Mephisto Phoenix User manual

1. TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Table of contents .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................1

2. Initial activation......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Connection of components................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Connecting the board.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Connect power supply......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Controls on the device .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Switch on ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Manage the most important initial settings ..............................................................................................................................................................5

Set Language ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................5

SYS SETT – main system settings..................................................................................................................................................................................5

Starting a game now...................................................................................................................................................................................................................5

Main tips for operation...............................................................................................................................................................................................................6

Which parameters are loaded automatically when the system is restarted?..............................................................................6

Changing settings during a game...............................................................................................................................................................................6

How do I get back to the main menu?.....................................................................................................................................................................7

Meaning of the status LEDs in the buttons...........................................................................................................................................................7

Software version .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................7

3. Operation Modes ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................7

Main menu..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................7

"PLAY AGAINST COMPUTER" MODE .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8

PLAY RETRO CHESS MODE................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

4. The chess computer mode “Play against Computer”.......................................................................................................................... 8

Controls on the control screen............................................................................................................................................................................................ 8

Special features of the rating bar..................................................................................................................................................................................9

Views of the Analysis Box....................................................................................................................................................................................................9

COMF MENU – Profile selection, quick selection of the engine and its settings ...........................................................................10

General Information .............................................................................................................................................................................................................10

Special profiles you should try.......................................................................................................................................................................................10

Selection and control of profiles ...................................................................................................................................................................................11

Operating instructions for the COMFORT MENU ...........................................................................................................................................13

MODE – Mode Selecton...........................................................................................................................................................................................................14

Single player mode „HUMAN-COMPUTER“.........................................................................................................................................................14

Two-player mode „HUMAN-HUMAN“ ......................................................................................................................................................................14

Analysis mode „HUMAN-ANALYSE“ ..........................................................................................................................................................................14

Position input mode "POSITION" ................................................................................................................................................................................14

New Game ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................14

CHSS SETT – Chess Settings.................................................................................................................................................................................................15

ENGINE – Selection of the current engine ...........................................................................................................................................................15

LEVEL – Selection of time control...............................................................................................................................................................................15

DISPLA SETTIN - Configuration of the analysis box .......................................................................................................................................16

BOOK SETTIN – the settings of the opening books .......................................................................................................................................16

ENGINE SETTIN – The engine settings ....................................................................................................................................................................17

SYS SETT – System Settings..................................................................................................................................................................................................18

Important: These settings apply throughout the system!........................................................................................................................18

SOUND - Sounds.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................18

VOLUME - Sound volume.................................................................................................................................................................................................18

BOARD – Cable right or left?..........................................................................................................................................................................................18

BOARD LED – brightness of the board LEDs......................................................................................................................................................18

SELECT VERSION – activate latest version ...........................................................................................................................................................18

UPDATE – Perform system update............................................................................................................................................................................18

LANGUA – Set the language of the system .........................................................................................................................................................18

RESET SYSTEM – Perform system reset .................................................................................................................................................................18

WIFI – Connect to a wireless network .....................................................................................................................................................................19

PGN USB – Export your games as a PGN file......................................................................................................................................................19

DIAG SYSTEM – Create System Diagnostic File ................................................................................................................................................19

INFO SYSTEM – View the latest information about the system............................................................................................................19

Features that can be activated directly on the board......................................................................................................................................20

Move back mode ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................20

5. „Play retro Chess“ Mode....................................................................................................................................................................................................20

Overview of emulations & speeds ...................................................................................................................................................................................20

Programs included...............................................................................................................................................................................................................20

World Championship Programmes 1985 to 1991 ............................................................................................................................................20

Authors..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20

Adjustable speeds & processor types......................................................................................................................................................................20

Abbreviations and program names used ............................................................................................................................................................20

Starting an emulation...............................................................................................................................................................................................................21

Controls in the emulations....................................................................................................................................................................................................21

Structure of the emulation screen.............................................................................................................................................................................21

Set emulation speed ............................................................................................................................................................................................................21

Original button layout of the chess computer..................................................................................................................................................21

Control keys of the emulations....................................................................................................................................................................................22

Instructions for emulations ............................................................................................................................................................................................22

Back to Main Menu ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................22

6. Perform RESET ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................22

7. Technical information ........................................................................................................................................................................................................22

8. Safety Instructions, Maintenance & Confirmation of Conformity.......................................................................................................23

Important information............................................................................................................................................................................................................23

Safety Instructions......................................................................................................................................................................................................................23

Storage and cleaning instructions .................................................................................................................................................................................23

Notes on the power supply..................................................................................................................................................................................................23

Certificates of conformity......................................................................................................................................................................................................23

For the EU ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................23

For the USA ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................24

For Canada .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................24

Disposal..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................26

9. Warranty, Service and Manufacturer Information.........................................................................................................................................26

Warranty conditions .................................................................................................................................................................................................................26

Customer Service Contact....................................................................................................................................................................................................26

Manufacturer Information....................................................................................................................................................................................................26

10. Licenses ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Komodo 14.1.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Shredder 13.5 ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Hiarcs 14.2 .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Stockfish 15 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Millennium Opening Book...................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Johan de Koning .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Ed Schroeder..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Richard Lang ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Thomas Nitsche & Elmar Henne ......................................................................................................................................................................................27

Mephisto Phoenix.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................27

2. INITIAL ACTIVATION

Congratulations on your new Mephisto Phoenix chess computer. You have acquired the most powerful chess

computer ever produced in series. The Mephisto Phoenix is a UCI-based chess computer that runs many

different chess programs (so-called engines). In addition, it offers the possibility to emulate classic chess

computers as well as to play online directly against other people on Lichess.org. To thoroughly enjoy the device,

we ask for a few minutes of your attention to familiarize you with the special features of this complex system.

This manual is primarily intended to describe the system logic and its basic functions. Since the system is set up

to receive regular updates, we regularly add new features to our website at

https://computerchess.com/mephisto-phoenix/#faq .

Connection of components

Connecting the board

First, connect the chessboard by attaching the Mini-Din connector to both the board and the back of the

computer module. Make sure that the arrow on the cable is pointing upwards and insert the cable firmly into the

respective connections. Be careful not to bend the pins.

The Mephisto Phoenix is compatible with all chess boards of the Millennium Exclusive and Supreme Tournament

series.

Connect power supply

Now plug the power adapter into the appliance and connect the power adapter to your socket.

Controls on the device

On the front of the device you will find a 7" touch screen, via which you can control its various functions.

On the back you will find the USB port (for connecting USB flash drives for updates or PGN exports), the port for

the chessboard, the power socket, the ON/off switch, the control led and the reset button.

Switch on

Toggle the switch on the back to I to start up the device.

The MEPHISTO lettering appears briefly on the display. Note that the system will take about 30 seconds to start.

The control LED turns on in about 20 seconds after flipping the switch, it indicates that the firmware of the chess

computer has been loaded.

When the main menu appears with the mode selection, the system is ready for operation.

Manage the most important initial settings

Set Language

The language selection appears automatically at the first start of the Mephisto Phoenix:

Confirm the desired system language. You can choose between English, German, French, Dutch and Spanish.

You can also find the settings for the system language in the "PLAY AGAINST COMPUTER" mode under SYS SETT

/ LANGUA.

SYS SETT – main system settings

The system settings of the Mephisto Phoenix can be found in "PLAY AGAINST COMPUTER" mode under the SYS

SETT button, at the bottom right of the display:

Determine board orientation (BOARD)

Indicate whether the cable leads away from your chessboard to the right or to the left. Under SYS SETT / BOARD

you can change this. If the cable leads to the right (you are sitting in front of the logo badge), then the LED on

the BOARD button must light up. If the cable leads away to the left, tap the button once.

Turn on WiFi (WIFI)

Turn on the WiFi in the device to check for system updates. You can find the settings under SYS SETT / WIFI. For

more details on connecting to a WiFi network, see page 19.

Check for updates (UPDATE)

Check if there are system updates for your chess computer. After you have successfully connected the WiFi,

press UPDATE under SYS SETT to start the update process. See page 18 for more details.

Select the latest version (SELECT VERSIO)

If updates have been found and installed for your system, you must now select the latest version. Under SYS

SETT, press SELECT VERSIO, confirm with CONFIRM, and confirm again with CONFIRM (the system displays the

current version in the status box). The system now restarts with the latest version. See page 18 for more details.

Starting a game now

You can now start your first game with the Mephisto Phoenix. To do this, the board must be connected to the

computer.

If not already done, select “PLAY AGAINST COMPUTER” mode, or exit the system settings so that you can see the

chessboard display on the control screen.

Now please set up the pieces in their initial position.

The computer is now ready to play with its default settings. First, however, please select a suitable game profile.

In the example, we now start with the adaptive SHREDDER mode, which also shows you your own ELO rating.

To do this, press COMF MENU (COMFORT MENU) and select the SHREDDER chess engine in the top row. The

selection is indicated by a blue LED. Now select the last profile "Adaptive", the selection is confirmed again with

the blue LED.

Now press LOAD PROF (LOAD PROFILE) to preview the profile parameters. Confirm this with CONFIRM.

You now start a game against the Engine Shredder in adaptive mode. This mode starts at 1400 ELO and changes

its ranking depending on the win or loss of the game. After a few games, you will always have an equal opponent

with this mode and can easily track your development based on your ELO rating.

Main tips for operation

In the following, we would like to give you a few tips on the key operating logics of the system.

Which parameters are loaded automatically when the system is restarted?

After a restart of the system, the general system settings, as last used outside the profiles, are reloaded, the so-

called "Profile 0". These include the SYSTEM SETTINGS (volume, led settings, etc.) in particular, but also the most

recently used engine, the configuration of the analysis box, the configuration of the opening books and the

selected time setting.

All engine-specific parameters, the so-called UCI settings, are NOT loaded automatically. For example, the ELO

setting as well as specific engine options such as "Use NNUE" or "Skill Level".

Also, the settings that you may have used by loading a profile in the previous session will NOT be loaded

automatically.

TIP: If you want to play regularly with consistent settings, we recommend that you save them in a profile in the

COMFORT MENU and load them immediately after starting the system.

For this purpose, the COMFORT MENU "remembers" which profile you last used and highlights this in grey.

Changing settings during a game

If you change settings during a running game, please note that some settings can only be activated with the

next "New Game" command. These include, in particular, settings with a significant influence on the playing

strength, such as the ELO limitation of the engine.

If you are not sure whether the changes made are immediately active, select COMF menu / SHOW ACTV to view

the current settings. Parameters marked with an " * " will not be activated until the next new game. See also

page 11.

How do I get back to the main menu?

To return to the main menu, i.e. to select the operating modes of the chess computer, proceed as follows:

1) From the PLAY AGAINST COMPUTER mode, press HOME a second time in the control screen. The button

changes to MENU, press again to return the main menu.

2) From the emulations by pressing the MEN key (bottom left) in an emulation.

Meaning of the status LEDs in the buttons

The blue status LEDs in the buttons usually mean "ON" (blue) or "OFF" (grey). An exception is the COMFORT

MENU, where the blue LED marks the selected profile, which is loaded with LOAD PROFILE.

Software version

This manual is based on software version V3.55E, as of August 2022. Due to permanent improvements to the

system, details can deviate from the procedure described here. For detailed descriptions of individual functions,

please see our FAQ at https://computerchess.com/mephisto-phoenix/#faq .

3. OPERATION MODES

Main menu

In the main menu, select how you want to use the chess computer. The offered modes depend on which

software licenses have been purchased for your device.

"PLAY AGAINST COMPUTER" MODE

This is the main operating mode of the chess computer. Here you can play against various chess programs,

analyze or play in 2-player mode. You can also find the system settings such as volume, WiFi, the led control of

the board, etc., here.

PLAY RETRO CHESS MODE

In this mode you will find the emulations of old chess computers. You can play against these old programs.

4. THE CHESS COMPUTER MODE “PLAY AGAINST COMPUTER”

Controls on the control screen

1: HOME & MENU HOME returns you to the control screen at the touch of a button, no matter where

you are in the menu.

If you press HOME again on the control screen, the menu button appears. This takes

you back to the main menu to select the operating mode.

2: WIFI

Switch WiFi on and off

3: PREV

Go back a level in the menu

4: SYS SETT

System settings

5: COMF MENU

Profile selection, quick engine selection and preferred engine settings

6: MODE

Mode selection, here you can switch between the game modes single player, two

player, analysis and position input. You can also start a new game here.

Note: You can also start a new game by building the initial position on the board.

7: MOVE Allows you to have the moving side moved by the computer immediately. If the

computer is already calculating, this cancels its calculation and the computer plays

the best move found so far.

8: HINT

Get tip on current position from computer

9: BACK Activates the move back mode. The led turns on, you can now undo the moves

according to the LED display on the board. Once you are done, deactivate the mode

by pressing this button.

Note: You can also start the move back mode directly on the board.

10: CHSS SETT Here you will find chess-specific settings such as game strength, game duration,

opening books, display settings and engine-specific settings.

11: Infobox

Here you will find the chess-specific settings such as game strength, game duration,

opening books, display settings and engine-specific settings. (U = User / C =

Computer).

12: Status box Here you can see system messages. In the game, for example, the last move of the

engine, in the menu the top and selected submenu item.

13: Chessboard

The chessboard shows you the target score of the connected board as well as the

already struck pieces.

14: Rating bar The rating bar shows which side is currently doing better. Depending on the engine

settings, the information is given in point value or as the probability of winning.

15: Clock for White

The clock for White, depending on the selected time control.

16: Clock for Black

The clock for Black.

17: Side to move Shows whose turn it is (white or white-black rectangle) as well as the current

direction of play (triangle).

18: Notations

Shows the last 8 moves of the game.

19: Analysis-Box Displays various evaluations of the engine for the current gameplay. You can

configure these via the display settings.

Special features of the rating bar

The ratings bar shows you the current position rating of the active engine. The way it works depends heavily on

the engine used. Classical chess programs usually evaluate on the basis of point value. If the white bar is a box

above the center mark, white is better by a value of one point. Neural engines, so-called NNUE engines, on the

other hand, evaluate according to the probability of victory. Another special feature can be very weak playing

strengths, such as the Play&Win profile in Komodo 14.1. Komodo uses the position evaluation in such a way that it

evaluates itself significantly more strongly than it actually stands, in order to sacrifice material more willingly. The

display of the rating bar will therefore work completely differently depending on the engine and profile or

settings of the engine.

In the example, Komodo gives itself a score of +9.99,

so it thinks to be much stronger than it actually is.

The position has the same material strength for

both sides, so it is actually balanced. Komodo uses

this on very low levels to handle their own material

more "carelessly" and give the player a chance to

beat it.

Views of the Analysis Box

Depending on the configuration, you will find the following information in the analysis box.

Main variant

The main variant indicates how the engine suspects the game will continue. It is preceded by the current move

number. The main variant is ideal for training with engines. You can switch them on and off via CHESS SETTIN /

display SETTIN / MAIN.

Position assessment

In the first line after the main variant you will find the position evaluation, the value corresponds to the ratings

bar. Please also note the special features of the ratings bar on page 9.

Last move time

In the second line after the main variant you will find the time required for the last completed move.

Calculation Depth

In line 3 you will find the calculation depth, divided in half, possibly depending on the engine, into minimum

search depth (which applies to the complete development of the game) and a peak depth, which applies to

individual, further precalculated variants.

Current reflection time of the moving side

In line 4 you will first find the current reflection time of the player who is moving.

AST (last move examined)

After the reflection period, the indication of the last move examined and the number of the sequence follow. In

the example, the move "branch", which starts with g8-h8, was examined as second.

Calculated positions

The branch is followed by the number of calculated positions per second (number of calculated nodes until the

current main variant has been found), followed by the number of calculated positions for the entire move

(number of nodes per second).

Line 4 can be switched on and off via CHSS / SETT /display SETTIN/ EXPERT.

The HINT Option

If HINT is disabled, a "----" appears in the expected game development instead of the expected countermove.

TIP: This is only the case if "Ponder" is switched on. This option is intended for users who deliberately do not want

to see the direct expectation of the computer and want to use the maximum playing strength of the system

(Ponder active).

COMF MENU – Profile selection, quick selection of the engine and its settings

General Information

For the Komodo, Shredder and Hiarcs engines, you can easily access predefined profiles via the Comfort menu.

Profiles combine a variety of general and engine-specific settings, so you can quickly adjust many settings at

once.

General settings are, for example, the engine, the time setting, CPU speed, the displays in the analysis box and

the settings of the opening book. Engine-specific settings vary from engine to engine. Typically, these are ELO or

skill levels, the use of NNUE networks, the number of threads, hash size and pondering (engine calculates even

when it's your turn).

The stored profiles were defined by the Mephisto Phoenix development team in such a way that there is a

suitable "level" for each player type. Special features of the respective engines are also taken into account.

Typically, the profiles are divided according to playing strength, "Play & Win" is a level that is intended for

beginners and children, the other levels then become increasingly stronger. Some profiles contain special

features that only the respective engine offers:

Special profiles you should try

In the following, we highlight a few profiles that access special features of the engines.

Komodo Adaptive uses the in-game adaptation of Komodo. Here, the engine adapts to your level during the

game.

Shredder Neuronal uses internal NNUE function of Shredder. Here the engine uses its neural network.

Shredder Adaptive uses Shredder's well-known good adaptive mode. The engine adapts to its abilities after each

game, depending on whether you have won or lost. As a special feature, Shredder evaluates your playing

strength and gives you an ELO rating. These can be found in the info box with the note "U1400" (= User 1400

ELO). After each game, by executing the next "New Game" command, the result of the previous game is

recorded and your score is recalculated. Accordingly, the engine adapts to your skills. You can use the feature to

measure your training progress. Please remember to press NEW GAME again after your last game to take over

the rating, even if you want to switch off the system so that your rating can be updated.

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