KChess FAQ

Troubleshooting: Problems running setup

• Ensure you have at least 4MB memory and Windows 3.1 or higher.
• Some anti-virus programs (such as Mcafee Viruscan 3.0 for Windows 95) and other resident software may conflict with the setup program in some circumstances. If so, disable the resident software temporarily, run the KChess setup program again, then reload the resident software.
• Both the 16 and 32 bit versions of KChess Elite share a common setup program, which is 16 bit so that it can run on Windows 3.1. Because of this, it does not recognise long file names or directory names. You must use directory names in the old 8.3 format.

Troubleshooting: Problems running KChess

• Ensure you have the minimum system requirements.
• Some other programs, particularly anti-virus programs, may also conflict with KChess if they are running at the same time. This is due to KChess's intensive use of the processor. If the program displays unusual symptoms (such as pieces unable to move to valid positions, a "check" message when the king is not being threatened, or pieces apparently changing colour) then try shutting down all programs that may be running and then rerunning KChess by itself. Also please contact ARK ANGLES with details of the problem.
• If you have no sound card, or your speakers are not connected or not turned on, KChess Elite may appear to be very slow and have a long delay after every move, or may even appear to hang completely. This delay is actually while the program is "speaking out" the last move made. To hear the speech, make sure your sound card and speakers are working properly. Alternatively turn off the speech by going to the Audio page of Options and changing the Audio setting back to either Sound Effects Only or None.
• In KChess Elite, some piece sets may not display correctly on certain colour settings on some video cards. For example, on some systems the 256 colour piece sets (Staunton 8 and Rounded 8) may not display correctly if the video card is set to 256 colours and the board is set to textured. To overcome this and similar problems, change the colour depth on your video card, or set the board texture option to None, or use an alternate piece set. Also please contact ARK ANGLES with details of the problem.
• In KChess Elite, if moving pieces leave a trail on the board, turn off the Reduce Flicker On Redrawn setting on the Pieces page of Options.
• In KChess Elite, if the program freezes up, it may be due to a slow video capability, especially on laptop machines. If so, if may be overcome by slowing down the Refresh Frequency setting on the Display page of Options.

Other Questions

Q. How can I win against this program?

A. KChess Advance and KChess Elite are strong opponents, especially for beginners. You can give yourself the best chance of winning by going to the Options dialog box, clicking on the Strength Page and then on the [Novice] button. This still does not give you an easy win - that comes only from practice. However, see the Information for Beginners section in the KChess Help file for ways to get additional assistance.

Q. The program just moved a pawn illegally, and one of my own pawns just disappeared! Is this a bug?

A. This is probably the valid move called "en passant", which is explained in the rules of chess. Essentially, when a pawn advances two squares on it's first move, an enemy pawn is allowed to take it as if it had only moved one square. This means the enemy pawn will move diagonally onto the square behind where the first pawn moved to, and the first pawn will be removed from the board.

Q. The program made two moves in one go, the King and Rook jumping over each other. How do I do that?

A. This move is called "castling", and is explained in the rules. To castle, simple move the king from it's starting position two squares to the left or right, and the rook will automatically move over it. Using the keyboard, enter "kg1" (for white) or "kg8" (for black) or "o-o" (for either) to castle on the king's side, or "kc1" (for white) or "kc8" (for black) or "o-o-o" (for either) to castle on the queen's side.

Q. Why won't the program let me castle?

A. You cannot castle if either the king or rook have already moved, or if the king is in check, or if the square over which the king moves or to which it moves is being attacked by an enemy piece.

Q. How do I solve those "mate in three" kind of problems?

A. Select the Board Setup function from the Play pulldown menu. Drag and drop the pieces on and off the board to setup the position required. Use the Board Settings function to customise the layout and set the player to move if necessary. Then use the Analyse function to search for the best line from that position.

Q. How do I maintain my child's interest in chess while they are learning how to play?

A. See the Children and Chess section of the KChess Help file for ideas and tips.

Published by ARK ANGLES