (like e4, Nf3, O-O).

If you get the message "Ambiguous Move", this means you must supply more information.  For example, if a Rook on a1 and a Rook on e1 can both move to the d1 square, you will need to enter a move like Rad1 to clarify the confusion.


The Chess Engine Parameters
Chess Engine Parameters

This dialog will let you change the current values of pieces, pawns and let you select scoring and search parameters used by the chess engine.  Maybe you can find setting to make the program even stronger!

Selectivity

Selectivity is used in all the strongest chess engines in one way or another.  This chess engine uses two kinds of selectivity--NULL PRUNING and HEURISTIC PRUNING.  If Use Selectivity is on, the search engine will prune some moves, letting it search deeper at the risk of missing some subtle but powerful move.  For best play, Use Selectivity should be on.

•	NULL PRUNING uses a trick where one side is allowed to move twice in a row.  If it still cannot improve its score, then the first of the two moves was probably bad, and can be safely pruned.

•	HEURISTIC PRUNING uses a set of rules to prune some positions near the horizon of the search tree.  This can speed up the search with little risk, assuming the rules are sound.

PAWN SCORING

You can speed up the search by turning off Pawn Scoring, but the program will no longer do a full analysis of pawn structure and could miss important features like passed pawns.

USE HASH TABLE

The Hash table is used by the engine to remember information about specific positions.  If the same position is reached in a different part of the search, the stored information can be used instead of searching deeper.  Leave Use Hash Table on for best playing strength.

PIECE VALUES

Pawns are always valued at 100.  You can use the scroll bars to change the programs piece values for knights, bishops, rooks and queens.  Kings, of course, are always worth an infinite amount, since losing a king means the game is lost.

DEFAULTS

Click this button to return the ENGINE PARAMETERS to their default values.


The Rules of Chess

You can run the RULES.LSN lesson from the Analysis menu to find out the detailed rules of chess.  Some basic rules are listed below:

  The King can move only one square at a time, left, right, up, down or diagonally.  The king can never be left on a square where it can be captured.  When a position is reached where the king is attacked, but cannot escape, checkmate is reached and the game is over.

 The Queen can move any number of squares up, down, left, right or diagonally--but never through another piece.

 The Rook can move any number of squares up, down left or right, but not diagonally.  The rook can also move with the king in a special move called "castling" explained in the lessons.

 The Bishop always stays on the same color, and can only move diagonally.

 The Knight is the only piece which can jump over other pieces.  Knight moves are always 2 squares in one direction (up, down, left or right), and one square at right angles, forming a "L".

Pawns are the "foot soldiers" of chess.  On their first move, pawns can move forward two squares.  After that, they can only move one square at a time.  Pawns can only capture by moving one square diagonally forward.  When pawns reach the last row of the board, they are promoted to a knight, bishop, rook or queen.

	⇒		Moves:  The White side makes the first move of the game.
The number of moves allowed or the time allotted each player for game play can be adjusted in the Game Menu under the heading Time Control.  A typical game may be 60 moves in 5 minutes.  The time refers to playing time.  When a move is made, time for that player stops counting down and time for the other player starts to count down.