Playing Computer Chess

Computer Chess

Kasparov versus Deep Blue

In February 1996, a chess-playing computer known as Deep Blue made history by defeating the reigning world chess champion, Gary Kasparov, in a game played under match conditions. Kasparov went on to win the six-game match 4-2 and at the end of the match announced that he believed that chess computing had come of age. This book provides an enthralling account of the match and of the story that lies behind it: the evolution of chess-playing computers and the development of Deep Blue. The story of chess-playing computers goes back a long way and the author provides a whistlestop tour of the highlights of this history. As the development comes to its culmination in Philadelphia, we meet the Deep Blue team, Garry Kasparov and each of the historic six games is provided in full with a detailed commentary. Chess grandmaster Yasser Seirawan provided a lively commentary throughout the match and here provides a Foreword about the significance of this event.

Think Like a Computer

Computer chess has had a large impact on chess in the last two decades. Players have access to databases containing millions of games, they can even look up games played by a potential opponent. The Internet allows players to play fast games against players all around the world. Games can be watched live as they are being played. Computer chess programs (or chess-engines) have become very strong. Not only can be used as practice, they can be used to analyse games or study openings. Books have been written on how a player can study with the assistance of a chess engine. In the 1970s there was a popular chess book called Think Like a Grandmaster by Soviet GM Alexander Kotov. He later wrote Play Like a Grandmaster and Train Like a Grandmaster. He wrote from his own experience and other grandmasters he rubbed shoulders with. He wrote on tree of analysis, candidate moves, avoiding blunders, when not to analyse, positional ideas, endgames etc. He gave ordinary chess players an insight into the mind of a grandmaster. To some extent this book helped them to think like a grandmaster. These days strong computer programs (called chess engines) are very strong indeed. The top engines currently have ELO ratings above3500.They can often analyse faster and more reliably than strong grandmaster. We have Think Like a Grandmaster so why not have Think Like a computer? There are many things we can learn from the strengths and weaknesses of chess engines. What can we learn from the way computers play? The author has been writing his own hobby chess engines since the 1990s. This book is designed to impart knowledge gained from this experience to chess players of all levels. Note that this book is not about using computers to practice with or study chess. Its about what chess-players can learn from how computers play chess. Its also for readers who may be curious to learn something about how computers play chess. You do not need to be computer programmer to learn from how computers play chess. You do not even need a chess set to read this book.