Net Blitz is freeware and may be redistributed freely, provided no charges are applied and it is not modified. Net Blitz is provided "as is" and the authors may not be held responsible for any damage resulting from its use. Copyright (c) 1999.
CONTENTS
========
1. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
2. INSTALLATION
3. RULES
4. KNOWN ISSUES
5. CONTACT INFORMATION
1. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
=======================
Windows 95/98/NT4.0
Pentium, 8 MB RAM
SVGA, 32768 colors or higher, 800x600 display
Keyboard, mouse
Optional :
Windows-compatible sound card
TCP-IP compatible connection for network play
2. INSTALLATION
===============
Simply run "install.exe".
To uninstall, click on the icon "Uninstall Net Blitz"
3. RULES
========
Assuming that the reader is comfortable with the basic rules of chess, we will describe the rules of the main variant supported by Net Blitz, Double Chess (also known as bughouse).
a) General principles
Double chess involves usually 4 players, divided in two teams of equal size. The victory is attributed to a team rather that to a single individual.
Two games take place at the same time on separate boards. Teammates play on different boards against their respective opponents. Players of a same team have opposite piece colors. For example, if players A and B form a team, and players X an Y form another, a possible combination is : A plays the whites against X, and B plays the blacks against Y on the other board.
In addition to the pieces directly on the board, each player has what we call a "piece pool" to which pieces are added or removed under special circumstances. When a piece is captured by a player, the piece goes into the "piece pool" of his/her teammate.
b) Basic movement
All the moves allowed in basic chess are also legal in Double Chess.
Furthermore, whenever a player could play a standard move, he can instead choose to bring any piece from its pool directly into play, on any empty slot of the board. This counts as a move. For obvious reasons, pawns cannot be added to the last and first rows of the board in this manner.
c) Time limits
Double Chess is always played under a given time limit (usually 5 minutes). This makes it a fast paced game, where errors are frequent. Don't worry if you make a bad move, they are part of the games. If you are short on time, it is always better to play a bad move than not to play any.
d) Winning conditions
A game ends under one of the following conditions :
i) A player is mate;
ii) A player runs out of time;
iii) A player resigns.
The player who meets any of these conditions loses the game. The opposite team is considered victorious.
e) Variants
Net Blitz offers two variants of Double Chess.
The first option, when the "Automatic win when time runs out" checkbox is deactivated in the Settings dialog, forces the players to notice that their opponents are out of time, and to declare it usign the "Time Call" button. In order to win, it is no longer sufficient that any of your opponent runs out of time, you MUST indicate it by pressing "Time Call". This option can add quite some excitement at the end of games, because players are more concentrated on the board trying to play quickly rather that checking their opponent's time. It is thus possible for a team to win a game even if one of its members is out of time. If a mate happens, the game will end.
For the second option to be active, you must check the "Can capture the king" checkbox in the Settings Dialog. With this variant, all players are allowed to play moves that put their king in check. In addition to the usual mate, there is a new way to win a game, which is to eat the opponent's king.
f) Basic strategy and hints
Material advantage is not as critical as in standard chess. Sometimes a player might need to do a sacrifice that can help his partner. You can always afford a material disadvantage if the board layout is in your favor.
The f2 and f7 pawns are very weak. Experienced players might sometimes sacrifice a light combat piece (Knight or Bishop) in order to break a hole in f2 or f7, exposing the enemy king.
Time can be your ally. Playing fast is one of the keys to success. Having more time left that your opponent can get you out of tricky situations. Suppose your board is in a state where you are mate the next, whatever you play now. But remember : everything is not over ! You have a teammate that can get you out of the trouble, either by providing you some pieces later, or by winning the game on his board. Either ways, you'll have to wait and see what's going on.
Now, consider a situation where the opponent of your teammate also gets in a position where he is mate on the next turn, whatever he plays. Chances are that he will also refuse playing, and let its time flow. In such a situation, which happens quite often, it is evident that the player with less time will loose the game. That's why you should always strive to play as fast as possible.
Double Chess is a game that you will learn quick and love almost instantly. The secret is to practice a lot, preferably always with the same partner, as you might develop some strategies of your own. But consider yourselves warned : Double Chess is a VERY addictive game.
4. KNOWN ISSUES
===============
There are currently no know issues with Net Blitz, as we would have strived to fix them before releasing the software. However, this doesn't mean it is bug-free. Thats why you will find some information on how to contact us in the next section, for any reason you might find, including bug reports.
5. CONTACT INFORMATION
======================
The official Net Blitz web site can be found at the following address :
http://www.rocler.qc.ca/netblitz/index.htm
Is you are looking for other players to play over the Internet, we suggest that you visit these channels on IRC : #chess, #netblitz, #ircchess.
We worked very hard to provide you with this game. If you have any comments, suggestions or bug reports to make, DON'T HESITATE. We can ensure you that everything will be taken into account, and every message you send us will receive an answer.
Join us preferably by e-mail at the following address :
netblitz@rocler.qc.ca
If you send a bug report, make sure to include a full description of the bug, especially including clearly defined steps to reproduce the bug. If a bug can't be reproduced, it will be very hard for use to fix it. We need your help on that.
We provide Net Blitz free of charge, so please take the time to write to us if you like the game, or if you find bugs. It means a lot to us.
Thank you very much for choosing Net Blitz, and enjoy it !
