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Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov



 
 
Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov was a pair of famous six-game Human-computer chess matches
Human-computer chess matches

This article documents the progress of significant Human-computer chess matches.Computer chess were first able to beat strong chess players in the late 1980s....
 played between the IBM
IBM

International Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM and nicknamed "Big Blue" , is a multinational corporation computer technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, New York, United States....
 supercomputer
Supercomputer

A supercomputer is a computer that is at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation. Supercomputers introduced in the 1960s were designed primarily by Seymour Cray at Control Data Corporation , and led the market into the 1970s until Cray left to form his own company, Cray Research....
 Deep Blue and the World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov is a Russian former World Chess Champion, regarded by many as Methods for comparing top chess players throughout history. He is also a writer and political activist....
. The first match was played in February 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population city in the United States. It is the fifth-largest metropolitan area and fourth-largest urban area by population in the United States, the nation's fourth-largest consumer media market as ranked by the Nielsen Media Research, and the 49th-most...
. Kasparov won the match 4–2, losing one game, drawing
Draw (chess)

In chess, a draw is one of the possible outcomes of a game, the others being a win for White and a win for Black . Traditionally, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser....
 in two and winning three. A rematch, which has been called "the most spectacular chess event in history", was played in 1997 – this time Deep Blue won 3½–2½.

Here are the result summaries of the matches.






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Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov was a pair of famous six-game Human-computer chess matches
Human-computer chess matches

This article documents the progress of significant Human-computer chess matches.Computer chess were first able to beat strong chess players in the late 1980s....
 played between the IBM
IBM

International Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM and nicknamed "Big Blue" , is a multinational corporation computer technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, New York, United States....
 supercomputer
Supercomputer

A supercomputer is a computer that is at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation. Supercomputers introduced in the 1960s were designed primarily by Seymour Cray at Control Data Corporation , and led the market into the 1970s until Cray left to form his own company, Cray Research....
 Deep Blue and the World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov is a Russian former World Chess Champion, regarded by many as Methods for comparing top chess players throughout history. He is also a writer and political activist....
. The first match was played in February 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population city in the United States. It is the fifth-largest metropolitan area and fourth-largest urban area by population in the United States, the nation's fourth-largest consumer media market as ranked by the Nielsen Media Research, and the 49th-most...
. Kasparov won the match 4–2, losing one game, drawing
Draw (chess)

In chess, a draw is one of the possible outcomes of a game, the others being a win for White and a win for Black . Traditionally, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser....
 in two and winning three. A rematch, which has been called "the most spectacular chess event in history", was played in 1997 – this time Deep Blue won 3½–2½.

Here are the result summaries of the matches. The winner is denoted with bold text, in addition to the 1–0 format result.

The 1996 match
Game #WhiteBlackResultComment
1 Deep Blue Kasparov 1–0
2 Kasparov Deep Blue 1–0
3 Deep Blue Kasparov ½–½ Draw by mutual agreement
Draw by agreement

In chess, a draw by agreement is the outcome of a game due to the agreement of both players to a draw . A player may offer a draw to his opponent at any stage of a game; if the opponent accepts, the game is a draw....
4 Kasparov Deep Blue ½–½ Draw by mutual agreement
5 Deep Blue Kasparov 0–1 Kasparov offered a draw after the 23rd move.
6 Kasparov Deep Blue 1–0
Result: Kasparov – Deep Blue: 4–2


The 1997 rematch
Game #WhiteBlackResultComment
1 Kasparov Deep Blue 1–0
2 Deep Blue Kasparov 1–0
3 Kasparov Deep Blue ½–½ Draw by mutual agreement
4 Deep Blue Kasparov ½–½ Draw by mutual agreement
5 Kasparov Deep Blue ½–½ Draw by mutual agreement
6 Deep Blue Kasparov 1–0
Result: Deep Blue–Kasparov: 3½–2½


The 1996 match


1996 Game 1, Deep Blue vs. Kasparov

The first game of the 1996 match was the first game to be won by a chess-playing computer
Computer chess

Computer chess is computer architecture encompassing computer hardware and computer software capable of playing chess Autonomy without human guidance....
 against a reigning world champion
World Chess Championship

The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Both men and women are eligible to contest this title....
 under normal chess tournament conditions, and in particular, normal time control
Time control

A time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed....
s.

The game was played on February 10, 1996.

1996 Game 2, Kasparov vs. Deep Blue

The second game began with the Open Catalan Opening
Catalan Opening

The Catalan is a chess opening which can be considered to be White adopting a mixture of the Queen's Gambit and R?ti Opening: White plays d4 and c4 and fianchettoes the white bishop on g2....
. Kasparov played in what could be called a preemptive style blocking all Deep Blue's development
Chess terminology

This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. Some of these have their own pages, like Fork and Pin . For a list of unorthodox chess pieces, see fairy chess piece; for a list of terms specific to chess problems, see chess problem terminology; for a list of chess related games, see chess variants....
 tries. The game lasted for 73 moves but eventually Deep Blue's operator had to resign
Resignation

A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock....
 the game for the computer in a position where both players had a bishop but Kasparov had three pawns against Deep Blue's one.

The game was played on February 11, 1996.

1996 Game 3, Deep Blue vs. Kasparov

In the third game Kasparov played the Sicilian Defence
Sicilian Defence

The Sicilian Defence is a chess chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4....
 to which Deep Blue responded with the Alapin Variation. The game lasted for 39 moves and was drawn.

The game was played on February 13, 1996.

1996 Game 4, Kasparov vs. Deep Blue

The fourth game was the second game to end in a draw, even though at one point Deep Blue's team refused Kasparov's draw offer
Draw by agreement

In chess, a draw by agreement is the outcome of a game due to the agreement of both players to a draw . A player may offer a draw to his opponent at any stage of a game; if the opponent accepts, the game is a draw....
. The opening played was the Semi-Slav Defense
Semi-Slav Defense

The Semi-Slav Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit chess opening, defined by the opening moves...
.

The game was played on February 14, 1996.

1996 Game 5, Deep Blue vs. Kasparov

The fifth game was the turning point in the match. During the game, Kasparov, playing black, chose a different opening, the Four Knights Game
Four Knights Game

The Four Knights Game is a chess opening starting with the movesThe Four Knights is fairly popular with beginners who strictly adhere to the opening principle "develop knight before bishop ." It is occasionally played at higher levels, but most players consider the Ruy Lopez a better attempt for White and Black in chess to exploit the First-...
, from the Sicilian Defence
Sicilian Defence

The Sicilian Defence is a chess chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4....
 he had played in games one and three and came on top. This was particularly embarrassing for the Deep Blue team, because they had declined Kasparov's draw offer after the 23rd move. This one is the only game in the match that black won.

The game was played on February 16, 1996.

1996 Game 6, Kasparov vs. Deep Blue


In the end of the sixth game, Deep Blue had its pieces crammed into the queen side corner, almost completely unable to defend its king. Deep Blue resigned, because it was losing so badly. Kasparov's next move would probably have been 44.Qe7 to exchange the queens. That would have allowed his pawn, which was about to promote
Promotion (chess)

Promotion is a chess term describing the transformation of a Pawn that reaches its eighth rank into the player's choice of a Queen , Knight , Rook , or Bishop of the same List of chess terms#Color ....
, to advance.

The game was played on February 17, 1996.

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 c6 3.c4 e6 4.Nbd2 Nf6 5.e3 c5 6.b3 Nc6 7.Bb2 cxd4 8.exd4 Be7 9.Rc1 O-O 10.Bd3 Bd7 11.O-O Nh5 12.Re1 Nf4 13.Bb1 Bd6 14.g3 Ng6 15.Ne5 Rc8 16.Nxd7 Qxd7 17.Nf3 Bb4 18.Re3 Rfd8 19.h4 Nge7 20.a3 Ba5 21.b4 Bc7 22.c5 Re8 23.Qd3 g6 24.Re2 Nf5 25.Bc3 h5 26.b5 Nce7 27.Bd2 Kg7 28.a4 Ra8 29.a5 a6 30.b6 Bb8 31.Bc2 Nc6 32.Ba4 Re7 33.Bc3 Ne5 34.dxe5 Qxa4 35.Nd4 Nxd4 36.Qxd4 Qd7 37.Bd2 Re8 38.Bg5 Rc8 39.Bf6+ Kh7 40.c6 bxc6 41.Qc5 Kh6 42.Rb2 Qb7 43.Rb4 1-0

The 1997 rematch


1997 Game 1, Kasparov vs. Deep Blue

The 1997 rematch began with the King's Indian Attack
King's Indian Attack

The King's Indian Attack is a chess opening system for white, most notably used by Bobby Fischer. Its typical formation is shown in the diagram to the right....
, which led Kasparov to victory in 45 moves.

This game was played on May 3, 1997.

1997 Game 2, Deep Blue vs. Kasparov

In this game Kasparov accused IBM of cheating, a claim repeated in the documentary Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine
Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine

Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine is a 2003 in film documentary film by Vikram Jayanti about the match between Garry Kasparov, the highest rated chess player in history and the World Chess Championship for 15 years , and IBM Deep Blue, a chess-playing computer created by IBM....
. Kasparov eventually resigned, although post-game analysis indicates that the game could have been drawn. The game started with the Ruy Lopez
Ruy Lopez

The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening, Spanish Game or Spanish Torture in English-speaking countries, is a chess opening characterized by the moves:...
 opening Smyslov Defence variation.

This game was played on May 4, 1997.

Kasparov missed the fact that after 45... Qe3 46.Qxd6 Re8, black can force a draw by perpetual check
Perpetual check

In the game of chess, perpetual check is a situation in which one player can force a Draw by an unending series of check s. Such a situation typically arises when the player who is checking cannot deliver checkmate, while any other move gives the opponent a chance to win....
. His friends told him so the next morning. They suggested 47.h4 h5!, to result in a quick ending. The reference does not mention 47.Qc7+ (or Qd7+) as a way for white to further delay the drawn ending.

The game became subject to a forced draw instead of a probable win for Deep Blue when it moved 44.Kh1 instead of an alternate move of its king. Regarding the end of game 2 and 44.Kh1 in particular, chess journalist Mig Greengard
Mig Greengard

Michael "Mig" Greengard, is an American chess author and journalist who currently lives in New York City. Greengard also maintains the official English website of the Russian pro-democracy coalition, The Other Russia....
 in the Game Over
Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine

Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine is a 2003 in film documentary film by Vikram Jayanti about the match between Garry Kasparov, the highest rated chess player in history and the World Chess Championship for 15 years , and IBM Deep Blue, a chess-playing computer created by IBM....
 film states, "It turns out, that the position in, here at the end is actually a draw, and that, one of Deep Blue's final moves was a terrible error, because Deep Blue has two choices here. It can move its king here or move its king over here. It picked the wrong place to step." Another in that film, four-time US champion Yasser Seirawan
Yasser Seirawan

Yasser Seirawan is a chess International Grandmaster and 4-time United States-champion. He was winner of the World Junior Chess Championship in 1979....
, then concludes that, "The computer had left its king a little un-defended. And Garry could have threatened a perpetual check, not a win but a perpetual check."

1997 Game 3, Kasparov vs. Deep Blue

The third game was interesting because Kasparov chose to use an irregular opening
Irregular chess openings

Irregular openings are chess openings with an unusual first move from White. Such openings include:*Anderssen's Opening 1.Wikibooks:Opening theory in chess/1....
, the Mieses Opening
Mieses Opening

The Mieses Opening is a chess opening moveIt is named after the Germany-Great Britain grandmaster Jacques Mieses.1.d3 releases White and Black in chess Queen Bishop and makes a modest claim for the center, but since it does not stake out as large a share of the centre as 1.d4 does, it is not a popular opening move....
. He believed that by playing an esoteric opening, the computer would get out of its opening book
Opening book

The term Opening book refers either to a book on chess openings, or to a database of chess openings used by chess programs....
 and play the opening worse than it would have done using the book. Although this is nowadays a common tactic, it was a relatively new idea at the time. Despite this anti-computer tactic, the game was eventually drawn.

This game was played on May 6, 1997.

1997 Game 4, Deep Blue vs. Kasparov

In this game Kasparov played the Caro-Kann Defence
Caro-Kann Defence

The Caro-Kann Defence is a common chess opening characterized by the moves:The usual continuation isfollowed by 3.wikibooks:Opening theory in chess/1....
. Later on he had time problems and had to play in hurry, as both players had two hours for the first 40 moves and Kasparov was approaching his time limit. The sub-optimal moves he played in hurry may have cost him the victory.

This game was played on May 7, 1997.

1997 Game 5, Kasparov vs. Deep Blue


In this game, the King's Indian Attack
King's Indian Attack

The King's Indian Attack is a chess opening system for white, most notably used by Bobby Fischer. Its typical formation is shown in the diagram to the right....
 opening was played. Like in the previous game, the Deep Blue played a brilliant endgame that secured a draw, when it was looking like Kasparov would win.

This game was played on May 10, 1997.

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Bg4 3.Bg2 Nd7 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Bxf3 c6 6.d3 e6 7.e4 Ne5 8.Bg2 dxe4 9.Bxe4 Nf6 10.Bg2 Bb4+ 11.Nd2 h5 12.Qe2 Qc7 13.c3 Be7 14.d4 Ng6 15.h4 e5 16.Nf3 exd4 17.Nxd4 O-O-O 18.Bg5 Ng4 19.O-O-O Rhe8 20.Qc2 Kb8 21.Kb1 Bxg5 22.hxg5 N6e5 23.Rhe1 c5 24.Nf3 Rxd1+ 25.Rxd1 Nc4 26.Qa4 Rd8 27.Re1 Nb6 28.Qc2 Qd6 29.c4 Qg6 30.Qxg6 fxg6 31.b3 Nxf2 32.Re6 Kc7 33.Rxg6 Rd7 34.Nh4 Nc8 35.Bd5 Nd6 36.Re6 Nb5 37.cxb5 Rxd5 38.Rg6 Rd7 39.Nf5 Ne4 40.Nxg7 Rd1+ 41.Kc2 Rd2+ 42.Kc1 Rxa2 43.Nxh5 Nd2 44.Nf4 Nxb3+ 45.Kb1 Rd2 46.Re6 c4 47.Re3 Kb6 48.g6 Kxb5 49.g7 Kb4 1/2-1/2

If White plays 50 g8=Q then Black can force a draw by threefold repetition
Threefold repetition

In chess and some other abstract strategy games, the threefold repetition rule states that a player can claim a draw if the same position occurs three times, or will occur after their next move, with the same player to move....
, starting with 50... Rd1+ and then 51... Rd2+.

1997 Game 6, Deep Blue vs. Kasparov


Before the sixth match the overall score was even: 2½–2½. Kasparov played, uncharacteristically, the Caro-Kann Defence
Caro-Kann Defence

The Caro-Kann Defence is a common chess opening characterized by the moves:The usual continuation isfollowed by 3.wikibooks:Opening theory in chess/1....
. He then allowed Deep Blue to commit a knight sacrifice
Sacrifice (chess)

In the game of chess, a sacrifice is a move giving up a Chess piece or Pawn in the hopes of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms....
 which wrecked his defences and forced him to resign in less than twenty moves.

This game was played on May 11, 1997.

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 h6 8.Nxe6 Qe7 9.O-O fxe6 10.Bg6+ Kd8 11.Bf4 b5 12.a4 Bb7 13.Re1 Nd5 14.Bg3 Kc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Bf5 exf5 18.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 1-0

Further reading

    • Arimaa
      Arimaa

      Arimaa is a two-player abstract strategy board game that can be played using the same equipment as chess. Arimaa has so far proven to be more difficult for artificial intelligences to play than chess....
       - A game inspired by Karparov's loss to Deep Blue in 1997.