SAITEK CENTURION

We’d like to welcome you to the exciting world of computer chess! Whether you’re just starting to learn about this great game or you’re already a seasoned player, using your new chess computer will give you the opportunity to discover so much more about chess than you ever thought possible! Take a look through this manual to get an overview of your computer’s capabilities — all the special features and modes, all the unique options and playing levels. And take advantage of them over time, one by one! You’ll have great fun — and you’ll never look at chess the same way again! Your computer knows all the rules of chess — and it will never cheat! For those of you who haven’t played before, we have included a brief overview of the rules to get you started. For more detailed information, why not visit your local library, where you’re sure to find lots of interesting chess books!

Bronstein Clock

One interesting feature on several Saitek chess computers is the Bronstein Clock:

On the Blitz and Tournament levels, you have a fixed amount of time for each game, and the remaining time decreases as you think. On these levels, players often find themselves running out of time towards the end of the game—struggling to try and make good moves in a hurry, and often ending up making inferior moves instead.

The Bronstein Clock option offers special time controls that can help alleviate such problems. This is accomplished by adding a certain amount of time back to your remaining time after each move, where the remaining time for the whole game is only reduced if you go over this fixed time level.  Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re playing Blitz Level D4, where you have a total of 20 minutes for the whole game.  Activating the Bronstein +b0:10 option will give you a maximum 10 seconds time compensation per move (added after you make your move). Note that you can’t gain extra time or increase overall thinking time by playing each move more quickly, since:

If you use 7 seconds to make your move, only 7 seconds will be added back to your total remaining time, not 10 seconds. If you use 10 seconds or more to make your move, only 10 seconds will be added back to your total remaining time.

Press OPTION three times to select the Bronstein Clock Mode. Then press ENTER repeatedly to select your desired Bronstein Clock setting, as described below:

BRONSTEIN CLOCK SETTINGS DISPLAY

• Bronstein Clock off ...................................................... -bron
• Maximum of 1 sec. added after each move ...... +b0:01
• Maximum of 2 sec. added after each move ...... +b0:02
• Maximum of 3 sec. added after each move ...... +b0:03
• Maximum of 5 sec. added after each move ...... +b0:05
• Maximum of 10 sec. added after each move .... +b0:10
• Maximum of 20 sec. added after each move .... +b0:20
• Maximum of 30 sec. added after each move .... +b0:30

Excerpts taken from “Saitek Centurion” User Manual.