Hello again,

Here is the second version of a document called Scid for the Impatient.
Links are not complete, since they await the creation of some other files.
Comments are welcome.  I am looking for proofreader, by the way.

A short note about the format.  I am choosing MultiMarkdown for the
documentation source.  It's possible to paste it into the mailing list,
while being able to generate HTML and LaTeX on the fly.  See <
http://fletcherpenney.net/MultiMarkdown_User's_Guide> for an overall
picture.

Enjoy,

Benoit St-Pierre

&&&&

<!--

Notes:

++ No preliminary remarks for the impatient !
++ Introduction (history outline) and installation can be two pages.
++ Install is not download : you can download other stuff.
++ There could be some difference between online documentation and help
files.
++ Opening up a database by default ?

-->

Title: Scid for the Impatient
Author: Benoit St-Pierre
Date: 2008-06-22
Address: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Affiliation: Sisters of Charity of Montreal
Language: English
Keywords: Scid, Guide, Chess,
Bibliography Title: See also
Revision: 0.3

# Scid for the Impatient

## Fast and Furious outline

Little Intro
:    What is Scid ; what does it do ; why read this.

Fast Install
:    What do I need ; where can I get it ; how do I install.

Quick Start
:    How to start ; what do I see ; can I play with it now.

Next steps
:    How to get games ; how to tweak it ; how do I get help.

## Little Intro

Scid is a freeware to study the game of chess.  It comes with all the
functionalities needed  : among other things, a database application, data
files, chess engines, endgame tablebases, player profiles, etc.  With it you
can (among other things) view, create, edit, analyze, play, and store chess
positions, sequences of moves, games and databases (among other things).
This guide should help you get Scid up and running in a few minutes.  See
the list of [features] for more details about them ; see the [tutorial] to
jump to more advanced topics.

## Fast Install

Check out if you meet these [requirements] page ; remove previous versions
to be sure everything will work fine.  Win users can download the latest
binary here [latest-scid] and (since version 3.6.14) unpack it in any
directory you like.  You can even intall it on an USB key !  Un\x and OSX
users must get the source files and compile them first.  See the
[installation] page for more complete information.

## Quick Start

Invoke Scid by whatever means suit you : menu, link, launcher, etc.  A spash
screen should now appear, telling splash fluff, followed by a tip.  Then you
see the main window : a chess board starting position, some buttons, a menu,
and an empty clipbase.  For screenshots, see the [screenshots] page.

## Surprise Exam

**Quest 1**.  Click on the button with a train on it, select Toga, then
check the _Practice_ box.  Try to survive against a strong engine.  Then
come back.

**Quest 2**.  Open a sample database by one of the many ways to do so:

- click on the Folder Icon (the second from left) of the toolbar at the top
of the main window,
- in the _File_ menu, select _Open_
- in the _File_ menu, select _Finder_
- press the appropriate keyboard shorcuts (you can see them in the menus)

In your directory navigator, select _Bases_, then choose _sample.si3_.

The first game of the database should now appear in the main window.  You
can play the moves of the game by clicking on the game toolbar.  To load the
next game, go into _Game/Next Game_, or press the appropriate icon.  If you
succeed in carrying out both quests, allow yourself one beverage of your
choice.

**Warning**.  Moving the mouse over the menu and over the buttons might
exposes you to understand all by yourself what Scid can do.  Use with
precaution : you might get addicted!  When stuck, one can always press F1 to
browse the help files, or select the appropriate item under the _Help_ menu.

## Next Steps

A chess database needs chess games : see the [resources] page to get some
free chess games.  To modify the look and feel, go to Options/Chessboard ;
please refer to the [configuration] page for more tweakings.  To dive into
more advanced topics, seek the [tutorial].

## See also

[configuration]:
[features]:
[installation]:
[latest-scid]:
[requirements]:
[resources]:
[screenshots]:
[tutorial]:

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