1. Installation

The installation process is very simple: Copy the Sigma 6.1.6 HIARCS 12 folder from the Sigma-616-HIARCS12 Installer volume to a suitable location on your hard drive, e.g. inside the Applications folder. The How to Install document contains some further information if you are upgrading from a previous version. Eject the installer volume and open the Sigma 6.1.6 HIARCS 12 folder on your hard drive. This contains two folders:

• The Sigma Chess 6.1 folder containing the main Sigma Chess application as well as various game material:
• The Sigma Chess 6.1 application itself.
• The Read me first! document, which you must read before launching Sigma Chess 6.1 the first time.
• The user's manual User Manual.html, which you are now reading (including the ManualData folder).
• The standard opening library, Sigma Library.
• An interactive Rules of Chess book for chess newcomers.
• The Plug-ins folder containing the optional third party 2D piece sets and boards (a selection of which is available from the Sigma Chess website). Also contains the HTML "gif" piece sets which are needed for HTML export.
• The Games folder containing many sample games from various matches and tournaments.
• The Endgame Databases folder containing the endgame database generators.
• The Libraries folder containing small opening libraries of specific openings, such as Ruy Lopez, French, Sicilian etc.
• The UCI Loader which is needed in order to use UCI engines (including HIARCS).


• The HIARCS folder containing the new HIARCS 11 engine and files.

Now that Sigma Chess is installed, you should start up the program. The first time you do so (or in case the preferences file has been removed from the System Folder), you will be asked to accept the Sigma Chess 6.1 License Agreement. If you do not accept this, Sigma Chess terminates immediately. Otherwise the program starts up and opens a new game window, ready to play the first game!

Although the program has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use, you might want to read or at least skim through the next page before playing your first game. If you are a beginner with little or no knowledge of the rules of chess, you are encouraged to go through the "Rules of Chess" book.

If the program does not start up properly, please verify the above mentioned system requirements and check that Sigma Chess was correctly installed.

IMPORTANT: As mentioned in the Read me first! document, two versions of Sigma Chess 6.1 exist:

• The freeware Sigma Chess 6.1 Lite
• The commercial Sigma Chess 6.1 Pro

Only the freeware Lite version is available for direct download. If you want to upgrade to the commercial Pro version, you need to go through the registration and payment process described in the Read me first! document. You will then receive a unique, personal license key (via e-mail) that you can use to upgrade your Sigma Chess 6.1 Lite installation to Sigma Chess 6.1 Pro.