N E C R O M A N C E R C H E S S

(C) Copyright 1991 By Necromancer Software Systems
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.




NOTICE: This product is copyrighted and is not public domain software.

SHAREWARE: Permission is granted to copy and distribute this software
on a not for profit basis, provided that the documentation and the
software are not modified in any manner. This product may not be sold
either by itself or packaged with another product without the express
written permission of Necromancer Software Systems. This document file
must also be included with any distributed copy of the program.

If you would like to receive the latest improvements to Necromancer
Chess please send $15 to:

Necromancer Software Systems
9 Yarrow Hill
West Henrietta, New York 14586



Users Guide To Necromancer Chess

Necromancer Chess can be run using only the floppy disk provided.
However, improved startup time can be achieved by copying the files
to the hard disk. The following files are necessary to run Necromancer
Chess:
NCHESS.EXE -- The program itself.
NCHESS.BK -- The opening book.
NCHESS.DOC -- This file. (not necessary at runtime)

The following files are necessary to run the Necromancer Chess Tutorial:

TUTORIAL.EXE -- The tutorial program.
TUTORIAL.DAT -- The tutorial script file.

To begin execution, type:

d>nchess

at the d> prompt (where d is the drive that contains the Necromancer
Chess program). Necromancer Chess should work on any IBM PC compatible
regardless of the video display card.

After the copyright notice has been displayed, Necromancer Chess will
display the chessboard on the left hand side of the screen and a menu on
the right hand side. Items are selected from the menu by using the up and
down arrow keys on the cursor keypad and pressing when the
appropriate selection has been highlighted. The menu currently supports
the following commands:




Necromancer Chess Menu Description

ANNOUNCE OPENINGS (TOGGLE) - If this item is turned on, Necromancer
will announce the opening line of play as soon as it is recognized.
Selecting this menu option will reverse the current setting. On
startup (and at the start of a new game) this option is turned on.


ASK FOR A HINT - Selecting this option asks Necromancer for advice. If
Necromancer has had sufficient time to look a couple of moves ahead, he
will respond with what he feels is your best move at this point.
Otherwise he will state that he has no hint for you.

ENTER PLAYERS NAME - This allows for identification of the player by
name rather than by "human".

MAKE A MOVE - After making this selection, Necromancer will be waiting
for you to enter your next move in algebraic notation (e.g. by typing
e2e4). Use the backspace key to correct mistakes and hit when
finished. To get back to the main menu type m .

Special Moves:
Castling - When legal, Castle by moving your king two squares towards
the Rook. The Rook will move into place automatically.

En Passant - The computer understands the rule of En Passant. This
move, which is rarely used, is sometimes mistaken for a bug. The rule
as stated by the United States Chess Federation is:

"En Passant: This French phrase is used for a special
pawn capture. It means 'in passing,' and it occurs when
one player moves a pawn two squares forward to try to
avoid capture by the opponent's pawn. The capture is made
exactly as if the player had moved the pawn only one
square forward."

When legal, capture your opponent's pawn "in passing" by moving your
pawn ahead and diagonally behind it.

Promotion - If your pawn reaches the opposite edge of the board,
Necromancer will ask you to promote your pawn to a Queen, Rook,
Bishop, or Knight. Use the arrow keys to highlight your choice
and press .

For a demonstration of all special moves, run the Necromancer
Chess Tutorial.

PRINT MOVE HISTORY - Prints all the moves in the current game. The
name of each player and the color they are playing appears at the top
of the list, followed by the moves in algebraic notation. Note that
a game that has been "saved" can be "restored" and printed.

QUIT CHESS - Exits the program and aborts the current game.




RESTORE A SAVED GAME - A window will be presented which contains the
titles of any games you have saved in the current directory. Use
the arrow keys to highlight the game you wish to restore and press
. Only the first 10 saved games will be displayed in the
presentation window. If the desired game is not displayed, go to
the secondary menu and erase some unwanted games.

SAVE THE CURRENT GAME - Necromancer Chess allows you to save games
with long, descriptive titles. Enter a title from the keyboard and
press to save the game in progress.

SET THE LEVEL OF PLAY - This sets the level at which the computer will
play. You will be prompted to select from two levels:

Tournament Play - Each side must complete a certain number of moves
within a given number of minutes. You will be prompted for both of
these values. Standard tournament rules are 40 moves in 120 minutes.

Time Per Move - You will be prompted for the number of seconds that
Necromancer can take to determine its move. Note that Necromancer
will not always take all of the time allowed.

Note that a time per move of 60 seconds will play a pretty strong
game on a AT or PS/2 class machine.

START A NEW GAME - The current game is aborted and a new game is started
against the current opponent. If you have chosen to play black,
Necromancer will move first.

SWITCH SIDES WITH THE COMPUTER - You and Necromancer will exchange sides.
If you want Necromancer to play the white pieces, select this item at
the start of the game.

TAKE BACK A MOVE - Undoes the last move by both sides.

GO TO SECONDARY MENU - This option allows the following items to be
selected.

ERASE A SAVED GAME - A window will be presented which contains the
titles of any games you have saved in the current directory. Use
the arrow keys to highlight the game you wish to erase and press
.

RESIGN THE CURRENT GAME - This option allows you to resign the
current game instead of quitting or just starting a new game. You
can then save the game for future reference or print the move
history. The word "Resign" will be printed at the move number that
you resigned.


EDIT BOARD - A series of windows will be presented which will allow
you to set up the board to any starting position you desire. Remember
that each side must have 1 and only 1 King when you restart the game.

TOGGLE SOUND - Selecting this menu option will reverse the current
sound option. The options are to have Necromancer make a sound
after he has made his move, or not to make a sound. On startup
(and at the start of a new game) this option is turned on.

TOGGLE SHOW THINKING PROCESS - Allows Necromancer to display it's
"thinking process" while it is making a move. This slows the computer
down a little bit, which is why it is an option. Selecting this menu
option will reverse the current setting. On startup (and the start of
a new game) this option is turned on.

TOGGLE THINK AHEAD - Allows Necromancer to think ahead while you are
thinking about your next move. This option defaults to off.

SELECT INPUT METHOD - Allows the user to select his/her desired
method of move entry. A window will be presented with the choices
of Algebraic, Cursor Entry, or Mouse. Select Algebraic Entry if you
wish to use the keyboard to enter your moves (ie e2e4). Select Cursor
Entry if you wish to use the cursor (arrow) keys to select your moves.
Select Mouse if you wish to use your Microsoft compatable mouse. Note
that if a mouse is detected, it will be the default input type.

SHOW PRINCIPAL VARIATION - Shows the intended line of play at the time
of Necromancers last move. Note that this function only works with
think ahead off.



The Necromancer Chess Tutorial

The Necromancer Chess Tutorial offers a complete introduction to the
game of chess in an animated format. You may select the complete
tutorial, or any section of it.

To begin execution, type:

d>tutorial

at the d> prompt (where d is the drive that contains the Necromancer
Chess Tutorial program).

After the copyright notice has been displayed, Necromancer Chess
Tutorial will display the chessboard on the left hand side of the screen
and a menu on the right hand side. Items are selected from the menu by
using the up and down arrow keys on the cursor keypad and pressing
when the appropriate selection has been highlighted.



The Future of Necromancer Chess

The following are some of the plans that I have for Necromancer Chess in
the future. If you register your copy of Necromancer Chess, (with a 15
dollar donation) then I guarantee that you will receive at least some of
these enhancements:

1) Chess board editor.
2) Graphics board for CGA, EGA, VGA and monographics adapters.
3) Computer think ahead during players time (to plan next move).
4) Opening library editor.
5) Standard chess notation. (ie; P-K4 instead of E2E4)
6) Use of the cursor keys to enter moves.
7) Improved endgame algorithm.
8) Telephone chess.
9) Panic / Boss Button.
10) Offer a draw.
11) Analysis of saved games.



The Evolution of Necromancer Chess

The true test of any computer chess program is how well it plays. It
is easier to gauge a programs strength (or weakness) by playing against
good chess players or other chess programs. I am currently in the
process of testing Necromancer Chess against several commercial products.
It is too early in the testing process to proclaim a winner, but I will
publish the results of my testing in future releases.

If you have access to other Computer Chess programs and have Necromancer
Chess play against them I would enjoy hearing the details and results.
Also, if you save the games which Necromancer Chess loses and send them
(or a print out of the game) to me, it will help me improve future
versions of Necromancer Chess.

I have received several good suggestions from strong chess players
regarding possible improvements to the Necromancer Chess strategy. If
you have any suggestions for improvements or features, I would be glad
to listen to them.



Thanks for trying out Necromancer Chess and have fun.


Bill Oatman



And now ... to satisfy the lawyers ...

DISCLAIMER OF ALL WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY

Necromancer Software Systems makes no warranties, either expressed or
implied, with respect to this manual, or with respect to the software
described in this manual, its quality, performance, merchantability,
or fitness for any particular purpose. This package is distributed
"As Is". The entire risk as to its quality and performance is with
the user.




Necromancer Chess Registration Form

To register your copy of Necromancer Chess fill out and mail this
form plus a donation ($15 US funds minimum) to:

Necromancer Software Systems
9 Yarrow Hill
West Henrietta, New York 14586 USA

Version : __.___

Date Received : ___ /___ /___

Address : _______________________________________________
Name

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Phone (optional) : ( ) ____ - _____



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