Contents

WAXMAN 1.4w ... Pocket Chess for Windows.
Copyright 1992-95 Check-Tech Software, Inc.
All rights reserved.

Help Contents:

Overview
Commands
Credits

WAXMAN is a shareware program. It is not in the public domain. If you like it and intend to keep a copy, you should pay for it.


Overview

Overview.

Welcome to WAXMAN, the no-nonsense alternative in computer chess: no 3-D chessboard, no animated chessmen in medieval armor, no built-in spellchecker; yes chess!

If you are upgrading from a previous release, you will notice a few changes: a new help system, saving and loading games with descriptions, improved game printout and, as always, stronger play! While no threat to Gata Kamsky, WAXMAN can hold its own against opponents rated 1800 - 2000 points.

There are also some new chess puzzles: four mate problems (white to move and mate in X moves) and four tactical ones (white to move and win material). Use the Load command to view them; then, see if you can beat WAXMAN at solving them. If you have some interesting chess puzzles of your own that you would like to share with other users, go ahead and send them to us. We will include the best ones in the next release.

A word to new users: WAXMAN will not teach you how to play chess. It can, however, be a useful tool for improving your game once you get past learning how the pieces move. The variety of Level settings, combined with the Easy Mode, will let you match the program's skill to your own.


Commands

Commands.

To start the program, double-click on its icon. To stop, choose Exit from the Game menu. Once running, WAXMAN is controlled by commands arranged in a series of menus:

Game: New, Load, Save, List, Print, Replay; Exit
Edit: Edit Position, Clear Board
Level: Time, Moves, Easy Mode, Hash Table
Options: Analysis, Flip Board, Sound
Play: Play, Take Back, Forward, Mark/Rewind/Advance.


Game

Game.

When you start WAXMAN, it is ready for a new game. When a game is in progress, you can start a new game by selecting New from the Game menu. You can also save a game in progress and later resume where you left off by using Save and Load.

When you finish a game, select Replay and gloat over your victory, or wallow in your defeat, while watching an instant replay of the game. If you want to save a hard copy of a particularly memorable game, select either the Print or the List command. Print prints the game to your printer while List writes it to an ASCII file.


Play

Play.

At the start of a new game, WAXMAN is in its 'referee mode'. This means that it only keeps track of whose move it is, makes sure all entered moves are legal, announces check, checkmate or stalemate, but otherwise stays out of the way. This can be useful if you want to practice a particular opening line or to play over a game from a newspaper or chess magazine.

WAXMAN remains passive until invited to play. To do that, choose Play! from the Play menu. WAXMAN will start playing the side whose move it is at the time.

For example, if you want to play White against WAXMAN as Black, make the first move and then select Play!; if you want to play Black, select Play! immediately at the start of the game. To switch sides, select Play! again after WAXMAN made a move.

To enter a move, click the mouse on the piece you want to move. Holding the mouse button down, drag the piece where you want it and drop it there by releasing the mouse button.

To take back a move, select Take Back. Note that this puts WAXMAN back in its passive mode to allow you to undo and re-enter multiple moves. To resume playing, select Play! again. To undo a take-back, select Forward.

Finally, the Play menu offers an analysis aid to advanced players. You can place a mark on a position by clicking on Mark Position. You would do this when you reach a point where you have several viable lines of play and would like to analyze them later. You can mark as many positions as you need to. The Rewind to Mark and Advance to Mark commands let you move back and forth between marked positions.


Level

Level.

The level, or strength, of WAXMAN's play is controlled by the time limit - the amount of time in which it must complete a given number of moves. The more time, the stronger its play.

The possible settings are anywhere between one minute for all moves (fastest, weakest play) and five hours for every single move (slowest, strongest). The default is ten minutes per game - fairly strong play on a fast machine.

Normally, WAXMAN is not idle even while it is waiting for your move, and if you think long and hard, so does it. Checking the Easy box turns this feature off.

For better search performance, particularly in the endgame, WAXMAN uses a table in which it stores positions already encountered before so that it does not have to examine them repeatedly. This feature can be turned on and off by checking the Hash Table box.

If you think that having a built-in opening book gives WAXMAN an unfair advantage, disable the Book checkbox.


Edit

Edit.

To set up a position, select Edit Position or Clear Board from the Edit menu. A checkmark will appear next to the Edit Position entry to indicate that the program is in edit mode, and all other menu items will be disabled (grayed). A 'drawer' with spare chessmen will appear beneath the board.

Only pieces that can be legally added to the board appear in the drawer. Neither side can have two kings, or more than sixteen pieces, for example. Likewise, you cannot have two queens and eight pawns because the only way to get another queen is by promoting a pawn. To see how this works, start a new game and then select Edit Position. The drawer will be empty. Grab a white pawn and move it off the board. The pawn will appear in the drawer, along with all the other white pieces which you now can add as if the pawn had been promoted.

To move a piece during setup, grab it with the mouse and drag it where you want it - to another square or off the board. Once all the pieces are in place, click on the Edit Position item again to remove the checkmark. The rest of the menu items will be re-enabled and you can start playing.

Note that it is always White's move when you set up a position. If this is not what you want (a Black-to-move problem), set up the position with one white piece on the wrong square and then make the first move, moving the piece to its proper square.


Options

Options.

When playing black, you may want to turn the board display around so that the black pieces are at the bottom of the board. The Flip Board option lets you do this.

The Sound option causes WAXMAN to announce each move with a beep. This can be useful when playing at a higher level where computing the next move takes a long time.

If you want to cheat a little during a game, or when having WAXMAN solve a chess problem, choose Analysis. WAXMAN will display, while still thinking, its intended move and the move it expects you to make in response to that, along with an evaluation of the result.


Credits

Credits.

The original version of WAXMAN was written by Ivan Bacigal, who is now the project leader and the programmer responsible for the chess algorithms of the program. The WINDOWS user interface was written by Evan Hess. The help system was authored by Ivy Shamble.

Check-Tech Software, Inc. invites inquiries by shareware dealers, software publishers and other parties interested in distributing or licensing the program or its components. Please, direct all correspondence to Check-Tech, Box 802411, Chicago, IL 60680.


Shareware

Shareware.

Shareware is a marketing alternative to retail software. Instead of spending money on packaging and advertising, shareware authors let their programs sell themselves. And, thanks to the smaller overhead, their wares are much cheaper than retail products of comparable quality.

In addition to lower prices, shareware offers users the ultimate money-back guarantee: you get the software before you pay for it. If you don't like it, simply throw it away and owe nothing. If you do like it, on the other hand, you should keep your end of the bargain and pay. Shareware depends on financial support from satisfied users to remain a viable way of doing business.

Please, note that we do not ask our users to register. We simply ask that they pay for our software if they keep it. We want to make it clear that we are not holding back some crucial part of our product that you will only receive after you register. This is the real thing, not a crippled demo. We want you to pay up not because you expect a reward but because it is the civilized thing to do.

To pay for your copy of WAXMAN, make a printout of the shareware-settlement help topic, fill in the blanks and send the completed page and your payment to Check-Tech, Box 802411, Chicago, IL 60680.


Shareware Settlement

Shareware Settlement.

Date:

____ / ____ / ____

Check-Tech Software, Inc.
Box 802411
Chicago, IL 60680

Dear Sir:

I am a user of your program WAXMAN v1.4w. I like it and have decided to keep a copy for my personal use. I am enclosing $20 to fulfill my part of the shareware deal. I understand that Check-Tech has already done its part by providing the software, and has no further obligations to me.

Name and address:

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Your chess rating (if known):

__________________

Comments?

________________________________________________________

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