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WifightUserGuide

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1.  Introduction

Welcome. This is the User Guide for wifight v1.02 The guide is still under development. In the first stage, explanations of the main wifight screens will be added in progressively. The information for each screen (and the individual games) can also be accessed from within wifight, either via a Palm "i" icon, or from a "User Guide" item in the menus.

In the second stage, a more user-centric Introduction section will be added, focused on what people use wifight for. In the third stage, features that help to integrate the entire guide will be added in (e.g hyperlinking between sections). The development of the User Guide - and the related inline wifight Help Files - is being discussed at the wifight Forum. Your input there (or here!) is most welcome.

Current Development stage: 1

2.  Create a New Game

First, choose your game. Tap on the “Select Game” button to go to the Select Game screen and choose from the list.

Opponents come in 3 varieties: If you leave the Opponent space blank, you can play a single-player game against yourself. Next, for chess only, wifight provides three computer opponents, each a bit stronger than the other. Just type in: chessbot, supachessbot or megachessbot.

To challenge another wifighter: enter their name on this screen. Recently active players, and those currently online can be found via the "Browse Player Roster" menu item ("Game Room" and Chat Room" screens). The full list of wifighters, and their online status, is on the Web - http://wifight.com/players. Asking around in the wifight Chat Room is another good way to find opponents.

Finally, select whether you want to be Player 1 or 2. Playing second is a disadvantage in some games, more so in checkers, and very much so in Dots & Boxes. If you draw in Dots & Boxes as Player 2, wifight awards you the game.

wifight's games don't have time limits (yet). Most games move at a relaxed pace over a few days, but you can play as fast or as slowly as you like - up to a limit. If you don't make a move in 60 days the game will be abandoned and awarded to your opponent.

3.  The Game Room

This is your wifight HQ. All the games you play or spectate are listed here. The buttons and the Menus give you access to all of wifight’s other features.

The first time you run wifight the Game Room screen will be blank. This is because you are not playing or spectating any games yet. As you start to play or spectate, a continually updated summary of each game appears in your game list.

Scroll the game list with the scrollbar or the 5-way nav. Select games by tapping on them or clicking the center rocker switch. Selecting a game will bring it up in full screen.

Games are ordered in the Game Room list by most recent activity (most recent on top.) Games you are playing in have green, blue or gray bars depending on whether it's your turn, not your turn, or the game is over. Spectated games have bright yellow bars.

Each game's summary shows the type of game, the players’ names, the number of moves made, whose move it is (for your own games) and a miniature screen shot of your last view of the game.

“Browse Games archive” takes you to the Games Archive. This is an index of 50 wifight games past and present. You can choose games to spectate from here.

“Game details” Provides more info about games in the list, and several game options: (1) the “Offer Draw”, “Quit” and “Delete” buttons for your own games and (2) the "Quit Spectating” button.

“Purge old games” removes all completed games from the Game Room list. They may still be found in the Games Archive, though.

“Connect” starts up your device’s data connection process, then logs you into wifight.

“Disconnect” logs you out of wifight and disconnects your device’s data connection.

“Alerts Preferences” set sound or vibrate alerts when turns are played in games you’re playing in (or spectating).

“About wifight” Version/developer info, plus web links to the Wifight Main Page, Players List, and latest download version. Try hitting space bar.

• Buttons

“New Game” also takes you to “Create new game” screen

“Chat” - Where is everybody? Tap here to chat with other wifighters in real time

Connection Indicators: In the top right of screen are four tiny boxes that are either light (online) or dark (offline) green. You can tap those boxes to refresh or enable your connection. They light up in order as you complete the steps in the log in process:

• 1 light: data connection is open and active
• 2 lights: client has connected to the server
• 3 lights: login info has been sent
• 4 lights: logged in successfully

4.  Games Archive

The Games Archive displays a list of 50 wifight games, drawn from games past and present. It is sorted so that games with most recent activity are at the top. All games are stored on the server. Upon entering the Archive the index of games must first be fetched. Games you are playing in or already spectating are marked accordingly.

If you only want to see ongoing games, select the "Filter List" button and in the popup, uncheck the box "Show games that are over". Other filter options allow you to exclude your own games or single player games. Like the list in the Game Room, the Archive list provides a mini-summary of each game. For ongoing games, the vital details are updated whenever you re-enter the Archive. The unfiltered list is very long – just scroll. The "Refresh" button will refresh the list.

If you want to spectate a game, scroll to it (highlight it) and select it via the center key of the 5-way. wifight will download the game's data and then open the game. The game will appear in your Game Room list with a yellow bar.

5.  The Chat Room

wifight has a single, simple chat channel where everyone can join in the fun.

The big window at the top is where messages appear. When you enter the Chat Room after each login, recent messages will be downloaded to this window from the server. Treos will load about 55 lines of chat. Each message has the poster's nick and is time-stamped. If the poster is currently logged in, and has visited the Chat Room at least once since logging in, then all their messages will have a bright green border. Your own messages will too.

The small bottom window is where you write your messages. Use your preferred text input method or the inbuilt virtual keyboard accessed from the Menu. The Menu also provides Select/Copy/Cut/Paste functions for your message text, and you can also Undo a Cut or Paste.

The "Send" button posts the message. "Games" takes you to the Game Room, and "Recent" opens up your most recently opened game in full-screen mode.

You can use the "/me" emote command. If Luv2Play types /me likes to chat

this will be posted as

* Luv2Play likes to chat

6.  Chess

This help file has three sections:

• Wifight's Chess Rules: how chess is implemented
• GamePlay: how to challenge players, move pieces etc
• Computer Opponents: a table of AI chess opponents available to play

6.1  Wifight's Chess Rules

Goal: To checkmate your opponent's King.

wifight's implementation of chess recognises most standard rules, including:

• Check and checkmate
• Stalemate: King is not in check, but has no legal move. Game is a draw.
• King and Queen-side castling (move King two squares towards Rook, which then jumps over the King). This is allowed if: neither piece has already moved, King is not currently in check, nor would it be in check on any of the squares it moves across or onto.
• en passant pawn captures (capture an opponent's pawn as if it had, on its first move, only moved one square, not two)
• Pawn promotion: if a pawn reaches the eighth rank it must be promoted to a piece. A current wifight limitation is that you can only promote to a Queen.
• Draw by the 50-move rule: (i.e there has been no capture nor pawn move for fifty moves). Note: when counting moves for the 50-move rule, a chess move is a pair of wifight turns (White then Black) and thus 50 chess moves = 100 wifight turns.
• Draw by low material: In certain situations, the game is automatically declared a draw since checkmate is no longer possible, or is extremely unlikely.

Automatic draw situations

King vs King

King + Knight vs King

King + Bishop vs King

King + Knight vs King + Bishop

King + Knight vs King + Knight

King + Bishop vs King + Bishop

wifight does NOT yet recognise:

• Draw by triple repetition: (i.e. all the pieces have been in exactly the same positions three times during the course of the game)

This situation could be resolved by the players in the Chat Room.

6.2  GamePlay

You can play chess against yourself, other wifighters or one of three computer opponents (chessbot, supachessbot, and megachessbot in order of strength).

If you challenge another player (via the Create New Game screen) the game will immediately open in full-screen view. If another player has challenged you, the game will appear in your Game Room list with a bright green bottom bar and the text "YOUR TURN". Tap on it, or select it with the 5-way, to open it in full-screen mode.

There are (as yet) no time-limits to Chess games, and you can play as fast or as slow as you like.

When it is your turn, you have four game-play options, described in detail below: (1) Play your turn. (2) Quit (or delete) the game. (3) Offer or accept a draw. (4) Exit the game-screen.

If it is your opponent's turn, options 2-4 are available.

(1) Play a turn. Each turn in chess requires three steps: *Select a piece * Select a destination square * Select "Go!".

• Select a piece: all the pieces capable of a legal move have their squares highlighted with a BLUE circle. Select one by simply tapping on the square. A selected piece's square is highlighted YELLOW. You can also navigate to a piece with the 5-way (and choose with centre key) - in which case the chosen square will also have a BLUE border.
• Select destination square: the squares to which the selected piece can move are highlighted GREEN. Choose the destination square by tapping that square. Or navigate to it with the 5-way, and press the center key. Both the starting and destination squares will now be highlighted YELLOW. The destination square will also be marked with a GREEN "X". If you navigate to it with the 5-way, and press the center key, it will also have a blue border.
• Select "Go!": Once the destination square is selected, a new button will now appear at the bottom of the screen: "Go!". Up until this stage, you can undo your selections (e.g by tapping on any empty square, or via the menu option "Deselect all"). If you are happy with your selections, tap on "Go!" to complete the turn (or use the 5-way). Once a move is made you cannot undo it, and you cannot request a take-back from your opponent.

Once your move is made, the starting and destination squares will have a RED border, and likewise when your opponent moves.

(2) Quit a game: open "Game Details" from the menu and select "Quit". If you have only made one move in the game, "Quit" will abort the game (i.e. neither player wins nor loses). If you have made two moves or more, "Quit" means you resign and lose the game. The "Delete" option simultaneously quits the game, and purges it from your Game Room's game list (but it remains in the Archive).

(3) Offer a draw, or accept draw offered by your opponent: open "Game Details" from the menu and select "Offer Draw" or "Accept Draw" respectively.

The "Quit", "Delete" and "Draw" options are also available from the list view: highlight your game and open "Game Details" from the menu.

(4) The "Games" or "Chat'''" buttons will exit you from the full-screen view of your game, and return you to the Game or Chat Room. Your game will remain in your personal game list.

"Rotate board": ("View" menu) lets you turn the board around to watch the game from the point of view of White or Black.

"Forward" and "Back" arrowheads: Located bottom right, tap on these to step through the moves of a game, in forward or reverse. If you highlight one, you can use your 5-way centre key to step through the turns.

Pressing the space bar will cause the current turn to be redisplayed.

Captured pieces appear in the border areas on either side of the board.

6.3  Computer opponents

wifight features 3 levels of AI opponent play:

chessbot	The original.
supachessbot	A more powered up chessbot.
megachessbot	Even more powered up. Also has access to an opening book of moves.

7.  Chess NoAI

This help file has two sections:

• Wifight's Chess NoAI's Rules: how Chess NoAI is implemented
• GamePlay: how to challenge players, move pieces etc

7.1  Wifight's Chess NoAI Rules

Goal: To checkmate your opponent's King.

Chess NoAI is a variant of chess for two players, devised first (as far as we know) by Brennan Underwood, wifight's developer. It varies from regular chess in one way only: at each turn a player is blocked from choosing what is (usually) the "best" move. This move is calculated by a chess engine that monitors the game in the background. "NoAI" stands for "No Artificial Intelligence". There is only one situation where you will NOT be blocked from making the best move: when you only have one legal move to make. In the opening of course, there is often no single "best move": in this phase the chess engine determines its blocked move based on "calculation", rather than from a chess openings "book".

For information about the rules of regular chess that also apply in chess NoAI, see the chess section.

Strategy: Because Chess NOAI is so new, there are no references that can tell us the best way to play it. One important theme appears to be "duplication", both in defence and attack. When attacking, try to attack two pieces at the same time (e.g. by a knight fork). Only attack pieces that are defended singly. When trying to checkmate, organise your pieces so that you can choose between two pieces (or two destination squares) to deliver the mate. The AI cannot block both of them!

In defense, try to keep important pieces doubly defended. While many games seem to descend quickly into heavy attacking mode, I think it can also pay to play defensively, and to aim, as in regular chess, for an endgame with the better pawn situation. You can then promote your pawns to Queens, which are perhaps even more powerful in chess NoAI than in regular chess (because they can deliver double attacks).

7.2  GamePlay

You can play chess NoAI against yourself or against other wifighters. If you challenge another player (via the Create New Game screen) the game will immediately open in full-screen view. If another player has challenged you, the game will appear in your Game Room list with a bright green bottom bar and the text "YOUR TURN". Tap on it, or select it with the 5-way, to open it in full-screen mode.

There are (as yet) no time-limits to Chess NoAI games, and you can play as fast or (nearly) as slow as you like. However, if you have not made a move within 60 days, then the game will be abandoned and you will lose the game.

When it is your turn, you have four game-play options, described in detail below: (1) Play your turn. (2) Resign (or quit) the game. (3) Offer or accept a draw. (4) Exit the game-screen.

If it is your opponent's turn, options 2-4 are available.

(1) Play a turn. Each turn in chess requires three steps: *Select a piece * Select a destination square * Select "Go!".

• Select a piece: all the pieces capable of a legal move have their squares highlighted with a BLUE circle. One of those pieces will also have a GREY highlight - and one of its possible legal-move squares will be marked with a GREY "X". This particular move of that piece is blocked (but not its other legal moves, if any). Select one of the pieces that has a legal, non-blocked move by simply tapping on its square. A selected piece's square is highlighted YELLOW. You can also navigate to a piece with the 5-way (and choose with centre key) - in which case the chosen square will also have a BLUE border.
• Select destination square: the squares to which the selected piece can move are highlighted GREEN. If you chose a piece that was highlighted both BLUE and GREY in th previous step, then one of its destination squares will also have a GREY "X", and that square is blocked. Choose a non-blocked destination square by tapping that square. Or navigate to it with the 5-way, and press the center key. Both the starting and destination squares will now be highlighted YELLOW. The destination square will also be marked with a GREEN "X". If you navigate to it with the 5-way, and press the center key, it will also have a blue border.
• Select "Go!": Once the destination square is selected, a new button will now appear at the bottom of the screen: "Go!". Up until this stage, you can undo your selections (e.g by tapping on any empty square, or via the menu option "Deselect all"). If you are happy with your selections, tap on "Go!" to complete the turn (or use the 5-way). Once a move is made you cannot undo it, and you cannot request a take-back from your opponent.

Once your move is made, the starting and destination squares will have a RED border, and likewise when your opponent moves.

(2) Resign a game: open "Game Details" from the menu and select "Resign". If you have only made two moves in the game, the option "Quit" will appear instead of "Resign": it will abort the game (i.e. neither player wins nor loses). The "Delete" option simultaneously resigns or quits the game (depending on how many turns you have played) and purges it from your Game Room's game list (but it remains in the Archive).

(3) Offer a draw, or accept draw offered by your opponent: open "Game Details" from the menu and select "Offer Draw" or "Accept Draw" respectively.

The "Resign", "Quit" and "Draw" options are also available from the Game Room list view: highlight your game and open "Game Details" from the menu.

(4) Exit the Game. The "Games" or "Chat" buttons will exit you from the full-screen view of your game, and return you to the Game or Chat Room. Your game will remain in your personal game list.

"Rotate board": ("View" menu) lets you turn the board around to watch the game from the point of view of White or Black.

"Forward" and "Back" arrowheads: Located bottom right, tap on these to step through the moves of a game, in forward or reverse. If you highlight one, you can use your 5-way centre key to step through the turns.

Pressing the space bar will cause the current turn to be redisplayed.

Captured pieces appear in the border areas on either side of the board.

8.  Checkers

This help file has two sections:

• Wifight's Checkers Rules: how checkers is implemented
• GamePlay: how to challenge players, move pieces etc

8.1  Wifight's Checkers Rules

Goal: To gain control of all of your opponent's pieces either by capturing them (via jumps), or by trapping them so they cannot move.

Unlike chess, where the rules are highly standardized, the rules of checkers vary from place to place, and over time. The notes below explain how wifight implements the unstandardized (or otherwise uncertain) rules.

• Jumping. If you can jump one of your opponent's pieces, you MUST jump it.
• Multiple Jumping: if after making a single jump you can jump a second piece, you MUST jump. Likewise for triple, quadruple jumps etc.
• Jumps that land on a Kinging square: if one of your pieces makes it to the far end of the board as part of a jump, it immediately becomes a King and your turn is FINISHED. You cannot make any further jumps over your opponent's pieces until your next turn.
• Jump Sequence Choice: sometimes you may have a choice between two or more different jumping sequences, in different directions. They may vary in length (e.g. three jumps versus one). You can choose whichever sequence you wish, but once you start a sequence, you must complete it.
• Winning/Losing: A player loses if (a) all their pieces are taken, and the opponent still has at least one piece, or (b) none of their pieces can move, or (c) they "Quit" after they have played 2 or more turns.
• Draw: the only way you can draw in wifight checkers is via the "Offer Draw" and "Accept Draw" options, available from the Game Details screen (see Menu). If you and your opponent are down to one (freely moving) King versus another, or two-on-two, then you should agree to a draw, unless you are are hoping for very stupid moves. Two kings versus one is a clear-cut win. There is no equivalent of stalemate in checkers.

8.2  GamePlay

You can practise checkers against yourself or play other wifighters. If you challenge another player (via the Create New Game screen) the game will immediately open in full-screen view. When creating the game you can choose to be Player 1 (RED pieces) or Player 2 (WHITE). If another player has challenged you, the game will appear in your Game Room list with a bright green bottom bar and the text "YOUR TURN". Tap on it, or select it with the 5-way, to open it in full-screen mode.

There are (as yet) no time-limits to checkers games, and you can play as fast or as slow as you like. Your preferred game speed could possibly be discussed with your opponent in the Chat Room, if they chat regularly.

When it is your move, you have four game-play options, described in detail below: (1) Play your turn. (2) Quit (or delete) the game. (3) Offer or accept a draw. (4) Exit the game-screen.

If it is your opponent's move, options 2-4 are available.

(1) Play a turn. Each turn in checkers requires three steps: *Select a piece *Select a destination square *Select "Go!". Some turns (multiple jumps) involve repeating this three-step sequence one or more times.

• Select a piece: all the pieces capable of a legal move have their squares highlighted with a BLUE circle. Select one by simply tapping on the square. A selected piece's square is highlighted YELLOW. You can also navigate to a piece with the 5way (and choose with centre key) - in which case the chosen square will also have a blue border.
• Select destination square: the squares to which the selected piece can move are highlighted GREEN. Choose the destination square by tapping that square. Both the starting and destination squares will now be highlighted YELLOW. The destination square will also be marked with a GREEN "X". If you navigate to it with the 5-way, and press the centre key, it will also have a blue border. If your turn involves a multiple jump (two or more pieces taken), then before the first jump you will only be able to select the destination square that completes the first jump. Your destination square (or squares) for the second jump will appear after the first jump is completed, and likewise if there are any further jumps possible.
• Select "Go!": Once the destination square is selected, a new button will now appear at the bottom of the screen: "Go!". Up until this stage, you can undo your selections (e.g by tapping on any empty square, or via the menu option "Deselect all"). If you are happy with your selections, tap on "Go!" to complete the move (or use the 5-way). Once a move is made you cannot undo it, and you cannot request a take-back from your opponent. If your turn involves a multiple jump, "Multi Jump!" will appear briefly on the screen after your first jump, your piece will remain highlighted, and you must continue the jumping sequence.

Once your move is made, the starting and destination squares will have a RED border, and likewise when your opponent moves. For a move involving multiple jumps, only the squares of the final jump are highlighted.

(2) Quit a game: open "Game Details" from the menu and select "Quit". If you have only made one move in the game, "Quit" will abort the game (i.e. neither player wins nor loses). If you have made two moves or more, "Quit" means you resign and lose the game. The "Delete" option simultaneously quits the game, and purges it from your Game Room's game list (but it remains in the Archive).

(3) Offer a draw, or accept draw offered by your opponent: open "Game Details" from the menu and select "Offer Draw" or "Accept Draw" respectively. It is unsporting to offer a draw when you are obviously losing.

The "Quit", "'''Delete" and "Draw" options are also available from the list view: highlight your game and open "Game Details" from the menu.

(4) "Close" will exit you from the full-screen view of your game, and return you to the Game Room. Your game will remain in your personal game list.

"Rotate board": ("View" menu) lets you turn the board around to watch the game from the point of view of Red or White.

"Forward" and "Back" arrowheads: Located bottom right, tap on these to step through the moves of a game, in forward or reverse. If you highlight one, you can also use your 5-way center key to step through turns.

Pressing the space bar will cause the current turn to be redisplayed.

Captured pieces appear in the border areas on either side of the board.

9.  Dots & Boxes

This help file has two sections:

• Wifight's Dots & Boxes Rules: how this game is implemented in wifight
• GamePlay: how to challenge players, draw lines, etc

9.1  Wifight’s Boxes Rules

Goal: to add the final, fourth line to more boxes than your opponent.

There is only one difference between wifight’s implementation of Boxes and the rules you may have encountered elsewhere. If both wifighters fill an equal number of boxes, then the game is NOT a draw but a WIN for Player 2. This reflects the marked disadvantage of being Player 2.

Here are a few things you may not know about Boxes:

• You are not obliged to complete a 3-sided square (unless there is no other option). In fact, at times it is very wise to avoid doing so.
• While it appears deceptively simple, Boxes is a highly strategic game, bearing some similarities to the famous Chinese game, Go. The optimal strategies have been defined by mathematicians and are best described at http://cf.geocities.com/ilanpi/dots.html, a website which is unfortunately not always available.
• For solo play versus a computer, try the very strong freeware version for Windows, called Dabble: http://www.mathstat.dal.ca/~jpg/dabble/. There is also a very weak Palm version, Timbriche.

9.2  GamePlay

There are four variations (mods) of Boxes, which only differ in the size of the square grid used (3x3, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6). The numbers are the number of dots along each side of the square. All the explanations below apply equally to all the variations. You can practise Boxes against yourself or play other wifighters. If you challenge another player (via the Create New Game screen) the game will immediately open in full-screen view. When creating the game you can choose to be Player 1 (RED lines/boxes) or Player 2 (BLUE). If another player has challenged you, the game will appear in your Game Room list with a bright green bottom bar and the text "YOUR TURN". Tap on it, or select it with the 5-way, to open it in full-screen mode.

There are (as yet) no time-limits to Boxes games,. You can play as fast or as slow as you like, but Boxes is generally played much quicker than chess and checkers. Your preferred game speed could possibly be discussed with your opponent in the Chat Room, if they chat regularly.

When it is your move, you have four game-play options, described in detail below: (1) Play your turn. (2) Quit (or delete) the game. (3) Offer or accept a draw. (4) Close the game-screen.

If it is your opponent's move, options 2-4 are available.

(1) Play a turn. Each turn in Boxes requires one or more repeats of the following three steps: *Select Dot #1. *Select Dot #2. *Select the “Go!” button to connect the two dots with a vertical or horizontal line.

• Select Dot #1: all the available dots are BLACK circles surrounded by a light BLUE halo. Unavailable dots are simple black circles, indicating that they already have the maximum number of lines connected to them. When you select a dot, it changes to a GREEN circle. Select a dot by simply tapping on it. You can also navigate to a dot with the 5-way (and choose with center key) - it will also have a distinctive dark BLUE border.
• Select Dot #2: any dot that is both a neighbor of Dot #1, and available, will now appear as a YELLOW circle. Choose the dot you want by tapping it. Both of your chosen dots will now appear as GREEN circles. You can also navigate to a dot with the 5-way (and choose with center key).
• Select the “Go!” button: Once you have selected two dots, a new button will now appear at the bottom of the screen: "Go!". Up until this stage, you can undo your selections (e.g. by tapping on any empty space, or via the menu option "Deselect all"). If you are happy with your selections, tap on "Go!" to join the two dots with a line (or use the 5-way). Once a move is made you cannot undo it, and you cannot request a take-back from your opponent. The line color for Player 1 is RED and for Player 2, BLUE, and highlighting is used to show which line was the last one created.

If the line you create is the fourth side of one box (sometimes two) then that box (or boxes) will be filled with your color (RED or BLUE). Whenever you create a box, and if available dots still remain, you get an extra go. You MUST join two more dots with a line, by repeating the three steps above. If there are no available dots left (i.e. the entire grid is filled with RED and BLUE squares) the game is over.

(2) Quit a game: open "Game Details" from the menu and select "Quit". If you have only made one move in the game, "Quit" will abort the game (i.e. neither player wins nor loses). If you have made two moves or more, "Quit" means you resign and lose the game. The "Delete" option simultaneously quits the game, and purges it from your Game Room's game list (but it remains in the Archive).

(3) Offer a draw, or accept draw offered by your opponent: open "Game Details" from the menu and select "Offer Draw" or "Accept Draw" respectively. The "Quit", "Delete" and "Draw" options are also available from the Game Room list view: highlight your game and open "Game Details" from the menu.

(4) The “Games” and “Chat” buttons at the bottom of the Boxes screen will exit you from the full-screen view of your game, and return you to the Game or Chat Room. Your game will remain in your personal game list.

"Rotate board": ("View" menu) does not yet function in Boxes.

"Forward" and "Back" arrowheads: Located bottom right, tap on these to step through the moves of a game, in forward or reverse. If you highlight one, you can also use your 5-way’s centre key to step through the turns.

Pressing the space bar will cause the current turn to be redisplayed.

10.  Reversi

This help file has two sections:

• Wifight's Reversi Rules: how Reversi is implemented
• GamePlay: how to challenge players, move pieces etc

10.1  Wifight's Reversi Rules

Goal: to end the game with more coins of one's own color on the board than your opponent.

The rules of Reversi (also called Othello) are highly standardized, and you could consult Wikipedia for a fuller description. The notes below provide an outline of how to play.

• Starting Position. At the start of the game, the four central squares are already occupied by two coins of each player
• Colors. Black plays the first turn, after which the turns alternate between the two players (unless one player has no legal move - see below).
• A Legal Move. You can only add a coin to the board if in doing so you can 'trap' one or more of the opponent's coins between the coin you are adding and one of your existing coins. The trapped coins will then reverse their color, to your color. You can trap coins along vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines. Sometimes a coin will trap, and reverse, coins along multiple lines. Coins that have been flipped do not have any further impact in the current move (i.e. there is no "chain reaction"). If it is your turn, and you can't trap any of your opponent's coins, then you miss that turn, and any further turns, until you can trap.
• Choice of Move. You can put a coin on any of the squares that allow a legal move. If there is only one such square you MUST place a coin on it.
• End of the Game: When neither player has a legal move, the game ends. This occurs when (1) all squares have a coin on them, or (2) there are spare squares, but neither player can trap an opponent's coin by playing on any of the remaining squares. This can occur quite early if one player manages to convert all coins to his or her color.
• Win/Lose/Draw: If one player has more coins on the board at the end of the game, then that player wins. If both players have an equal number of coins, it is a draw. These game outcomes can also result from one player resigning, or both players agreeing to a draw.

The famous quote about Reversi is "It takes a minute to learn but a lifetime to master". The rules are indeed exceptionally easy, but reversi has very deep strategy, and also requires strong calculating powers. If you want to play against a computer opponent on your Palm, there is a very powerful freeware edition: called PilOth: http://www.freewarepalm.com/games/piloth.shtml

10.2  GamePlay

You can practise reversi against yourself or play other wifighters. There is no inbuilt engine to challenge. If you challenge another player (via the Create New Game screen) the game will immediately open in full-screen view. When creating the game you can choose to be Player 1 (BLACK coins) or Player 2 (WHITE). If another player has challenged you, the game will appear in your Game Room list with a bright green bottom bar and the text "YOUR TURN". Tap on it, or select it with the 5-way, to open it in full-screen mode.

There are (as yet) no proper time-limits to reversi games, and you can play as fast or (nearly) as slow as you like. Your preferred game speed could possibly be discussed with your opponent in the Chat Room, if they chat regularly. However, if you have not made a move within 60 days, then the game will be abandoned and you will lose the game.

When it is your move, you have four game-play options, described in detail below: (1) Play your turn. (2) Resign (or quit) the game. (3) Offer or accept a draw. (4) Exit the game-screen.

If it is your opponent's move, options 2-4 are available.

(1) Play a turn. Each turn in reversi requires two steps: *Select a square on which you want to place your coin *Select "Go!".

• Select a square: all the squares (if any) that allow a legal move will be highlighted with a GREY circle. Select one by simply tapping on the square. A selected square is highlighted with YELLOW 'X'. You can also navigate to a square with the 5-way (and choose with centre key) - in which case the square will also have a blue border (while you navigate).
• Select "Go!": Once the desired square is selected, a new button will now appear at the bottom of the screen: "Go!". Up until this stage, you can undo your selection (e.g by tapping on any empty square, or via the centre-menu option "Deselect all"). If you are happy with your selection, tap on "Go!" to complete the turn (or use the 5-way). Once a turn is made you cannot undo it, and you cannot request a take-back from your opponent. After your turn is played, the selected square will have a red border - likewise when your opponent moves.

(2) Resign a game: You can choose "Resign" either directly from the left-menu or from within the "Game Details" screen. If you have only played two turns in the game, a "Quit" option will appear instead of "Resign" and this will abort the game (i.e. neither player wins nor loses). In the "Game Details" screen, another option, "Delete", simultaneously quits or resigns the game (depending on how many turns you have played) and purges it from your Game Room's list (but it remains in the Archive).

(3) Offer a draw, or accept draw offered by your opponent: open "Game Details" from the left-menu and select "Offer Draw" or "Accept Draw" respectively. It is unsporting to offer a draw when you are obviously losing.

The "Resign", "Quit" and "Draw" options are also available from the game list view: highlight your game and open "Game Details" from the menu.

(4) Exit the Game Tapping the "Games" or "Chat" buttons will exit you from the full-screen view of your game, and return you to the Game or Chat Room. Your game will remain in your personal game list.

Other Menu Items, and details

"Rotate board": ("View" menu) lets you turn the board around 180 degrees

"Forward" and "Back" arrowheads: Located bottom right, tap on these to step through the moves of a game, in forward or reverse. If you highlight one, you can also use your 5-way center key to step through turns.

Pressing the space bar will cause the current turn to be redisplayed.

The number of occupied squares for each color is shown in a black or white circle in the border areas on either side of the board.

11.  Reversi Chain Reaction

This help file has two sections:

• Wifight's Reversi Chain Reaction Rules: how Reversi Chain Reaction is implemented
• GamePlay: how to challenge players, move pieces etc

11.1  Wifight's Reversi Chain Reaction Rules

Goal: to end the game with more coins of one's own color on the board than your opponent.

The rules of Reversi Chain Reaction are identical to Reversi except for one change : Coins that are flipped as per a normal Reversi move can cause further flips as part of that move, if they now trap one or more of your opponent's coins, and so on. Thus a normal Reversi-type move can set off a powerful "chain reaction" of flips that spreads across the existing array of coins. These reactions can be especially dramatic later in the game. As yet little is known about the strategy for Reversi Chain Reaction, but from our limited experience so far, there appears to be much overlap with normal Reversi. Some of the basic rules of Reversi Chain Reaction (and Reversi) are given below. For full rules of Reversi consult Wikipedia. Reversi Chain Reaction was, to our knowledge, invented by wifight member trgeoff, and coded into wifight reality by Brennan Underwood. It is the second game variant invented by a wifight member, the other being ChessNoAI (by Brennan).

• Starting Position. At the start of the game, the four central squares are already occupied by two coins of each player
• Colors. Black plays the first turn, after which the turns alternate between the two players (unless one player has no legal move - see below).
• A Legal Move. You can only add a coin to the board if in doing so you can 'trap' one or more of the opponent's coins between the coin you are adding and one of your existing coins. The trapped coins will then reverse their color, to your color. You can trap coins along vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines. Sometimes a coin will trap, and reverse, coins along multiple lines. If it is your turn, and you can't trap any of your opponent's coins, then you miss that turn, and any further turns, until you can trap.
• Choice of Move. You can put a coin on any of the squares that allow a legal move. If there is only one such square you MUST place a coin on it.
• End of the Game: When neither player has a legal move, the game ends. This occurs when (1) all squares have a coin on them, or (2) there are spare squares, but neither player can trap an opponent's coin by playing on any of the remaining squares. This can occur quite early if one player manages to convert all coins to his or her color.
• Win/Lose/Draw: If one player has more coins on the board at the end of the game, then that player wins. If both players have an equal number of coins, it is a draw. These game outcomes can also result from one player resigning, or both players agreeing to a draw.

11.2  GamePlay

You can practise Reversi Chain Reaction against yourself or play other wifighters. There is no inbuilt engine to challenge. If you challenge another player (via the Create New Game screen) the game will immediately open in full-screen view. When creating the game you can choose to be Player 1 (BLACK coins) or Player 2 (WHITE). If another player has challenged you, the game will appear in your Game Room list with a bright green bottom bar and the text "YOUR TURN". Tap on it, or select it with the 5-way, to open it in full-screen mode.

There are (as yet) no proper time-limits to Reversi Chain Reaction games, and you can play as fast or (nearly) as slow as you like. Your preferred game speed could possibly be discussed with your opponent in the Chat Room, if they chat regularly. However, if you have not made a move within 60 days, then the game will be abandoned and you will lose the game.

When it is your move, you have four game-play options, described in detail below: (1) Play your turn. (2) Resign (or quit) the game. (3) Offer or accept a draw. (4) Exit the game-screen.

If it is your opponent's move, options 2-4 are available.

(1) Play a turn. Each turn in Reversi Chain Reaction requires two steps: *Select a square on which you want to place your coin *Select "Go!".

• Select a square: all the squares (if any) that allow a legal move will be highlighted with a GREY circle. Select one by simply tapping on the square. A selected square is highlighted with YELLOW 'X'. You can also navigate to a square with the 5-way (and choose with centre key) - in which case the square will also have a blue border (while you navigate).
• Select "Go!": Once the desired square is selected, a new button will now appear at the bottom of the screen: "Go!". Up until this stage, you can undo your selection (e.g by tapping on any empty square, or via the centre-menu option "Deselect all"). If you are happy with your selection, tap on "Go!" to complete the turn (or use the 5-way). Once a turn is made you cannot undo it, and you cannot request a take-back from your opponent. After your turn is played, the selected square will have a red border - likewise when your opponent moves.

(2) Resign a game: You can choose "Resign" either directly from the left-menu or from within the "Game Details" screen. If you have only played two turns in the game, a "Quit" option will appear instead of "Resign" and this will abort the game (i.e. neither player wins nor loses). In the "Game Details" screen, another option, "Delete", simultaneously quits or resigns the game (depending on how many turns you have played) and purges it from your Game Room's list (but it remains in the Archive).

(3) Offer a draw, or accept draw offered by your opponent: open "Game Details" from the left-menu and select "Offer Draw" or "Accept Draw" respectively. It is unsporting to offer a draw when you are obviously losing.

The "Resign", "Quit" and "Draw" options are also available from the game list view: highlight your game and open "Game Details" from the menu.

(4) Exit the Game Tapping the "Games" or "Chat" buttons will exit you from the full-screen view of your game, and return you to the Game or Chat Room. Your game will remain in your personal game list.

Other Menu Items, and details

"Rotate board": ("View" menu) lets you turn the board around 180 degrees

"Forward" and "Back" arrowheads: Located bottom right, tap on these to step through the moves of a game, in forward or reverse. If you highlight one, you can also use your 5-way center key to step through turns.

Pressing the space bar will cause the current turn to be redisplayed.

The number of occupied squares for each color is shown in a black or white circle in the border areas on either side of the board.

12.  Reversi: Play to Lose

This help file has two sections:

• Wifight's Reversi: Play to Lose Rules: how Reversi: Play to Lose is implemented
• GamePlay: how to challenge players, move pieces etc

12.1  Wifight's Reversi: Play to Lose Rules

Goal: to end the game with fewer coins of one's own color on the board than your opponent.

The rules of Reversi: Play to Lose are basically the same as for normal Reversi, but instead of trying to maximise the number of your coins, you actually aim to "lose", i.e. end up with fewer coins. The notes below provide a brief outline of the most basic aspects of play (for more see the rules of Reversi, e.g. on Wikipedia). For strategy hints do a Babelfish translation (if necessary) of this French-language page: http://pagesperso-orange.fr/opabinia/reverse.html

• Starting Position. At the start of the game, the four central squares are already occupied by two coins of each player
• Colors. Black plays the first turn, after which the turns alternate between the two players (unless one player has no legal move - see below).
• A Legal Move. You can only add a coin to the board if in doing so you can 'trap' one or more of the opponent's coins between the coin you are adding and one of your existing coins. The trapped coins will then reverse their color, to your color. You can trap coins along vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines. Sometimes a coin will trap, and reverse, coins along multiple lines. Coins that have been flipped do not have any further impact in the current move (i.e. there is no "chain reaction"). If it is your turn, and you can't trap any of your opponent's coins, then you miss that turn, and any further turns, until you can trap.
• Choice of Move. You can put a coin on any of the squares that allow a legal move. If there is only one such square you MUST place a coin on it.
• End of the Game: When neither player has a legal move, the game ends. This occurs when (1) all squares have a coin on them, or (2) there are spare squares, but neither player can trap an opponent's coin by playing on any of the remaining squares. This can occur quite early if one player manages to convert all coins to his or her color.
• Win/Lose/Draw: If one player has fewer coins on the board at the end of the game, then that player wins. If both players have an equal number of coins, it is a draw. These game outcomes can also result from one player resigning, or both players agreeing to a draw.

12.2  GamePlay

You can practise Reversi: Play to Lose against yourself or play other wifighters. There is no inbuilt engine to challenge. If you challenge another player (via the Create New Game screen) the game will immediately open in full-screen view. When creating the game you can choose to be Player 1 (BLACK coins) or Player 2 (WHITE). If another player has challenged you, the game will appear in your Game Room list with a bright green bottom bar and the text "YOUR TURN". Tap on it, or select it with the 5-way, to open it in full-screen mode.

There are (as yet) no proper time-limits to Reversi: Play to Lose games, and you can play as fast or (nearly) as slow as you like. Your preferred game speed could possibly be discussed with your opponent in the Chat Room, if they chat regularly. However, if you have not made a move within 60 days, then the game will be abandoned and you will lose the game.

When it is your move, you have four game-play options, described in detail below: (1) Play your turn. (2) Resign (or quit) the game. (3) Offer or accept a draw. (4) Exit the game-screen.

If it is your opponent's move, options 2-4 are available.

(1) Play a turn. Each turn in Reversi: Play to Lose requires two steps: *Select a square on which you want to place your coin *Select "Go!".

• Select a square: all the squares (if any) that allow a legal move will be highlighted with a GREY circle. Select one by simply tapping on the square. A selected square is highlighted with YELLOW 'X'. You can also navigate to a square with the 5-way (and choose with centre key) - in which case the square will also have a blue border (while you navigate).
• Select "Go!": Once the desired square is selected, a new button will now appear at the bottom of the screen: "Go!". Up until this stage, you can undo your selection (e.g by tapping on any empty square, or via the centre-menu option "Deselect all"). If you are happy with your selection, tap on "Go!" to complete the turn (or use the 5-way). Once a turn is made you cannot undo it, and you cannot request a take-back from your opponent. After your turn is played, the selected square will have a red border - likewise when your opponent moves.

(2) Resign a game: You can choose "Resign" either directly from the left-menu or from within the "Game Details" screen. If you have only played two turns in the game, a "Quit" option will appear instead of "Resign" and this will abort the game (i.e. neither player wins nor loses). In the "Game Details" screen, another option, "Delete", simultaneously quits or resigns the game (depending on how many turns you have played) and purges it from your Game Room's list (but it remains in the Archive).

(3) Offer a draw, or accept draw offered by your opponent: open "Game Details" from the left-menu and select "Offer Draw" or "Accept Draw" respectively. It is unsporting to offer a draw when you are obviously losing.

The "Resign", "Quit" and "Draw" options are also available from the game list view: highlight your game and open "Game Details" from the menu.

(4) Exit the Game Tapping the "Games" or "Chat" buttons will exit you from the full-screen view of your game, and return you to the Game or Chat Room. Your game will remain in your personal game list.

Other Menu Items, and details

"Rotate board": ("View" menu) lets you turn the board around 180 degrees

"Forward" and "Back" arrowheads: Located bottom right, tap on these to step through the moves of a game, in forward or reverse. If you highlight one, you can also use your 5-way center key to step through turns.

Pressing the space bar will cause the current turn to be redisplayed.

The number of occupied squares for each color is shown in a black or white circle in the border areas on either side of the board.