Levels
of skill
Full-strength
playing levels
Blitz games
In blitz chess all the moves of the game must be played within a certain time,
which is usually given in minutes. In addition, you can give a bonus (in seconds)
for each move. This is added to the time allocation as soon as the move is
executed. It prevents one side from winning a game purely on the basis of the
other side running out of time. You can also give the human opponent a time
advantage – for the entire game, or for each move. This can compensate
for move entry time, or be a handicap which allows you to think longer than
the computer.
Long
games
In tournament chess you are
required to execute a certain number of moves in a given
time. Usually the game has a number of phases, e.g., two
hours for the first 40 moves, one hour for the next 20, and
30 minutes for the rest of the game (a very common tournament
control).
You
can use “Long game” to adjust the time allocations
or number of moves per phase. You can also select one of
the common levels predefined in the dialog box (“Defaults”).
If
you set the time of the second and third time controls
to zero, they are ignored as the first time control is
always used.
Overstepping
each of these time controls means you lose the game. If
you use less than the specified time in any phase, it is
added to the next phase.
Reduced
playing strength levels
Friend
mode
In
this mode the program automatically adjusts its level of
play to match that of the opponent. When you start, it asks
you for your “Handicap”. This is similar to golf
and is measured in 100ths of a pawn. If you give a high value
(e.g., 200 = two pawns) the program will reduce its strength
considerably. Afterwards the program will adjust your handicap
to reflect your real playing strength. The smaller your handicap,
the stronger you are. Top players will indeed achieve a negative
handicap. If after about six games the program sets your
handicap to below –400 (= minus four pawns), you are
advised to practice elementary chess tactics and to concentrate
on avoiding material loss. You should consider using the
coach functions “Threatened squares” and “Show
threat”.
The “Friend
mode” can be used by beginners and strong players alike.
The chess clock only records the time and has no further
relevance, so you can think for as long as you like.
Sparring
“Sparring” is
an excellent training level for moderately advanced players.
The program plays a reasonably strong game, but at the same
time makes tactical errors. If the program finds a move that
allows the opponent to gain a tactical advantage in a clever
way, it will play that move. It is a very realistic human
style, the kind you encounter in a chess club.
You can
select the grade of difficulty of the tactics that will
be offered. Very easy is for players with an Elo of around
1400 and usually involves finding forks and two move combinations.
Normal is meant for players between 1700 and 1900, and
very hard is for players from 1900 all the way up to GMs.
When
you use the “Sparring” mode, there is a choice
from very easy to really hard. You can also specify whether
the program should “point out wins” (i.e.,
flash a red light below the board when there is a good
move available for you).
Alternately,
the program will not warn you, but the message “you
missed something” appears in the notation. This allows
you to play through the game later and see where you missed
a chance.
“Sparring” is
good for moderately advanced players to top club players.
The chess clock only records the time in sparring mode,
and has no further relevance, so you can think for as long
as you like.
Handicap
and fun
On a
fast computer, this program is stronger than 99.99% of
all chess players. If you are a beginner or an occasional
player this would normally mean merciless beatings in every
single game. That can be pretty frustrating, and indeed
put you off chess.
For this
reason, there are a number of predefined handicap levels
in which you can reduce the playing strength and modify
the style of of the engine in many different ways. By moving
the sliders you can increase or decrease the base strength,
force king attacks and piece trading, influence the direction
of play, etc.
Predefined
opponents: You can pick from a list
of pretty weird opponents (moron, patzer, drunk, fraidy
cat, desperado, etc.). Each has his own personality
and displays a different kind of strategic blindness.
Playing
strength: You can set a base playing
strength in Elo rating points. Unfortunately, it is
not possible to go down as far as would sometimes be
necessary. You can, however, load the Fritz 1.20 engine
which is weaker than all the other engines.
King's
attack: This determines whether the
program will be primarily concerned with attacking
your king, even if it means neglecting its own safety.
Piece
trading: Should the program trade pieces
at every opportunity?
Playing
direction: Should it keep moving forward
or keep retreating its pieces?
King
and queenside: The pieces are moved
towards the king or queen side of the board.
King's
defence: Should the program be concerned
about its king's safety, or should it simply ignore
this?
Piece
play: You can specify which pieces
the program should use. The slider at the bottom determines
how often the program should move these pieces.
Blunder
range: You
can specify how much material the program should be
willing to sacrifice for the opportunity to fulfil
the other criteria. For instance, if you have set maximum
piece play with the queen and a blunder range of 1.0,
this means that the program will sometimes sacrifice
a pawn in order to be able to move the queen. A setting
of 3.0 or more will make it sacrifice a whole piece
for the privilege.
The chess
clock only records the time and has no further relevance,
so you can think for as long as you like.
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