Getting started

You just installed Tetsuki? With the built-in guest login you can already observe the online games.

The Players view shows everyone currently logged in. Those who are playing are marked with a go board. Tap a name to see a player details and to observe his game. Sit back and enjoy the view.

Learn more about the Players view ...

Setting up a Pandanet account

To play online yourself, you need to log in with your personal IGS account. First register on this webpage. When you have created your account, you need to enter name and password in the Settings view. Learn more about the Settings view...

How about a game?

If the Invitations icon has got a red badge, then somebody invited you for a game. If you accept the game will begin.

Or you take the initiative and send an invitations yourself. Do you feel like a 9x9 game against a stronger player, or a slow game against your rival?

If you like surprises, you can let the server find a suitable opponent. You pick the maximum handicap and time settings.

Recording games

The Archive is where your online games are stored. Replay them in Tetsuki (also when you are not online). Or mail the game to yourself and review it on your computer.

You can also use the Archive to record live games: Just tap the plus-button and fill in the game settings. A new line will appear in the Archive. Tap the new line and you can start placing stones.

Learn more about the Archive...

Playing

Once the game has begun, you'll find that playing is a breeze. With the unique zoom mechanism you can quickly and accurately place stones and still keep a perfect overview of the whole board. You'll find the touch interface inspirational. After all Tetsuki is named after the technique to place real stones.

Time information is at the top, the game controls are at the bottom and the score is kept at the backside of the board. And yes, you can chat with your opponent. Learn more about playing...

The Players View

Tetsuki always starts in the Players view. Here you can see everyone who is logged in with his personal account (Guest are not listed here). You use the Players view to find opponents or to observe games.

Strength

The players are sorted on strength. Professional players will appear at the top, followed by the (amateur) dan players, the kyu players and finally the beginners class. Flick your finger to scroll or drag your finger over the index list at the right side of the screen to quickly jump to a certain section. Tap the Me button at the top to scroll to your own name. This can be handy to find players of similar strength.

Status and Colors

To see the status of a player, look at the color and the image next to the name:

The players in black are available for a game. Choose Available from the top bar to see only these players. The available players with a black dot next to are explicitely looking for a game.

The players in grey are not available for a game. This can be because they are already playing (a go board image) or because they do not want to receive game invitations (a forbidden sign).

Finally, your own account name is in blue. In the Settings view you can set your own status. Learn more...

Player Details

Tap on a name to see the Player Details. This shows the players country, his wins/losses statistics, his status, ...

Provisional

Observing a game

If the person is playing or watching a game, you can also see that in the Player Details. Tap on the watching or playing line to observe the game.

Invite to a Game

Tap Invite to a Game if you would like to play against this person. This is only possible if the person's status is either Accepting games or Looking for a game. You need a personal IGS account.

Observing a game is very straightforward. And you don't need a personal account. Just watch the stones appear on the board. The last move is always marked with a dot. Use the backward/forward buttons at the bottom to rewind the game. You can hold your finger on the buttons to rewind all the way to the beginning.

Zoom

Tetsuki has two zoom levels. Tap the zoom button (bottom-left) to zoom in on the last move. You can also zoom in by tapping your finger on an area of the board. Drag your finger to scroll the board. Tap the zoom button to see the whole board again.

Chat

Observers can chat with each other without disturbing the players. This is called Kibitz. New chat messages will appear on top of the board for a few seconds. To see the whole conversation or to say something yourself, simply tap the text bubble at the bottom. You can use the keyboard to type a message, or tap the round blue button to pick a common phrase. Tap Done to return to the game.

When discussing board positions, you can turn on board coordinates in the Settings View. Learn more...

Score

During the game, or at the end, you can see the score by tapping the black button in the top-right corner. Tap that button again to return to the board.

End of the game

After three consecutive passes, the scoring will begin. Please note that it can take a few moments before you see the result (IGS does not reveal the scoring process to observers, only the final result).

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Invitations

The Invitations view is where you send and receive invitations. This is how online games are started: One person invites another, and the other person accepts. You need a personal login to send and receive invitations and to play online games.

Receiving Invitations

If a player invites you for a game, it will show up in the section Received. Like emails, the unread invitations are marked with a blue dot. A red badge on the Invitations icon notifies you that there are new Invitations.

Answering Invitations

Tap on the invitation to see the details and to accept or decline it. If you accept, the game will begin (unless the opponent started another game or signed off in the meanwhile).

Timing

IGS supports several time systems: Fixed timing, Japanese byo yomi, Canadian byo yomi and kouryo timing.

Kouryo timing is a variation on Japanese byo yomi, popular from the NHK Cup on Japanese television: After the fixed time, the player gets a number of seconds for each move. He can run over that time, but that consumes one or more of his extra kouryo periods.

Sending Invitations

Of course you can also be the one sending invitations to other players. You can do this from the Players view or you can tap the plus button. After you pick an opponent, you have to enter the game settings (such as board size, handicap and timing). The game will start as soon as the other player accepts your invitation.

It is possible that your opponent is using software that doesn't support Japanese or Kouryo timing. If that is the case, you will get fewer timing options and no handicap (black can choose the handicap at the start of the game).

Invite any player (Seek)

You can also have the IGS server choose an opponent for you. (This is called Seek or Auto-match in other software). Tap the plus button and pick the first line (Any Player). You get to pick board size, timing and maximum handicap. The maximum handicap that you choose, will determine what rank you want to play with. So when you pick two stones, the server will look for an opponent that is maximum two levels stronger or two levels weaker than you. Your game will also get a fair komi.

There are only four time settings available in this case (to increase the chance of finding a match).

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Playing

If you accept an invitation, or somebody accepts your invitation, the game will start in the My Game view.

Zoom

Looking at the go board, Tetsuki has two zoom levels. When zoomed-out you see the whole board, you cannot place stones in this zoom. Tap on a general area to zoom in. When zoomed-in you can tap to place a stone (when it's your turn), or drag to scroll the board.

Tap the zoom button (bottom-left) to zoom out again. (In the Settings view you can configure Tetsuki to zoom out automatically after each move.)

Undo

If you made a mistake, you can take back your move, but only if your opponent agrees. To ask for an undo, you have to tap on the last placed stone (the one that is marked with a dot). Remember that your opponent might reject your request, or his software might not support it.

Score

Tap the black bottom at the top-right to flip the board and see the scores. Tap the same button to return to the game.

Chat

You can chat with your opponent. Incoming messages appear shortly on screen. If you tap the text-bubble at the bottom you can review the whole conversation and say something back: You can tap in the empty bubble and use the keyboard, or tap the round blue button and pick a common phraze.

End of the game

The flag icon at the bottom gives you access to end-game options. You can resign or pass. IGS requires three consecutive pass moves to enter the scoring phase. During the scoring phase you have to remove dead stones (by tapping on them). When you're ready, tap the Scoring Done button. Don't make any mistakes because Tetsuki does not have undo in this phase.

Disconnecting

You should avoid to disconnect from the IGS server while playing a game. If you disconnect three times during a game, you loose. So do not put your iPhone/iPod to sleep or press the home button.

If the internet connection is lost anyway (due to an interruption in the wireless or cell phone network), a message will pop up and Tetsuki will try to reconnect. When the connection is back, the game is reloaded and you can continue.

It is perfectly safe to switch to another view, like the Settings View, but don't forget your game clock of course.

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The Archive

The Archive can be useful, even when you're not online. Here you can record live games or review your previous games. After each online game you are asked to store it in the Archive. All those games will appear here, sorted by their date. Tap one of the lines and you can replay the game.

Reviewing

After you tapped a game in your Archive you can step through the moves with the forward and backward icons. To skip several moves (to go to the beginning of the game, for example), hold your finger on the backward or forward image. The zoom controls work the same as when playing or watching.

You can append new moves to your game, but only at the end. Tetsuki doesn't let you create variations. For advanced reviewing, you better have a larger screen and a keyboard. To get a game from your Tetsuki archive to your computer, tap the Score Button (top-right) and then tap the Mail button. This will mail the game as an SGF file to the adress that you specify.

Recording Games

Impress your opponent in your local game-club or at a live tournament by recording your game on your iPhone or iPod. In the Archive add a new empty game with the plus button. Enter the settings of the game (including the correct handicap). Then tap Done the game is now in the list (probably at the top). Tap that line and you start placing stones. If you made a mistake, just tap the last move again and you can delete it.

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The Settings View

IGS Pandanet Account

To play your own online games you need a Pandanet account. This is free (except if you live in Japan. For Japanese residents, Pandanet offers only a paying service that includes more services.) If you don't have a Pandanet account yet, you can register here. Follow the instructions on the web page and on the mails that you receive, until you have obtained an account name and password.

Then tap on the Settings image. Tap the first line to see your server and login settings. Toggle off Log in as guest and enter your account name and password. Tetsuki will remember these settings and log in every time you start Tetsuki. To check if everything worked, go back to the Players view, wait 20 seconds and tap the me button. You should see your new login name in blue in the list.

Setting your Status

On IGS everyone can set his status to inform other people if he is interested in playing or not. In Tetsuki you set this in the Settings view.

Sounds

In Tetsuki you can hear the stones being picked from the bowls and placed on the board. These are quality samples taken from slate and shell stones on a floor goban. You can choose to have the sounds of the stones. Note that even if you turn on the sound, it is possible that you don't hear it: If you turn you device on silent, you will only hear the stones through headphones. On first generation iPod touch devices you can only hear the stones through the headphones.

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