This program is a complete chess game that stands out for its careful presentation and the wide variety of options it presents. Both young beginners in this entertaining sport and more advanced teachers will enjoy the high level of play of the Cyrus II.

Its skill scale ranges from virtually instantaneous response play, ideal for beginner players, to tournament-level matches for chess experts. The possibilities that Cyrus II offers us oscillate in a wide scale of possibilities, which to point out some of them, we can highlight the following:

1. Repeat games already played:

The computer stores the moves already made in memory, displaying them in succession to allow us to determine and locate the errors that we may have made. This option allows us to rectify the mistakes that we may have made during the game, study different alternatives to it, and even ask the computer for the option on a certain move that brought us upside down.

2. Place the pieces on the board:

With this option we can start from any position, and not necessarily from the initial one with the pieces aligned. This allows us to analyze games played on a separate board, solve problems in newspaper organization charts, propose game endings or put the computer in trouble.

3. Move backwards:

Indispensable for novice players. The computer allows us to rectify monumental errors, as well as to study the responses of the computer to our different alternatives. In the same way that certain “players”, when facing their opponent, take advantage of any distraction moment to recover that tower that they have just accidentally eaten, the computer will make us feel as if we were playing with the little one in the house.

4. Dashboard in perspective:

Without a doubt, this is the most spectacular option that Cyrus II offers us. The board is presented in three dimensions, which offers us a more realistic view of the game. Likewise, it also has a more conventional representation in a flat diagram, which can alternate with the three-dimensional one.

5. Movement of the pieces:

To move the pieces around the board, Cyrus II offers us a more advanced and elegant option than the usual one in this type of program. Instead of making the movements with numbers and letters like the game of the boats, which can be uncomfortable and slow to carry out, the movement on the board is carried out directly by cursors. Once we have made our movement, the computer checks that it is legal and responds appropriately.

6. Difficulty level:

Not only can we choose the level of play of our opponent, but we can limit the speed of his responses. The interest that Cyrus II offers us, compared to similar chess programs, consists in shortening the duration of a normal game that often became endless. The response speed can range from a virtually instantaneous response to unlimited duration, through responses of seconds and minutes.

7. Choice of number of players:

Cyrus II can play against himself, allowing us to learn by studying the games he plays. It can also stay out of the way by acting as a “watchdog” between two humans. This option is most useful for us when we cannot find our old board or play with that little neighbor who is so hard for us to eat the tower. The program is prepared to analyze a situation and give its help if asked.

8. Burning and loading to disc:

The insomnia problem is over. It will no longer be necessary to spend endless hours to finish that game that was so interesting. Cyrus allows us to record the game at any time we want, being able to resume it at the time that is most convenient for us.

9. Other options:

Likewise, like the rest of the programs with these characteristics, it offers us the following options:

1. Choice of white or black.
2. Investment of the board.
3. Copy of the board or the previous plays by printer.
4. End of the game to start a new one.

In the following images you can check the original packaging.

• Original cover.

Here you have the front part of the original cover.

• Retouched cover

Its measurements are: Height 21,50 x Length 35,20 cm.

Below is the manual printed on glossy black and white paper.

• English manual.

Its measurements are: Width 26.90 x Height 19.50 cm.

• French manual.

Its measurements are: Width 29.70 x Height 21.00 cm.

Original disc supplied with Cyrus II Chess.

• English version.

• French version.

Custom labels to print. Over the years, due to their use, the labels are damaged and lose their color and quality. Now we try to adapt the most similar in the measure of our possibilities, the labels so that they can be printed and replaced or for those who work with a copy of the program and preserve the original disc. Measurement in 3 “height: 7.00 cm - width: 7.10 cm. The first image corresponds to the original label of the game, the second is the same modified label to be able to replace the broken one and the third and fourth images are for 3.5 “discs.

Coming soon

Tricks

• To beat the computer in the game, we leave you the steps to follow to give it a checkmate in 28 seconds. Player are the plays that we will have to make and Cyrus those that the computer will make.

Player:

• e2-e3
• qd1-h3
• b2-b3
• qh5-h3
• Bc1-b2
• Bf1-dc3
• Bb2-f6
• qh3xh7+

Cyrus:

• e7-e6
• Nb8-C6
• Ng8-f6
• Bf8-C5
• O-O
• d7-d5
• qd8xf6
• CHECKMATE

Game

The disk images, disk, have been obtained from the original version of Cyrus II Chess, have been recorded and verified.

• Cyrus II Chess English (Compressed .DSK file in ZIP format)
• Cyrus II Chess French (Compressed .DSK file in ZIP format)

Manual

Below you can download the Cyrus II Chess game manual or view it online.

* English manual

The manual sheet measures: Width 13.40 cm x Height 19.50 cm.

• Cyrus II Chess English Manual (PDF File)

* French manual

The manual sheet measures: Width 14.40 cm x Height 21.00 cm.

• Cyrus II Chess Manual in French (PDF File)

• Cyrus II Chess para Amstrad CPC (cpcwiki.eu)
• Cyrus II Chess para Amstrad CPC (cpc-power.com)
• Cyrus II Chess para ZX Spectrum (worldofspectrum.org)
• Cyrus II Chess para Commodore 64 (gb64.com)
• Cyrus II Chess para MSX (generation-msx.nl)