ULTRA CHESS - (C)1985 AACKOSOFT
===============================

ULTRA CHESS represents a 'State of the Art' chess program especially written
for MSX home computers.
All the usual moves including pawn capture en passant and promotion are
catered for in the program. Features include infinite levels of play, load a
previously saved game, a comprehensive analyse routine, user selectable
colours for the board and pieces, take the game back one move and a
recommended move option. 

Loading ULTRA CHESS
-------------------
To load, type RUN"CAS:" and press <RETURN>, then start your cassette recorder. 

After loading the program will run automatically and you will be asked to
choose one of the following options: 

"P" Play 
"A" Analyse 
"L" Load a previously saved game 

PLAY
----
Pressing <P> and <RETURN> from the title page takes you into the PLAY option
where you will be asked to choose which colour you wish to play (B or W) and
the time that the computer may think for (in seconds). After pressing <RETURN>
the display will show the board in the upper right corner, and on the left of
this both clocks and a clock that indicates the elapsed time per move.

Entering the moves 
------------------
To make a move you enter the coordinates of the piece you wish to move, a
space or a minus sign and the coordinates of the square to which you wish to
move it, followed by <RETURN>. 

e.g. E2 E4 <RETURN> or E2-E4 <RETURN> 

Before pressing <RETURN> you can change the entered move by using the BS
(Backspace) key. After playing the move you can change the last move by means
of option T (see special options). Before playing its move the computer will
display the subsequent moves it is considering.
When the thinking time has expired the best move until then will be made. 
When a move involves a capture of an opponent's piece this will be shown by a
cross sign (e.g. H4XH5) and the piece in question will be removed from the
board. 
If you wish to castle all you need do is type in the KING'S move. Castling
will be shown as 0-0. 
The last eight moves will be shown in the list on the screen. 
Should you try to make an invalid move the program will not carry it out and
will prompt 'invalid move', to correct this enter a new move. Check and
checkmate are announced by prompts. After coming to a check mate you can
return to the title screen by hitting any key.

OPTIONS
-------
In addition to the normal play routine several options are available: 
<F5> or <?>
     The computer will recommend a move for you, but only if it has had enough
     time to think out its own strategy. Therefore, when the computer is
     playing its opening moves from the 'book' or it is playing to a very
     short time limit it is probable that this option will not work.
<ESC> or <STOP> 
     This option will stop the game and return you to the initial page,
     enabling you to enter the analyse routine, start a new game or load a
     previously saved game. 
<T>  To take you back one move. This vital option allows you to recover from
     typing errors. 
<S>  Pressing <S> when in play allows you to save the current game to tape.
     Start your cassette recorder and press <S>. After saving you can proceed
     with the game. 
<P>  Print. This option will print a copy of the board to a printer. The board
     will be printed in a simplified way. A copy can be a big help in setting
     up a position in the analyse mode. 
<1>  List. Pressing <L> when in play will list all the moves to date, either
     to the printer (if attached) or the screen. Please note that if the
     printer is attached it must be on line! Pressing any key will bring you
     back to the game. 
<0>  Colours. This option enables you to change colours of the pieces and the
     board. After pressing <0> you can change the colours of the different
     pieces and squares by repeatedly pressing the following function keys:
       Fl colour of the dark squares
       F2 colour of the white squares
       F3 colour of the white pieces
       F4 colour of the black pieces
     After having selected the proper combination of colours you can fix them
     by pressing <RETURN>, which will also take you back to the game. 
SPACE BAR 
     Pressing the space bar whilst the computer is thinking will force it to
     make its move, even if the available time has not expired.

ANALYSE 
-------
Pressing A from the title page takes you into the analyse routine. On entry
the board will be set up as it was when the entry to the analyse routine was
requested. You will see a flashing cursor which you may move around the board
with the cursor keys or ajoystick which operates on the cursor keys.
The following options are available: 
  C  This will clear the whole board. 
  E  This will clear the square over which the flashing cursor is currently
     situated. 
  I  Pressing I will initialise the board to the starting positions. 
  S  This option will restore the board to the position before using either of
     the above options. 

Entering a piece
----------------
With the cursor over the desired position type the initial letter of the piece
that you require, noting that to place a knight you would press <N> (to
differentiate from a king), followed by its colour (either W or B). For
certain pieces (kings and rooks) you will then be asked whether the piece has
moved. Reply Y(es)or N(o). This informs the computer whether castling will be
permitted. 

   p pawn
   B bishop
   N knight
   R rook 
   Q queen
   K king 

By pressing <ESC> or <STOP> you can return to the play mode. Remember to
restore the board to the position of the game (option S) before going back to
the game, otherwise the position will be lost.
Upon entering the play mode the program will ask the following questions: 

   colour to move (B, W)
   move number (N,N)
   your colour (B,W) 
   time limit (seconds) 

Hitting <RETURN> after entering the number of seconds will bring you back to
the board.

LOADING AND SAVING
------------------
To load a previously saved game proceed as follows: 
From the title page type <L> and start the recorder. The game will be in the
same stage as it was when you saved the game.

