No. 8700 Intellivision TM Intelligent Television Triple Challenge 3 Complete Games in 1 Cartridge Chess Checkers Backgammon Playing Instructions For 1 or 2 Players TRIPLE CHALLENGE TRIPLE CHALLENGE is an exciting breakthrough in home video games: three COMPLETE games packed into ONE game cartridge. These games -- Chess, Checkers, and Backgammon -- have not been abridges; they are complete games with full rules, with multiple skill levels, and even with special features, such as letting the computer suggest your next move. Each game can be played against a friend or against the computer, who, you will find, is a very worthy opponent! Take the challenge! CHOOSING A GAME Insert cartridge (always turn the POWER switch OFF before inserting or removing cartridge). Turn POWER switch ON and press RESET to see title screen. Press any hand controller button to disc and the menu of games appears. Select CHESS, CHECKERS, or BACKGAMMON by pressing number 1, 2, or 3 on either hand controller. CHESS _____ OBJECT OF GAME Surround your opponent's king in such a way that your opopnent has no available move to keep the king from being captured (checkmate). STARTING THE GAME Press the DISC. The game automatically begins in the Player vs. Computer mode, level 1, computer taking black. Information about the mode, level, and who moves next appear onscreen around the chessboard. [Snapshot of the chess board, with arrows pointing to "PLAYER VS COMPUTER MODE (PLAYER IS WHITE/ COMPUTER IS BLACK)," "WHITE'S MOVE," "FIRST MOVE OF THE GAME," "SKILL, LEVEL 1," "WHITE'S CLOCK," and "BLACK'S CLOCK."] CONTROLS You will need to use BOTH hand controllers to play. Refer to the illustrations of the hand controllers while playing. When in Player vs. Player mode, each player can use either or both hand controllers during his or her turn. SELECT PLAYING MODE There are three playing modes: Player vs. Computer (PvsC), Player vs. Player (PvsP), and Computer vs. Computer (CvsC). Press ENTER on the left hand controller until your selection appears in the upper left of the screen. You can change mode anytime it is the Player's turn. (While watching a Computer vs. Computer game, you can switch to another mode by holding down ENTER on the left hand controller. After the current move is complete, you can select a new mode.) SELECT LEVEL Press CLEAR on the left hand controller until the level you want appears in the upper right of the screen. There are 8 levels. You can change level at anytime during a game when it's your turn. (Note: The level does not affect Player vs. Player games.) On level 1, the computer makes its moves quickly and plays a simple game of Chess. As the level increases, so does the skill of the Computer and the time it takes to make a moves. Warning: On levels 4 and above, the computer can take hours or even days to make one move! MAKING A MOVE Use the DISC to move the cursor over the board. When the cursor is over the piece you want to pick up, press either TOP SIDE KEY on either hand controller. The piece flashes. Pressing the DISC now moves both the cursor and the piece. Once you have positioned the piece over the desired square, press any TOP SIDE KEY to set it down. if the move is not legal, you will hear a buzz and see a question mark on the screen. The piece will return to its original position. If the move is legal, it is now your opponent's turn. The computer keeps track of legal moves for all pieces, even during a Player vs. Player game. If you decide you don't want to play the piece you have picked up, press the LOWER LEFT SIDE KEY on either hand controller before you set it down. The piece will return to its last position. Note: If you have selected Computer vs. Computer, the computer will wait for you to make the first move. From then on, the computer makes all moves. You may make the first move, or you can force the computer to make the first move by pressing 8 on the left hand controller (computer takes your next move). CAPTURING When you set down your piece on a square occupied by an opposing piece, the captured piece dissapears from the board. Captured pieces are shown at the side of the screen. CASTLING When this move is legal, move the King two squares towards the Rook. The move then takes place automatically. PAWN PROMOTION When a pawn reaches the other side of the board, select any piece by pressing any number from 1 to 6. You can then promote to a queen (number 5) or you can underpromote. EN PASSANT When this move is legal, move the Pawn to the proper square and the opposing pawn will be automatically removed. CHECK & CHECKMATE When a player or the computer is in check or checkmated, this information appears on screen automatically. STALEMATE When a player or the computer has no legal move and is not in check, the word STALEMATE appears on screen. SCREEN SAVER To prevent damage to your television screen, the screen will go blank after about 4 minutes if nothing onscreen has changed. The picture returns when you press any KEY or the DISC. If the screen goes blank during the computer's turn, the computer will continue to consider its move. The picture returns as the computer moves. RETRACT Press 9 on the right hand controller to take back the last move. There is a slight delay, then the last piece moved returns to its previous position. You can press 9 repeatedly until you return to the beginning of the game or to the first move of a special board set up. REPLAY MOVE After you retract a move (see above), press ENTER on the right hand controller to replay it. You can then press ENTER repeatedly to replay all of the moves you retracted. TRADE PLACES WITH COMPUTER Press 8 on the left hand controller at anytime during a Player vs. Computer game to trade places with the computer (notice that the P and C in the upper left of the screen reflect who is black and who is white). Press 8 at the beginning of a game to take black (the computer automatically plays black if 8 is not pressed), or during the game if you need help and want to see what the computer would do in your situation. Press 8 to switch back. REVERSE BOARD Black is normally at the top of screen, white at bottom. Press 7 on the left hand controller to reverse the board, black at the bottom, white on top. SET UP A SPECIAL BOARD Press 7 on the right hand controller to alter pieces on the board. Delete pieces by moving the cursor to a square and pressing 0 on either hand controller (clear the entire board by pressing CLEAR on the right hand controller). Add pieces by moving the cursor to a square and pressing a number from 1 to 6 on either hand controller to correspond to one of the six possible chess pieces: 1 -- BISHOP 4 -- KNIGHT 2 -- ROOK 5 -- KING 3 -- QUEEN 6 -- PAWN Press a number once for a white piece, twice for a black piece. When the board is set up as you want, press 7 again on the right hand controller. If you have set up a legal board situation, play will resume with clocks and number of moves reset to zero. A yellow ? will appear if the board setup is illegal. Correct the board and press 7 again. Note: You cannot set up a situation that would lead to check or checkmate on the first move. FORCE MOVE Press the LOWER RIGHT SIDE KEY on either hand controller to force the computer to make the best move it has found so far. If an H appears onscreen (HOLD), the computer has not yet found any move. Press the LOWER RIGHT SIDE KEY again to have the computer continue looking. TIMING OPTIONS Clocks appear onscreen for both black and white, showing total time spent on moves for each player. You can turn the clocks off by pressing 8 on the hand controller twice. Press 8 again to turn them back on. NEW GAME Press 9 on the left hand controller to start a new game using the previous game's mode and level. To switch to Checkers or Backgammon, press RESET. [Illustrations of the LEFT HAND CONTROLLER and RIGHT HAND CONTROLLER controls, which are as follows: LEFT HAND CONTROLLER UPPER KEY: Pick up and set down piece LOWER LEFT KEY: Return piece LOWER RIGHT KEY: Force computer move DISC: Move cursor and pieces 1: Select Bishop (Set-Up) 2: Select Rook (Set-Up) 3: Select King (Set-Up) 4: Select Knight (Set-Up) 5: Select Queen (Set-Up) 6: Select Pawn (Set-Up) 7: Reverse view of board 8: Switch colors/ moves 9: Begin a new game CLEAR: Select skill level 0: Remove piece (Set-Up) ENTER: Select mode RIGHT HAND CONTROLLER UPPER KEY: Pick up and set down piece LOWER LEFT KEY: Return piece LOWER RIGHT KEY: Force computer move DISC: Move cursor and pieces 1: Select Bishop (Set-Up) 2: Select Rook (Set-Up) 3: Select King (Set-Up) 4: Select Knight (Set-Up) 5: Select Queen (Set-Up) 6: Select Pawn (Set-Up) 7: Select Set-Up 8: Turn on/ off clocks 9: Retract move CLEAR: Clear board 0: Remove piece (Set-Up) ENTER: Replay moves Note: The controls were presented as they appear in the manual, but there is a mistake. For both hand controllers, 3 is used to select Queen, and 5 is used to select King.] ______________________________________________________________________________ CHECKERS ________ OBJECT OF GAME Remove all of your opponent's checkers by jumping them or trapping them so that your opponent is unable to make a move. STARTING THE GAME Press the DISC. The checkerboard appears onscreen with all characters in their starting positions. CONTROLS You will see the numeric keypad and the DISC of your hand controller to play Checkers (side keys are not used). Refer to the illustration of the hand controller while playing. [Illustration of BOTH HAND CONTROLLERS controls, which are as follows: DISC: Move cursor and pieces 1: Player vs. Player 2: Player vs. Computer -- Player first 3: Player vs. Computer -- Computer first 5: Suggest move 6: Advanced level 8: Beginning level CLEAR: Change move 0: Select checker ENTER: Move is final] SELECT PLAYING MODE There are two playing modes: Player vs. Player and Player vs. Computer. Press 1 for a Player vs. Player game, 2 for Player vs. Computer with you moving first, 3 for Player vs. Computer with the computer moving first. In Player vs. Player, the left hand controller moves the white checkers, the right hand controller moves the blue checkers. Players flip a coin to determine who goes first. In Player vs. Computer, whoever moves first controls the blue checkers. You may use either hand controller. SELECT SKILL LEVEL In a Player vs. Computer game, yuo must select the skill level, either advanced or beginning. Press 6 (advanced) for the computer to play its best game, press 9 (beginning) for it to play at a simpler level. When set to advanced, the computer will take longer to make its moves. [Note: There is another mistake here. Button 8 is the "beginning level" selection as it is stated in the controls, not 9 as it is stated in the paragraph above.] MAKING A MOVE Use the DISC to move the cursor over the board. When the cursor is over the piece you want to pick up, press 0. Use the DISC to move piece to an open, adjacent black square. Once you have positioned the piece over the desired square, press ENTER to set it down. If the move is not legal or if a jump is available that you did not take, you will hear a buzz and the piece will return to its original position. If the move is okay, it is now your opponent's turn. If you decide you don't want to play the piece you have picked up, press CLEAR before you set it down. The piece will return to its last position. JUMPING Move cursor to open black square on other side of piece to be jumped. Press ENTER. Your piece moves to correct square and the jumped piece moves off the board. For multiple jumps, continue moving the cursor and pressing ENTER until all pieces have been jumped. Note: You MUST jump a piece when you can. CROWNING When a checker reaches its King Row, a DASH appears in the center of the checker to mark it as a King. Crowning completes a move, even if the new King is now in a position to jump an opponent's man. COMPUTER SUGGESTS MOVE Press 5 to see what the computer would do if playing your pieces. The cursor will move to the suggested man and a small white arrow will show the suggested move. You are then free to make the suggested move or a different one. In a Player vs. Player game, the computer will not suggest a move. "I can't help you" appears onscreen. END OF GAME The game is over when one player has no more checkers on the board or has no available move. In a Player vs. Player game, "You Lose" appears onscreen in the loser's color. When playing the computer, you will hear a victory tune if you win, otherwise "You Lose" appears onscreen. Press RESET to play a new game. ______________________________________________________________________________ BACKGAMMON __________ OBJECT OF GAME Object of game is to move all your pieces around and off the board (bearing off). First player to succeed is the winner. STARTING THE GAME Press the DISC. The Backgammon board appears onscreen with all pieces in their starting positions. White moves pieces around the points clockwise to the six lower left points (White's home table); Black moves pieces around the points counterclockwise to the six upper left points (Black's home table). [Snapshot of the Backgammon board with white arrows pointing in the direction of the white pieces' movement, black arrows pointing in the direction of the black pieces' movement, and arrows pointing to CURSOR, PIECES, BAR, POINTS, WHITE'S HOME TABLE, BLACK'S HOME TABLE, WHITE'S DIRECTION OF PLAY (the white arrows), and BLACK'S DIRECTION OF PLAY (the black arrows).] CONTROLS You will use the numeric keypad, UPPER SIDE KEYS, and the DISC of your hand controller to play Backgammon (lower side keys are not used). Refer to the illustration of the hand controller while playing. [Illustration of BOTH HAND CONTROLLERS controls, which are as follows: UPPER KEY: Show pip count DISC: Move cursor 1: Move 1 point 2: Move 2 points 3: Move 3 points 4: Move 4 points 5: Move 5 points 6: Move 6 points 7: Player vs. Player 8: Player vs. Computer -- beginning 9: Player vs. Computer -- advanced CLEAR: Change move 0: Move two at once ENTER: Move is final] SELECT PLAYING MODE & SKILL LEVEL There are two playing modes: Player vs. Player and Player vs. Computer. Press 7 for a Player vs. Player game, 8 for Player vs. Computer with the computer playing a conservative game, 9 for Player vs. Computer with the computer playing a more daring game (a challenge for advanced players). In a Player vs. Player game, the left hand controller moves the white pieces, the right hand controller moves the black pieces. In a Player vs. Computer game, the computer controls the black pieces. You control the white pieces with either hand controller. STARTING THE GAME As soon as you select the mode, the dice roll. One is black and one is white to indicate the black player and the white player. The higher number moves first, using both numbers rolled. (If the number are the same, the dice are automatically rolled again.) MAKING A MOVE With each press of the DISC, the cursor moves tot he next point on which you have a piece. When the cursor is over the piece you want to move, press the number from 1 to 6 indicating which number on the rolled dice you want to use. That die will turn blue ("used up") and the piece will move that many points. You will hear a buzz if the number you press isn't available (the number either was not rolled or it's been used), if it would move the piece to a point occupied by two or more of your opponent's pieces (a blocked point), or if it would move the piece off the board while you still have pieces outside your home table (see BEARING OFF, below). Make a different choice. At times you will have one or both numbers on the dice available, but no legal move. Press ENTER to pass. DOUBLES If you roll doubles, four dice with that number will appear, allowing you four moves. You also have the option of moving two pieces at the same time by pressing 0 before pressing 1 to 6. ROLLING After you have used all your available moves, press ENTER to roll the dice for your opponent. After the computer moves, the dice automatically roll for your next move. If yuo change your mind about moves you have made, press CLEAR to return all pieces to their original positions. You can then press CLEAR at any time during your turn until you press ENTER. STACKING PIECES When there is no more room on a point, pieces are stacked. A dash on a piece means two pieces are there, two dashes means three pieces are there. HITTING A BLOT If have only one piece on a point (left a blot) and your opponent lands on it (hits the blot), your piece will be moved to the bar in the center of the board. On your next turn, the cursor automatically appears over this piece. You must re-enter hit pieces before moving others. Re-enter a piece to a point in your opponent's home table matching one of the numbers you rolled. You cannot re-enter onto a blocked point, but you can hit a blot. If both points matching the numbers rolled are blocked, you cannot re-enter and must pass (press ENTER). PIP COUNT Press either TOP SIDE BUTTON to see the pip count, which is the running score of the game. The pip count is obtained by multiplying the number of pieces on each point by that point's count away from "home." The lower you pip count, the better. BEARING OFF Once all of your pieces are in your home table, you can begin to remove them from the board (bearing off). You move pieces using the number on the dice as before, but now, when you run out of points, you simply move the pieces to the left off the board (no "exact count" is needed). Note: If, after you have started to bear pieces off, your opponent hits your blot, the hit piece will have to be re-entered and moved back to your home table before you can continue to bear off pieces. The first player to bear off all of his or her pieces presses ENTER to win the game! RESIGNING Resign by pressing 9 twice. NEW GAME When the game is over, you can play Backgammon again by pressing 7, 8, or 9 as described under SELECT PLAYING MODE & SKILL LEVEL, above, or switch to Chey pressing RESET. ______________________________________________________________________________ Triple Challenge Tournament Chess Checkers Backgammon Intellivision TM Intelligent Television Distributed by INTV CORPORATION Torrance, CA 90505 @Intellivision All Rights Reserved