IBM’s Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov

In recent years, computers have been getting better and better at chess. In 1996, a computer, IBM’s Deep Blue, beat chess master Garry Kasparov in the first game they played, the first time a computer had beaten the world champion. Despite Kasparov winning the match overall (by three games to one), the game became famous. The following year, in a rematch against improved software, the machine was able to win convincingly.

This victory led to an explosion in computer chess. Today, programs are available for home use that can be played at any difficulty level, from the most basic to world champion level. It is also possible to play Internet chess with real human players, either on a live server or over a long period of time via email (a new form of correspondence chess).

The best chess software in the world gets stronger every year, as advances in hardware speed allow more moves to be analyzed in the same amount of time. Until now, humans have still had the upper hand when it comes to learning from history, i.e. having a general tried and tested strategy, but software makers are rapidly building huge strategy databases containing almost every strategy. of chess known to man. Today, it is believed that Deep Blue’s modern successor, called Hydra, could defeat any human in the world, although this has not been proven.

The rise of computer chess has divided players in two directions. Some have embraced it, creating a game known as advanced chess, where players can use computer software to allow them to explore every possible move on the board and pick the one they think would be best. On the other hand, there is arimaa, a version of chess deliberately created to be very difficult for computers to play. As the pieces move many times each turn, the computer cannot “think” as far forward as a human, and the computer cannot store strategies as the opening positions are random each time. Today, the best arimaa programs cannot beat even moderately skilled human players.