examine

Usage:  examine [player1 [player2, game_number]

  This command starts a game in the examine mode where you, as the examiner,
can move the pieces for both white and black, take moves back and analyze side
variations.  You can examine a new game from scratch, a stored (adjourned)
game, a finished game from "history" or a game in someone's "journal".


STARTING EXAMINE MODE

  There are four ways to begin an examine session:

  1) New Game from Scratch -- "Examine" used alone without any player names
     begins examine mode for a new game and, in essence, you will be playing
     yourself.  Typing "match your_handle" is also a way to enter examine mode
     for a new game.

  2) Stored Games (adjourned) -- "Examine player1" will examine your stored
     game against player1 (if one exists).  "Examine white_player
     black_player" will examine the stored game (adjourned) between the two
     players.  Example: "examine dav thedane".

  3) Completed Game from History -- "Examine player1 game_number" will examine
     that game from player1's "history".  Example: "examine theviking 45".

  4) Game from a Journal -- "Examine player1 game_slot" will examine that game
     from player1's "journal" (unless the journal is private, namely
     "jprivate" variable has been set to non-zero).  Example: "examine sms B".


EXAMINE MODE

  No matter how you start the examine functions, the game will be played from
the starting position, not the last, stored position.

  While in examine mode, you can move the pieces in order to set up a position
and/or analyze side variations.  There are three special commands you can use
when examining a stored game:

    forward [#]      goes forward # moves (default n=1)

    backward [#]     goes backward # moves (default n=1)

    revert           goes back to the main variation (the last branch)

For new games, only "backward" works; the other commands have no affect since
there is no main line stored.  Therefore, once you go backward, you will need
to move the pieces again in order to move forward.

  Lastly, the command "unexamine" leaves the examine mode and ends your
analysis of the game.


GROUP EXAMINE

  Other users can also examine the game you are reviewing.  But must you
decide who these other examiners are.  Here are the steps involved:

  (1) The other examiner must first "observe" your game.

  (2) You, as the main examiner, must type "mexamine <user>" in order to give
      "user" access to the examine mode.

  As long as there is at least one designated examiner of a game, the analysis
can continue even when the first examiner who started the examine session
leaves.

  In order to communicate with another examiner of the game, it is best to use
the "kibitz" command.  If you use "whisper", the game's observers but not
examiners will hear your message.


SPECIAL NOTES

(1)  Players examining games have a # next to their handles in the (short)
"who" display, and examined games are listed in both the "games"  and
"allobservers" displays.

(2)  "Unexamine" stops your participation in the analysis, and also stops your
observer status.  Other examiners of the game may continue, however, even if
you started the examine session initially.

(3)  Clock times displayed are unimportant, of course, since time is not a
factor when analyzing games.


See Also:  allobservers  backward  forward  games  history  kibitz  journal  
match  mexamine  observe  stored  unexamine  variables  whisper  who

[Last modified: December 17, 1995 -- Friar]