The definition of Maven is 'a person who has special knowledge or experience; an expert.'
So, the real question is: can you win at this classical game against OUR Chess Maven?
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HOW DO I PLAY?
I'm so thrilled you asked!
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
1) Say "Alexa, open Chess Maven" to get started. A new game will pop up, and from here you have a couple of options:
2) If you have a device with a screen then a board will be displayed. If you have a sound-only device, say "show me the board" to see your current board on your Alexa app or at: https://alexa.amazon.com
3) If you just want to play by memory and voice commands, then kudos to you!
4) Say "Tutorial" if you aren't sure how to get started.
5) Say "More Time" to get inspired to make your next move!
HOW DO I MOVE MY PIECE?
1) Say "Move pawn to F 4" to move a piece to a new square. Some other commands work, too:
2) Try just "Move E 5". If any of your pieces can move to that square, it'll happen. Of course, if several can move there, then I'll pick one randomly (I can't read your mind!).
3) "Move pawn to bishop" to attack your opponent! Sometimes it's nice to do a little damage...
4) "F 6 to E 3" to move. You can drop the word "move" if you prefer.
5) "Castle", "En Passant", and "Promote" are all commands where I will seek out the matching move on the board and make it.
WHAT IF I SCREW UP?
We all screw up sometimes. I know I do. A lot. Like 'a lot' a lot.
Sometimes you might even just want to cheat...
1) Say "Undo my last move" to go back one move. Just "undo" works too. Hey, just so you know...this won't work in competitive games.
2) Say "Start a new game" to give up and begin anew. Quitters don't prosper, but if you concede we'll never know if you might have had a stellar late game comeback!
3) Before making a new game, change your game type. - "Change game type to local" sets you up for local games. - "Search for a competitive game" will find another player to match you against! If/when a game is found it will end your current game and thrust the new one upon you! - "Change game type to computer" for default games.
Remember that after you change your game type you'll need to start a new game.
WHAT IF I NEED A LITTLE BIT OF HELP?
No shame in that. I built this silly skill and honestly I lose far more often than I win...
1) Say "What are my valid moves" to hear a list of options. It shuffles each time, so you can try again to hear more! "Legal Moves" also works.
2) "What moves can my pawns make?" if you want to be more specific! Ask about any piece type!
3) Say "Where are my bishops?" to find your pieces on the board. "Where are my opponent's rooks" also works!
4) Say "Increase the difficulty" to make the computer work harder! "Decrease the difficulty" will make things easier. This setting only goes into effect on your next game (no getting to right before a check mate and bumping your difficulty to make it look like you're better than you are...)
5) Say 'Give me a hint'. I'll turn the skill all the way up and find your best possible move!
6) Ask "How many hints do I have left?" to find out how many are available in your game.
7) Say "Tutorial" to begin an in-game tutorial and get a little bit of help!
LEADERBOARDS?
Of course!
1) Say "Change my name to {username}" to change your name for world display and bragging rights!
When playing competitive mode, you get ten minutes to make your move. If you run out of time, you forfeit the game and your opponent gets the points. You also get points winning a computer game with extra points depending on the difficulty.
Questions, comments, suggestions? Contact me directly at LincolnJCole@gmail.com
Reviews encourage developers to work harder, so please consider leaving one! If you have a suggestion to make this skill better, then please contact me directly and let me know about it! Wow, you read this far? Contact me and I'll send you some free hints!
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