Big Questions, Small Opinions Episode 1, The Truth about Chess: Human Intuition vs Computer Engines
- The Good Writer
- Dec 24, 2021
- 12 min read
Updated: Dec 27, 2021
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Introduction
Well well well, today in the new series, Big Questions, Small Opinions, I take a deep dive into one of my favourite games and debate on the key question: Is Chess rigged? I will slowly dissect this topic as we progress through this article. Do look out for the final answer, hope you enjoy the first episode of this new series!
Contents
Section A: The Problem: Is AI Rigging Chess?
Section B: The World Chess Championship
Section C: Your Opinions
Section D: Conclusion
Section A: The Problem: Is AI Rigging Chess?
1. Grandmaster Garry Kasparov vs IBM and Super Chess Computer Deep Blue (Coverage of 1996 match and 1997 rematch)
Over 20 years ago, World Champion Garry Kasparov took on IBM and the super-computer Deep Blue in the ultimate battle of man versus machine. This was a monumental moment in chess history and was followed closely around the world. This match appealed to chess players, scientists, computer experts, and the general public. At the time of the match, Kasparov was the reigning world champion. Kasparov was put to the ultimate test carrying the weight of humanity on his shoulders heading into this iconic chess battle.
Deep Blue, being a computer, was putting a lot of pressure on Kasparov as this was "The Battle for Humanity". A Champion was going to play a Super Chess Computer, which got basically the whole world excited and looking forward to the big match that would occur in Philadelphia, USA.
So, on 10 February 1996, the first game began with Deep Blue taking White and Garry Kasparov taking Black.
Below are the PGNs for the chess matches.
Note: If you want to go through the game without having to visualise it in the air, go click on any the links below, copy and paste the PGN into the PGN section
Chess.com Analysis (Press "Load PGN button and paste PGN into it)
Lichess.org Analysis (Scroll down until you see PGN section and paste PGN into it and press "Import PGN" button afterwards. Remember to switch on the engine as well.)
Chess Notation
N- Knight B- Bishop R- Rook Q- Queen K- King x- Takes O-O- Short Castling O-O-O- Long Castling !!- Brilliant Move !- Great Move !?- Shocking Move ?!- Inaccuracy ?- Mistake ??- Blunder +- Check #- Checkmate ⩲- White has more advantage 1-0- White Won 0-1- Black Won 1/2-1/2- Draw (Stalemate)
PGN of Game 1
[Event "Match"] [Site "Philadelphia, PA USA"] [Date "1996.02.10"] [Round "1"] [White "Deep Blue (Computer)"] [Black "Garry Kasparov"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B22"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1996.??.??"] [WhiteElo ""] [BlackElo ""] 1. e4 c5 Garry chooses his favorite move against 1.e4 which served him throughout his career. 2. c3 The computer avoids the main-line and plays the Alapin(c3) Sicilian. 2... d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. h3 Bh5 8. O-O Nc6 9. Be3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Bb4 A somewhat rare move. (10... Be7 {This is the most popular move in this position.} 11. Nc3 Qd6) 11. a3 Ba5 12. Nc3 Qd6 13. Nb5 Qe7 14. Ne5 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 O-O 16. Rac1 Rac8 Both sides have completed development and have activated their pieces. White has an isolated pawn and will have to play actively to justify this slight weakness. 17. Bg5 Bb6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Nc4 Rfd8 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Rfd1 f5 22. Qe3 White activates the queen and threatens to invade on the kingside. 22... Qf6 23. d5 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 exd5 25. b3 Kh8 26. Qxb6 Rg8 In order to compensate for the damaged king's position, Black works on organizing an attack. 27. Qc5 d4? (27... f4 {This move keeps the position balanced.}) 28. Nd6! f4 29. Nxb7 Ne5 30. Qd5 f3 31. g3 Nd3 32. Rc7 White's pieces are working together and starting to penetrate into Black's position. 32... Re8?? The fatal mistake by the world champion. 33. Nd6 Re1+ 34. Kh2 Nxf2 35. Nxf7+ Kg7 36. Ng5+ Kh6 37. Rxh7+ Garry Kasparov Resigned This is the first time a chess computer defeated a current world champion in classical time controls. A huge moment in chess history! 1-0
Game 1 Comments:
After 37 moves of combat on the 64 squares, Kasparov was forced to resign due to the fatal blunder (32... Re8??) and that gave Deep Blue the win for Game 1, shocking the whole chess world. This was the first time in the history of chess that a reigning world champion lost to a chess computer in classical time conditions. This was clearly not a good start for Kasparov.(Both figuratively and literally) We shall see how Kasparov fared in the next game.
For Game 2, Kasparov got the White pieces while Deep Blue got Black.
PGN of Game 2
[Event "Match"]
[Site "Philadelphia, PA USA"]
[Date "1996.02.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Garry Kasparov"]
[Black "Deep Blue (Computer)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E04"]
[PlyCount "145"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[WhiteElo ""]
[BlackElo ""]
1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. O-O Nf6 6. c4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Bd7 8. Na3
cxd4 9. Naxc4 Bc5 10. Qb3 O-O 11. Qxb7 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Rb8 13. Qf3 Bd6 14. Nc6
Bxc6 15. Qxc6 e5 16. Rb1 Rb6 17. Qa4 Qb8 18. Bg5 Be7
19. b4
Kasparov sacrifices the b-pawn to open of the black king.
19... Bxb4
20. Bxf6 gxf6
(20... Rxf6 21. Rxb4 Qc8 {And White is up a piece.})
21. Qd7 Qc8 22. Qxa7 Rb8
23. Qa4
Material balance is restored, but Black's king position has been compromised.
23... Bc3 24. Rxb8 Qxb8
25. Be4 Qc7
Qd7-f5 had to be stopped.
26. Qa6 Kg7 27. Qd3 Rb8
(27... h6 28. Qf3 Rb8 29. Qf5)
28. Bxh7 Rb2 29. Be4 Rxa2 30. h4 Qc8 31. Qf3 Ra1 32. Rxa1 Bxa1
33. Qh5
The presence of opposite-colored bishops gives Deep Blue a chance, but Kasparov pushes the initiative with every move.
33... Qh8 34. Qg4+
Trading queens is out of the question!
34... Kf8 35. Qc8+ Kg7 36. Qg4+ Kf8 37. Bd5 Ke7
38. Bc6
Kasparov pushes every move setting challenges for Deep Blue.
38... Kf8 39. Bd5 Ke7 40. Qf3 Bc3 41. Bc4 Qc8 42. Qd5 Qe6
43. Qb5
No trades!
43... Qd7
Black keeps trying and trying to enter an opposite-colored bishop endgame.
44. Qc5+ Qd6 45. Qa7+ Qd7 46. Qa8 Qc7 47. Qa3+ Qd6 48. Qa2 f5
49. Bxf7
Persistence has paid off and Kasparov picks up a critical pawn.
49... e4 50. Bh5 Qf6 51. Qa3+ Kd7 52. Qa7+ Kd8 53. Qb8+ Kd7
54. Be8+!
The king hunt begins!
54... Ke7 55. Bb5 Bd2 56. Qc7+ Kf8
57. Bc4
Kasparov continues to take squares away from the black king.
57... Bc3 58. Kg2 Be1 59. Kf1 Bc3
60. f4!
Now that the king is frozen, White starts to push the pawns.
60... exf3 61. exf3 Bd2 62. f4 Ke8 63. Qc8+ Ke7 64. Qc5+ Kd8 65. Bd3 Be3 66. Qxf5 Qc6 67. Qf8+ Kc7 68. Qe7+ Kc8 69. Bf5+ Kb8 70. Qd8+ Kb7
71. Qd7+
Kasparov finally allows the trade of queens under his conditions. The passed pawn will decide the game.
71... Qxd7 72. Bxd7 Kc7 73. Bb5 Deep Blue Resigned 1-0
Game 2 Comments:
Garry Kasparov did well in this game. Kasparov took the initiative and despite being a pawn down in the early positions, he understood that king safety was of utmost importance and thus as a compromise from sacrificing the pawn, he managed to open up Black's king and till the end of the match he kept his advantage without making any mistakes or blunders and eventually got Deep Blue's King in a vulnerable position, thus forcing the Super Chess Computer to eventually resign after a long battle of 73 moves over the board. Kasparov had indeed managed to recover from his previous loss.
For Game 3, Deep Blue got the White pieces while Garry Kasparov got the Black pieces.
PGN for Game 3
[Event "Match"]
[Site "Philadelphia, PA USA"]
[Date "1996.02.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Deep Blue (Computer)"]
[Black "Garry Kasparov"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B22"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[WhiteElo ""]
[BlackElo ""]
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6
7. O-O
Deep Blue is the first to vary from game one by castling. In round one, Deep Blue
questioned the bishop with 7.h3.
7... Nc6 8. Be3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4 10. a3 Ba5 11. Nc3 Qd6 12. Ne5 Bxe2
13. Qxe2 Bxc3 This time Kasparov decides not to let the knight access to b5 and trades it for the bishop.
14. bxc3 Nxe5 15. Bf4 Nf3+ 16. Qxf3 Qd5 17. Qd3 Rc8 18. Rfc1 Qc4
19. Qxc4 Rxc4
Entering a double rook endgame with bishop against knight. White has some pawn weaknesses that Kasparov can try to exploit.
20. Rcb1 b6 21. Bb8 Ra4
22. Rb4
Deep Blue plays energetically seeking activity as Black has not fully developed.
22... Ra5 23. Rc4 O-O 24. Bd6 Ra8 25. Rc6 b5 26. Kf1 Ra4 27. Rb1 a6
28. Ke2 h5
Creating some luft for the king, and playing on both sides of the board.
29. Kd3
White centralizes the king for endgame operations.
29... Rd8 30. Be7 Rd7
31. Bxf6
White parts with the bishop in order to create some weakness such as the
exposed king and weak h5-pawn.
31... gxf6 32. Rb3 Kg7 33. Ke3 e5 34. g3 exd4+ 35. cxd4 Re7+ 36. Kf3 Rd7 37. Rd3 Raxd4 38. Rxd4 Rxd4
39. Rxa6 b4
The queenside pawns are traded and you have a rook ending with 3 vs. 3 on the kingside - a
common draw at this level. 1/2-1/2
Game 3 Comments:
Peace at last. In a short game only spanning 39 moves, the game was drawn at the end. Deep Blue played the Alapin Sicilian (Click to see what it is.) once again but Kasparov changed his tactics a little bit and after reaching an equalized position, the game was officially drawn by both players.
Overall Results so far:
Player / Score | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Total |
Deep Blue (Com) | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
GM Garry Kasparov | 0 | 1 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
For the next game, Game 4, Kasparov would get the White pieces while Deep Blue would have Black.
PGN for Game 4
[Event "Match"] [Site "Philadelphia, PA USA"] [Date "1996.02.14"] [Round "4"] [White "Garry Kasparov"] [Black "Deep Blue (Computer)"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "1996.??.??"] [WhiteElo ""] [BlackElo ""] 1. Nf3 Kasparov stickes to a closed game strategy vs. Deep Blue. 1... d5 2. d4 c6 3. c4 e6 4. Nbd2 Nf6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 O-O 10. O-O h6 11. Bc2 Kasparov enjoys a strong center and a space advantage from which you can acquire long-term advantages. 11... e5 Black plays actively in order to get some counterplay. 12. Re1 exd4 13. Qxd4 Bc5 14. Qc3 a5 15. a3 Nf6 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 Bg4 18. Ne5 Re8 19. Rae1 Be6 20. f4 Qc8 21. h3 b5 22. f5 Bxc4 23. Nxc4 bxc4 24. Rxe8+ Nxe8 25. Re4 Nf6 (25... Qxf5 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Bxf5 {Would be a huge mistake for Deep Blue!}) 26. Rxc4 Nd5 27. Qe5 Qd7 28. Rg4 f6 29. Qd4 Kh7 30. Re4 Rd8 31. Kh1 Qc7 32. Qf2 Qb8 33. Ba4 c5 34. Bc6 c4 35. Rxc4 Nb4 36. Bf3 (36. axb4?? Rd1+ 37. Qg1 Rxg1+ 38. Kxg1 axb4 {And Black is winning.}) 36... Nd3 37. Qh4?! Kasparov slips a bit - keeping the queen centralized was more solid. (37. Qe3 Qxb2 38. Qe7 Qa1+ 39. Kh2 Qe5+ 40. Qxe5 Nxe5 41. Rc5 Nxf3+ 42. gxf3 a4 43. Ra5 Rd3 44. Rxa4 Rxf3 $11) 37... Qxb2 38. Qg3 Qxa3 39. Rc7 Qf8 40. Ra7 Ne5 41. Rxa5 Qf7 42. Rxe5!? Kasparov sees a chance to build a fortress and hold the game. 42... fxe5 43. Qxe5 Re8 44. Qf4 Qf6 45. Bh5 Rf8 46. Bg6+ Kh8 47. Qc7 Qd4 48. Kh2 Ra8 49. Bh5 Qf6 50. Bg6 Rg8 Draw agreed. Neither side can make progress. 1/2-1/2
Game 4 Comments:
Kasparov held on to the game quite well and on move 42, Kasparov found a way to successfully build a fortress, managing a draw as neither side could make any progress at all.
In Game 5, Kasparov got Black and Deep Blue had White.
PGN for Game 5:
[Event "Match"] [Site "Philadelphia, PA USA"] [Date "1996.02.16"] [Round "5"] [White "Deep Blue (Computer)"] [Black "Garry Kasparov"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C47"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "1996.??.??"] [WhiteElo ""] [BlackElo ""] 1. e4 e5! The exclaim is not for 1...e5 itself, it is for Kasparov not playing his favorite 1...c5. 2. Nf3 Nf6 The Petroff Defense, a solid choice. 3. Nc3 (3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 {This is the normal Petroff Defense, but Deep Blue prefers to develop.}) 3... Nc6 4. d4 The Scotch Four Knights. A solid choice. (4. Bb5 {The Spanish Four Knights.}) 4... exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 c6 11. Qf3 Be7 (11... Bd6 {This move is gaining in popularity, not fearing the damage that can be done to the kingside. Black will get two bishops and open lines.}) 12. Rae1 (12. h3 {This move is more common, playing against Blacks light-squared bishop.}) 12... Re8 13. Ne2 h6 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Nd4 Bg4 16. Qg3 Bxf4 17. Qxf4 Qb6 18. c4 Bd7 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Rxe8+ Rxe8 21. Qd2 Ne4 22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. b3 Rd8 It is said here that Kasparov offered a draw which the Deep Blue team declined. The position is dead equal. 24. Qc3 f5 25. Rd1 Be6 26. Qe3 Bf7 27. Qc3 f4 White is drifting, and Kasparov is starting to take over the initiative and put the pressure on! 28. Rd2 Qf6 29. g3 Rd5 30. a3 Kh7 Kasparov's position is now winning! 31. Kg2 Qe5!! 32. f3 e3 33. Rd3 e2 34. gxf4 e1=Q 35. fxe5 Qxc3 36. Rxc3 Rxd4 37. b4 Bc4 38. Kf2 g5 39. Re3 Be6 40. Rc3 Bc4 41. Re3 Rd2+ 42. Ke1 Rd3 43. Kf2 Kg6 44. Rxd3 Bxd3 45. Ke3 Bc2 46. Kd4 Kf5 47. Kd5 h5 Deep Blue resigns! Once Kasparov had the initiative, the game was over. Deep Blue did not show its best in this game. 0-1
Game 5 Comments:
Deep Blue declined a draw offer by Garry Kasparov and soon fell as Kasparov took over the initiative. What a game!
Final Game, Game 6, Kasparov with White and Deep Blue gets Black.
PGN for Game 6
[Event "Match"] [Site "Philadelphia, PA USA"] [Date "1996.02.17"] [Round "6"] [White "Garry Kasparov"] [Black "Deep Blue (Computer)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D30"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "1996.??.??"] [WhiteElo ""] [BlackElo ""] 1. Nf3 Kasparov sticks to his game plan with White, going for more of a strategic battle. 1... 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 Kasparov is fully developed, has more active pieces, and the center. 11... 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! Sealing a massive advantage for Kasparov. (20. Bxh7+! {This move is also winning, but not as clear.}) 20... Kxh7 21. Ng5+ Kg8 22. Qh5 Qe8 23. Qh7+ Kf8 24. Qh8+ Ng8 25. Rc2 Of course is completely winning, but Kasparov wanted to keep control to avoid any possible slips. 20... Ba5 21. b4 (21. Bxh7+ {Again, this idea is possible.}) 21... Bc7 22. c5 Blacks position is cramped, and it is hard to find a plan. While Kasparov can play positionally in the center, or attack on the kingside. 22... 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 Black is almost getting pushed off of the board. 31... Nc6 32. Ba4 Re7 33. Bc3 Ne5 34. dxe5 Qxa4 35. Nd4 Nxd4 36. Qxd4 Qd7 37. Bd2 Re8 38. Bg5 Kasparov has every part of the board under total control, queenside, center, and kingside. 38... Rc8 39. Bf6+ Kasparov starts to target the dark squares and the king! 39... Kh7 40. c6!! The final nail in the coffin. 40... bxc6 41. Qc5 Kh6 42. Rb2 Qb7 43. Rb4 And Black has no productive moves. Deep Blue resigns. 1-0
Comments on Game 6:
Just amazing, I am speechless!
Overall Results:
Score / Player | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Total |
Deep Blue | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
GM Garry Kasparov | 0 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Deep Blue vs Garry Kasparov
2 - 4
Videos Recommended to watch:
Well, in 1997, there was a rematch between Deep Blue and Garry Kasparov. Will the reigning World Champion continue his hot streak against this super computer or will it mark the downfall of Kasparov? Let us find out! (I will only feature interesting games.)
Game 1. Kasparov has White and Deep Blue has Black.
PGN of Game 1
[Event "IBM Man-Machine"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1997.05.03"] [Round "1"] [White "Garry Kasparov"] [Black "Deep Blue (Computer)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "1997.??.??"] [WhiteElo ""] [BlackElo ""] 1. Nf3 This move gave Kasparov success in the first match. 1... d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. b3 Nd7 4. Bb2 e6 5. Bg2 Ngf6 6. O-O c6 7. d3 Bd6 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. h3 Bh5 10. e3 h6 11. Qe1 Kasparov plays a slow maneuvering type of game where he can outsmart Deep Blue. 11... Qa5 12. a3 Bc7 13. Nh4 This idea has the plan of ruining Deep Blue's structure. 13... g5 Deep blue plays actively against Kasparov's plan, but the weakness on the kingside cannot be undone. (13... a6 14. g4 Bg6 15. Nxg6 fxg6 ⩲) 14. Nhf3 e5 15. e4 Rfe8 16. Nh2 Qb6 17. Qc1 a5 18. Re1 Bd6 19. Ndf1 dxe4 20. dxe4 Bc5 21. Ne3 Rad8 22. Nhf1 g4 23. hxg4 Nxg4 24. f3 Nxe3 Deep Blue continues to play in an aggressive fashion. 25. Nxe3 Be7 26. Kh1 Bg5 27. Re2 a4 28. b4 f5?! 29. exf5 e4 30. f4! Offering an exchange sacrifice which Deep Blue accepts. Kasparov will have full compensation with the passed pawns. 30... Bxe2 31. fxg5 Ne5 32. g6 Bf3 33. Bc3 Qb5 34. Qf1 Qxf1+ 35. Rxf1 h5 36. Kg1 Kf8 37. Bh3 b5 38. Kf2 Kg7 39. g4! Kasparov is now winning. 39... Kh6 40. Rg1 hxg4 41. Bxg4 Bxg4 42. Nxg4+ Nxg4+ 43. Rxg4 Rd5 44. f6! Rd1?? This move was said to be made due to Deep Blue having a \"bug.\"} 45. g7 Deep Blue "resigned" 1-0
Comments for Game 1:
I am not sure about the bug thing for Deep Blue but Kasparov played excellently and absolutely deserved that win.
Game 2. Computer Deep Blue with the White pieces, Grandmaster Garry Kasparov with Black.
PGN for Game 2
[Event "IBM Man-Machine"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1997.05.04"] [Round "2"] [White "Deep Blue (Computer)"] [Black "Garry Kasparov"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C93"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "1997.??.??"] [WhiteElo ""] [BlackElo ""] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 A well-known variation of the Ruy Lopez with Black choosing the Smyslov Variation. 9... h6 A slightly more rare continuation. Na5 is the most popular choice here. (9... Na5 10. Bc2 c5 {With a big clamp on the center squares.}) 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. Nf1 Bd7 13. Ng3 Na5 14. Bc2 c5 The central fight begins. These positions contain high tension waiting to see which side will initiate the first central exchanges. 15. b3 Nc6 16. d5 White chooses to release the tension to gain a tempo on the knight. 16... Ne7 17. Be3 Ng6 18. Qd2 Nh7 19. a4 Nh4 20. Nxh4 Qxh4 21. Qe2 Qd8 22. b4 Qc7 23. Rec1 c4 Kasparov is trying to keep the position closed to take advantage of the computer's lack of chess understanding. 24. Ra3 With the idea to double rooks on the a file since it has the potential to open. 24... Rec8 25. Rca1 Qd8 26. f4 Deep Blue starts to play aggressively to try take advantage of having more active pieces. 26... Nf6 27. fxe5 dxe5 28. Qf1 Ne8 With each move, Kasparov's position is starting to look more and more passive. 29. Qf2 Nd6 30. Bb6 Qe8 31. R3a2 Be7 32. Bc5 Bf8 33. Nf5 Bxf5 34. exf5 f6 35. Bxd6 Bxd6 36. axb5 The beginning of the sequence of moves where Kasparov believed Deep Blue cheated by receiving outside info from a grandmaster. 36... axb5 37. Be4 Rxa2 38. Qxa2 Qd7 39. Qa7 Rc7 40. Qb6 Rb7 41. Ra8+ Kf7 42. Qa6 Qc7 43. Qc6 Qb6+ 44. Kf1 Rb8 45. Ra6 In this position, Kasparov resigned, but it is said his friends told him the next day that he had a chance to force a perpetual check. 45... Qe3 {The move Kasparov missed with chances to draw.} 1-0 The following 3 games followed with a draw and the score was 2.5-2.5 when both players were going to play the final game. For Game 6, the final game, Deep Blue had the White pieces and Kasparov had Black. PGN for Game 6: [Event "IBM Man-Machine"] [Site "New York, NY USA"] [Date "1997.05.??"] [Round "6"] [White "Deep Blue (Computer)"] [Black "Garry Kasparov"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B17"] [PlyCount "37"] [EventDate "1997.??.??"] [WhiteElo ""] [BlackElo ""] 1. e4 c6 Kasparov plays the Caro-Kann for game six of the match 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 h6 8. Nxe6! This is the move that shocked the world at the time of the match. Kasparov simply collapses after this sacrifice. 8... Qe7 9. O-O fxe6 (9... Qxe6?? 10. Re1) 10. Bg6+ Kd8 11. Bf4 Black has a very difficult time developing and finding a plan. 11... b5 12. a4 Bb7 13. Re1 Nd5 14. Bg3 Kc8 15. axb5 The computer open lines to the enemy king. White has a decisive advantage. 15... cxb5 16. Qd3 Bc6 17. Bf5 All of the tactics are flowing for Deep Blue. All pieces are participating in the hunt for the king. 17... exf5 18. Rxe7 Bxe7 19. c4 Kasparov resigns! What a game and sacrifice by Deep Blue. 1-0
Comments on Game 2:
Kasparov went down in flames in just 19 moves after Deep Blue found the amazing knight sacrifice that enabled White to coordinate all the pieces to launch a full out attack on Black, it was actually White that held the advantage despite being down 1 point of material.
Garry Kasparov had lost to Deep Blue, a year after he had previously won the super chess computer. This news shocked the world and signalled the age where technology would rise high above human chess prodigies in the coming years.
2. Beyond Deep Blue: Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik vs Chess Computer Deep Fritz 2002 and 2006 Overview
Here we have Vladimir Kramnik, World Champion from 2000-2006. In his reign of being the World Champion, Kramnik played Deep Fritz twice. In 2002, he got the score 4-4 after the 8 rounds ended, resulting in a draw. In 2006, Kramnik drew the first game with Deep Fritz. In the second game, in a shocking turn of events, Kramnik, a World Champion for 6 years, blundered checkmate in 1, allowing Deep Fritz to lead with a point. The next 3 games, Game 3, 4 and 5 were drawn and for the final game, Deep Fritz showed the world who's boss, forcing Kramnik to resign in merely 47 moves. Deep Fritz won against Vladimir Kramnik with a convincing 4-2.
After 2006, in the 2007 World Championship Match, Vladimir Kramnik, was upset and his title was taken over by famed Indian Grandmaster, Viswanathan Anand (Commonly known as Vishy)
3. The Rise of Super Chess Computers (Chess Computers Stockfish, Leela and AlphaZero)
The Mighty Rise of Stockfish
Stockfish was developed quite early and since participating in the Top Chess Engines Championship in 2013, it has dominated the competition and has won 8 times, also securing 2nd place 6 times in the same competition. It has been deemed as the Strongest Chess computer/engine in the world for a very long time. Reigning as the Strongest Chess Computer Engine in the world until now, it has suffered quite some setbacks.
Despite frequent overtaking by other engines like Leela Chess Zero, Houdini, Komodo and AlphaZero, Stockfish has been most consistent in rankings. As of October 2020, Stockfish is the highest-rated engine according to the computer chess rating list (CCRL) with a rating of 3514—it is the only engine with a rating above 3500. According to the July 2020 Swedish Chess Computer Association (SSDF) rating list, Stockfish 9 is ranked #3, Stockfish 10 is ranked #2, and Stockfish 11 is ranked #1 with a rating of 3558. Taking the top three spots with three different versions is quite impressive.
Credits: Chess Programming Wiki
The Unprecedented Win Over Stockfish: AlphaZero by Google
Credits: Chess.com
AlphaZero has unremarkably left a mark on the chess world. AlphaZero is one of the strongest chess engines in the world. In 2017, AlphaZero beat Stockfish, in the Computer Chess Championship with a shocking 28 wins 72 draws and 0 losses. The chess world was excited by this famous news and it was revealed AlphaZero trains by constantly playing against itself, something I could never do as this would never help me improve since it meant losing and winning every game. However it was a genius tactic to first try defeating your best opponent, "yourself" and that was how AlphaZero trained to win Stockfish in the 100-match championship. AlphaZero was designed by Google after its development of AlphaGo turned out to be a huge success after it won against World Go Champion Lee Sedol with a 4-1 victory.
Credits: Chess.com
The Lc0 VS Stockfish Rivalry
Lc0, the full name being Leela Chess Zero, has accomplished quite some feats in the recent years. Leela defeated Houdini to win the 2nd TCEC. (Top Chess Engines Championship) In May 2019, Leela won Stockfish in the finals to take the 3rd TCEC Cup. In April 2020, Leela upset Stockfish by winning the 13th Chess.com Computer Chess Championship with a 106-94 in the 200-game finals. Lc0 had suddenly started beating Stockfish quite a few times, thus making AlphaZero and Leela Chess Zero a worthy match against the "Strongest Chess Engine in the World".
Section B: The World Chess Championship
4. Evolution of World Chess Championship and the Involvement of Chess Engines
The World Chess Championship is held every 2 years and has existed since as early as 1886. There have been 16 World Champions from 1886 till present day.
World Champions:
Wilhelm Steinitz (1886-1894) - Austria
Emanuel Lasker (1894-1921) - Germany
Jose Raul Capablanca (1921-1927) - Cuba
Alexander Alekhine (1927-1935, 1937-1946) - Soviet Union
GM Max Euwe (1935-1937) - Netherlands
GM Mikhail Botvinnik (1948-1957, 1958-1960, 1961-1963) - Soviet Union
GM Vasily Smyslov (1957-1958) - Soviet Union
GM Mikhail Tal (1960-1961) - Latvia
GM Tigran Petrosian (1963-1969)- Armenia
GM Boris Spassky (1969-1972) - Soviet Union
GM Bobby Fischer (1972-1975) - USA
GM Anatoly Karpov (1975-1985) - Soviet Union
GM Garry Kasparov (1985-2000) - Soviet Union then Russia
GM Vladimir Kramnik (2000-2007) - Russia
GM Viswanathan Anand (2007-2013) - India
GM Magnus Carlsen (2013-present) - Norway
Since Garry Kasparov played against Deep Blue in 1996, computers started to become an analysis tool for top players to train along with. As technology becomes more and more advanced, the chess computers will improve along with it as well. As Chess commentating for the World Championship matches slowly rolled out on various chess platforms, more engines were put to work to help examine and show lines that may have been winning or losing or equalizing, thus the engines like Stockfish was commonly used to analyse World Championship Matches.
5. World Chess Championship 2021: Magnus Carlsen vs Ian Nepomniachtchi: What is Happening?!
Magnus Carlsen faced Russian Challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi in this year's World Chess Championship. Well, Magnus Carlsen was supposed to defend his title of World Champion and continue his streak. Well, defend the title he did. He managed to create history with Ian in the World Championship this year, by breaking the record of the longest game ever in WCC history. Magnus Carlsen clearly had better stamina and won the long 8-hour game. Out of the 11 games played in total, Magnus drew 7 games and won the rest of the 4 games. He managed to win by getting a score of 7.5-3.5 in Dubai this year, successfully retaining his title against Nepomniachtchi. Magnus Carlsen has proved to be one of the greatest chess players of all time since beating Viswanathan Anand in the 2013 World Chess Championship. He was also only one of the few people who passed 2800 ELO rating, with GM Alireza Firouzja also breaking 2800 just very recently.
Featuring Game 6 of the World Chess Championship, the longest ever game in the history of the World Chess Championship.
PGN of Game 6
[Event "FIDE World Chess Championship 2021"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.12.03"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2855"] [BlackElo "2782"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "271"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.12.03"] {At the end of game five, I predicted that we would see a more eventful game six, as Magnus would probably double dip for the first time and play either 1. e4 or 1.d4 with a pretty good idea of what he would be facing. Given Nepo's repertoire, I was not too surprised to see Magnus aim for some kind of Catalan. While the opening and early middlegame certainly looked dull as Magnus wasn't able to apply much pressure, the game did liven up at some point, and my prediction came true as we finally saw a full point scored.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 e6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. b3 {This is an interesting move order for White. He clearly is aiming to play c4 at a moment when he is ready to take back with the pawn.} 6... c5 7. dxc5 (7. c4 {This would lead to a more typical position, which I have actually played a bunch of times on the white side in rapid games. It is a little tricky, but generally, I think mostly harmless against a prepared opponent in classical chess. Still, I am somehow not impressed with what Magnus played either.}) 7... Bxc5 8. c4 dxc4 9. Qc2 {Now, White will win back the lost c4-pawn without allowing his structure to become compromised. Then, he can hope to end up a little better if Black can't develop his queenside or find a way to get the c8-bishop into the game. But, I think this is too optimistic. In the time it takes White to grab the pawn back, Black will complete his development.} 9... Qe7 10. Nbd2 $5 {Magnus has showed a remarkable willingness to sacrifice pawns this match. I like this decision! The knight taking back on c4 will look a lot more sensible than the queen.} 10... Nc6 $1 {I like this decision. Black doesn't bother going pawn grabbing and instead makes sure to complete his development before he faces any issues on the long diagonal.} (10... cxb3 {The machine is not scared of grabbing the pawn, but after something like} 11. Nxb3 Bd6 12. Nfd4 {White has clear compensation as now Black was unable to develop his queenside before the pressure on the long diagonal become too problematic. I don't see a great way to get the bishop on c8 into the game. The machine calls it equal, but in human terms, White certainly seems more comfortable, and I find it unsurprising that Nepo did not go for it.}) 11. Nxc4 {Now, Bd7 leaves the bishop on a still less than impressive square, though even there I imagine White can't hope for too much. Black has two ways to solve his problem piece, and Nepo chose the more direct one.} 11... b5 $1 {This looks like a scary move as Black seems like he is asking for trouble on the long diagonal, but the tempo he wins by hitting the c4-knight gives him enough time to get his bishop to b7. Structurally, White is surely not better. His only edge was hoping that the g2-bishop would be active, and the c8-bishop passive. This will no longer be the case, and we end up in a dry, symmetrical position where Black has no major issues.} (11... Bd7) (11... e5 $5 {This was fine too. Black's bishop will find a nice square on g4, or even f5 if he pushes e5-e4 first.}) 12. Nce5 {Now, Black should be careful. He clearly wants to get the bishop to b7, but he needs to do it the right way.} (12. Nfe5 $2 {This might look tempting, but it only creates problems for White. After} 12... Nd4 $1 13. Qd1 Bb7 $1 {Black is taking over the initiative.}) 12... Nb4 $1 {Black clears the knight off of the hanging square with a gain of tempo and is ready for Bc8-b7 next, equalizing.} (12... Bb7 $2 {This tempting move would lose material after} 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. b4 $1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 {when Black has hanging pieces on both a8 and c5.}) 13. Qb2 Bb7 14. a3 Nc6 $1 {Since the queen is no longer on c2, this move is safe as there is no b3-b4 thrust to skewer the bishops on the c-file. The position looks very equal, though soon enough some imbalance was found.} 15. Nd3 Bb6 16. Bg5 Rfd8 17. Bxf6 gxf6 $5 {This is not a bad move, but its a bit surprising to me. Given that the pawn structure will become crippled either way, why would we keep queens on? I suppose Black's king is not feeling any particular pressure.} (17... Qxf6 {This would have been my choice. I might even prefer Black.}) 18. Rac1 Nd4 (18... e5 {The machine flashed this move briefly, but it seems super inhuman to me. Black is just begging for an invasion on f5.} 19. Nh4 Nd4 20. e3 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Qb7+ 22. Kg1 Ne6 {Apparently, Black is a little better here with Ne6-g5 coming next. It looks super scary for a human though. Some Qb2-e2 and Nh4-f5 does not look like fun.}) 19. Nxd4 Bxd4 20. Qa2 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Qb7+ 22. Kg1 Qe4 23. Qc2 a5 24. Rfd1 Kg7 25. Rd2 {This was the first position I saw of the game, as inflight WiFi had not been working to that point. I just assumed it would end in a draw pretty promptly, but I did not expect Nepo to immediately change the character of the game.} 25... Rac8 $5 {This is surely not a bad move, and it does liven things up, but it strikes me as very risky. The computer insists that the position remains equal, but it looks much more double edged after the queen is traded for the two rooks. Black's position can become risky as his kingside pawns being split means that neither f7 nor h7 can be defended by another pawn. This being the case, having a greater number of pieces can be a really big deal, and two rooks have some potential to overpower the queen. Black is definitely still fine, but he should be looking for direct active counterplay on the queenside. Still, given how the game played out, I suspect Nepo may have found himself regretting this decision, even if it was not the one that objectively landed him in a bad position.} (25... f5 {Some simple move like this one, making room for the bishop on f6 and putting more pawns on light squares, was what I was expecting. It looks very equal and very drawn.}) 26. Qxc8 Rxc8 27. Rxc8 Qd5 28. b4 a4 29. e3 Be5 $6 {The machine still claims the position is equal, but I believe this was a big step in the wrong direction. Black could have immediately gone for a line where White needs to find two only moves before a draw is agreed, and instead he sort of lazily brings the bishop back as if his position is not under any pressure and he has all the time in the world.} (29... Bb2 {This might have been a little more challenging, forcing White to find a couple good moves, but it can't be too tough.} 30. Rc5 $1 Qd6 31. Rxb2 Qxd3 {Now, White's position actually looks really dangerous since a3 is falling. He needs to find one only move, but then he is fine.} 32. Rbc2 $1 {Not too difficult. White moves his rook away so it will not be hanging when a3 is taken, and now he is ready to meet Qxa3 with Rxb5. It should be quite drawish. Still, Magnus was low enough on time that there was some non-zero chance he would not find his way with a couple only moves. But... non-zero, but not high either.}) 30. h4 h5 $2 {Now White has real weaknesses to play against. The h5-pawn can certainly become a target, and once more Black missed his chance to directly equalize.} (30... Bb2 {This was still fine, but it is basically an admission that Be5 was a bad decision. This is not an easy thing for a human to do, especially if he still thinks the position is fine.}) 31. Kh2 {Sesse claims Black is still fine here. In human terms, I think he has a lot of problems to solve. He is missing counterplay and will have to be very wary of the rooks suddenly invading the position. My onboard WiFi cut out here as well, and I knew it would be some time before we were over a land mass again. At this moment, despite being short on time, I thought Magnus would have a really good position by the time I got to see it again.} 31... Bb2 $2 {Now it is too late for this. White should be winning, but with the clock ticking down, Magnus did not find the way.} 32. Rc5 Qd6 33. Rd1 $2 {This let a big chance slip.} (33. Rcc2 $1 {[ Carlsen: \"That was not on my radar. As a matter of fact, when I went for this Rd1 I just missed ...Qd7. I thought I would be in time to go Rb4 and eliminate those pawns, so that was more an oversight than anything else.\"]} 33... Bxa3 34. Nf4 $1 {White has a decisive attack, as his rooks will soon penetrate to the 7th or 8th rank, and h5 is a goner. I suspect Magnus saw this, but missed that after} 34... Qe7 35. Rc8 $1 {Would win. In fact, every other move loses!}) 33... Bxa3 34. Rxb5 Qd7 35. Rc5 e5 (35... Bxb4 {I'm not sure why Nepo did not play this move, though I am not as optimistic as the machine about his winning chances.}) 36. Rc2 Qd5 $6 (36... Bxb4 $1 {Again, this looked tempting.}) 37. Rdd2 $1 {Now White has everything under control, and the a3-bishop is in some trouble.} 37... Qb3 38. Ra2 e4 $2 {With time control rapidly approaching, both sides missed an important idea.} (38... f5 {So says the machine, and apparently Black is fine. This is super tough for a human to play, particularly with no time.}) 39. Nc5 Qxb4 {Now, Magnus had a move clear winner. It is super bad luck for him that the chance happened to present itself on move 40 rather than 41!} 40. Nxe4 $2 (40. Rdc2 $1 {This should win routinely. Black's queen and bishop are both completely stuck, and White is ready for Nxa4 next. After something like} 40... f5 41. Nxa4 Qxa4 42. Rc3 $18 {White should be technically winning. He will get his rooks to the seventh rank and take on f7. This is exactly the kind of position I was talking about earlier where Black's weak pawns means simply having a greater number of total pieces is a huge advantage, and the two rooks should easily beat the queen.}) 40... Qb3 {Time control is reached, and Black is more or less okay.} 41. Rac2 Bf8 42. Nc5 Qb5 43. Nd3 a3 {Black's a-pawn is annoying enough though it is really hard for White to break through.} 44. Nf4 Qa5 45. Ra2 Bb4 46. Rd3 Kh6 47. Rd1 Qa4 48. Rda1 {Magnus is trying to reorganize his pieces to target the a3-pawn, but it will be really hard to get the knight to join as well.} 48... Bd6 49. Kg1 Qb3 50. Ne2 Qd3 51. Nd4 Kh7 {Case in point, it looks like Nc2 should pick up a3 and promptly win the game, but things are not so simple.} 52. Kh2 (52. Nc2 Qb3 $1 {White struggles to take on a3 thanks to Bd6-e5 hanging over his head. I don't see a great plan for him.} 53. Nxa3 $2 Be5 $1) 52... Qe4 $6 {This strikes me as a bit careless. Now, Magnus took the chance to change the position and get rid of the a-pawn, but it became a bit too simplified to seriously hope to play for a win against good defense.} 53. Rxa3 Qxh4+ $1 (53... Bxa3 $2 54. Rxa3 {White should be totally winning here despite the relative material balance. The queen's main strength is being able to attack multiple things at once, and here, Black has nothing to attack. White will maneuvre Ra3-a5-f5-f4, then knight around to e4 to force f6-f5, then knight comes to d4, and Black collapses.}) 54. Kg1 Qe4 55. Ra4 Be5 $1 56. Ne2 Qc2 57. R1a2 Qb3 {The bishop on e5 is incredibly well placed. White somehow does not quite have the coordination he needs to finish the game off.} 58. Kg2 Qd5+ 59. f3 {The machine hates this move, but I don't see another great way to make progress.} 59... Qd1 60. f4 Bc7 {The pawn being forced off of f2 really weakens White's pawn chain, and his king's cover. It will be very hard for him to do something like double on the seventh and take on f7 as long as his kingside needs defenders.} 61. Kf2 Bb6 $1 {Targeting the weak e3-pawn.} 62. Ra1 Qb3 63. Re4 {White has coordinated his position about as well as possible, but it will still be a nightmare to break through. This was the first position I saw once my internet came back, and I was unsurprised that there were some missed chances along the way. The rook on e4 holds everything together but is also tethered to the defense of the e3-pawn. The knight on e2 is not wildly mobile either. Still, Magnus is head and shoulders above every player in history at grinding out positions like this one, and it showed.} 63... Kg7 64. Re8 f5 65. Raa8 {Even with the rooks invading like this, what is White's next move?} 65... Qb4 66. Rac8 Ba5 67. Rc1 Bb6 68. Re5 Qb3 69. Re8 Qd5 70. Rcc8 {White is not making any progress on the board, but progress on the clock is more important. The position is surely a draw objectively, but Black will have to defend it for 50 moves, and if anything ever drops, he will surely lose. White's best chance is to pressure Black on the clock, and here Nepo was down to 5 minutes.} 70... Qh1 (70... Qb3 {This was also fine.}) 71. Rc1 Qd5 72. Rb1 Ba7 $2 {Case in point. This is a bad move, and the product of not having much time.} (72... Bd8 {Black keeps all unwanted guests off of the 7th rank and is ready for h4 next.}) 73. Re7 $1 Bc5 74. Re5 {Now Black is in only-move territory.} 74... Qd3 75. Rb7 Qc2 76. Rb5 $1 Ba7 77. Ra5 (77. Rxf5 {Already this was possible.} 77... Qd3 78. Rxf7+ $1 Kxf7 79. Rb7+ {The computer still thinks this is a draw, but a human would almost certainly lose with Black.}) (77. Re7) 77... Bb6 78. Rab5 Ba7 79. Rxf5 $1 {Magnus plays it the second time around.} 79... Qd3 80. Rxf7+ Kxf7 81. Rb7+ Kg6 82. Rxa7 Qd5 83. Ra6+ Kh7 84. Ra1 $1 {I like this move. No need to rush, start by preventing Qh1.} 84... Kg6 85. Nd4 Qb7 86. Ra2 Qh1 87. Ra6+ Kf7 88. Nf3 $1 {White's king is totally safe for the moment. The machine still claims Black is making a draw here, but for a human with no time... this feels impossible. There are no direct perpetuals, Black will have to sit and defend perfectly for 50 moves until a pawn moves, then for another 50 moves... even with time on the clock, I would expect a human to crack. Without it, no chance.} 88... Qb1 89. Rd6 Kg7 90. Rd5 Qb2+ 91. Rd2 Qb1 92. Re2 {Not subtle. The e-pawn is coming.} 92... Qb6 93. Rc2 Qb1 94. Nd4 Qh1 95. Rc7+ Kf6 96. Rc6+ Kf7 97. Nf3 Qb1 98. Ng5+ Kg7 99. Ne6+ Kf7 100. Nd4 Qh1 {White has made no progress for the last several moves, but the clocks just keep getting lower. Black cannot hold this forever.} 101. Rc7+ Kf6 102. Nf3 Qb1 103. Rd7 Qc2+ 104. Rd2 Qb1 105. Ng1 $5 {Finally, White sets up a different coordination.} 105... Qb4 106. Rd1 Qb3 107. Rd6+ Kg7 108. Rd4 Qb2+ 109. Ne2 Qb1 110. e4 $1 {Finally. Machine still says draw, but go play 50 more moves... and then e5 or f5 comes, and then 50 more...} 110... Qh1 111. Rd7+ Kg8 112. Rd4 Qh2+ 113. Ke3 h4 {Black trades off his last pawn, but this doesn't change much. He still has a practically impossible task.} 114. gxh4 Qh3+ 115. Kd2 Qxh4 116. Rd3 Kf8 117. Rf3 Qd8+ 118. Ke3 Qa5 119. Kf2 Qa7+ 120. Re3 Qd7 121. Ng3 {White has set up a very good coordination and the pawns are ready to go.} 121... Qd2+ 122. Kf3 Qd1+ 123. Re2 Qb3+ 124. Kg2 {No more checks. Black is done for.} 124... Qb7 125. Rd2 Qb3 126. Rd5 Ke7 127. Re5+ Kf7 128. Rf5+ Ke8 129. e5 $1 {Machine still says draw, even here. And again, go play 50 more moves! It just can't be done.} 129... Qa2+ 130. Kh3 Qe6 $2 {[Editor's note: 130...Qe6 was the losing mistake according to the tablebases. With engine-perfect play, ...Qb1 and ...Qc2 would be drawn.]} (130... Qb1) (130... Qc2) 131. Kh4 {Finally, at long last, the machine confirms what all the humans knew for awhile. Magnus is winning this game.} 131... Qh6+ 132. Nh5 Qh7 133. e6 $1 {A nice final touch. The rook cannot be captured.} 133... Qg6 134. Rf7 Kd8 135. f5 Qg1 136. Ng7 {Nepo had seen enough, and finally, the impasse was broken! Magnus won in his trademark style, not taking a ton of risks, but taking his chance to imbalance the game when it came, and then gradually grinding out a win from what was a defensible but unpleasant position for Black. I like that it came in phases, and that one phase was, \"This position is technically still a draw, but there is no chance a human will hold it.\" Surely Nepo could have defended better before allowing Rxf5 and Rxf7 to transform the position, but after that, I doubt there was much he could do. Now that a point is on the scoreboard, we could see a very different looking match in the games to come!} 1-0
Game 6 Comments:
Messy but that's that.
6. Current World Champion Magnus Carlsen vs Super Chess Computers/Engines: What would the results be?
Magnus Carlsen on playing against computers/chess engines:
“I personally never wanted that. I find it much more interesting to play humans. And also, of course, now that they have become so strong in a game like that, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Magnus Carlsen, although being an excelling player who is also current World No. 1 and World Champion, cannot beat a computer consistently. Magnus' rating is about 2860+ and Stockfish's rating is about 3600+, which is actually quite a far cry away from world players. In the modern world chess like the 21st century, chess computers and engines are usually only used for analysation of games to constantly improve. Human intuition can never be compared to the strength of computer engines as AI is just too strong for us to handle. While Magnus Carlsen has the whole team to help him analyse his games, the main helper is usually Stockfish. As much as we try to be like chess computer, it is pretty much impossible to be so accurate and computers also blunder a lot sometimes. However, the point is that if Magnus Carlsen really were to play against the computer, he would not really be able to win so consistently.
7. Other Super GMs (Viswanathan Anand, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana etc.)
After hearing about AlphaZero’s big win against Stockfish, some super grandmasters were impressed, some were shocked while some were actually quite doubtful about it. Here are all the reactionby super grandmasters after hearing about AlphaZero’s big win: https://www.chess.com/amp/news/alphazero-reactions-from-top-gms-stockfish-author
BONUS!!!: Viswanathan Anand vs Nikhil Kamath, Kamath: Secret Grandmaster or Super Cheater?
The Game between A Fishy Millionaire and a Super GM “for charity”
Section C: Your Opinions
8. Your Opinions and My Comments
Well after such a long and thoughtful discussion, we can finally get to your opinions.
So 4 people said chess was rigged and 2 replied otherwise. There was some trolling while filling up the form, so I shall just list the valid reasons here.
Chess is rigged.
There’s a lot of possibilities of being attacked by the opponent and a many times it’s unexpected.
-AnonymousComments:
"For this response I don't think the participant really understood my question as my question related to computer engines helping to analyse chess moves and cheating etc. but ok good try I think."Chess is rigged.
I think is rigged because we should be playing against people and not computer engine. Since cheating is common in online chess, it can also harm a player’s knowledge of the game.
-AnonymousComments:
"This is actually quite true and this is kind of my opinion as well and since we are humans, we actually have feelings and we will make mistakes. This is totally acceptable and it is why chess was made more for humans to play with each other but since the invention of various technologies, some people are forced to think that chess engines will definitely dominate the chess world since AI will usually be accurate."Chess is rigged.
If humans are required to play against artificial intelligence, they are at a disadvantage as the opponent is not prone to human error. Besides, the AI has already been programmed to know every single chess technique, while most humans only know a few chess techniques. Therefore, I can say that in this case, chess has been manipulated to let AI always win.
As for cheating, it can be quite easy as your opponent only needs to look away for a few seconds for you to secretly place a cheating move. Thus, chess can also be rigged even with humans playing against humans.
Side note: Cheating can be prevented if chess matches are played online.
-AnonymousComments:
"In 1996, Kasparov could have won the computer but nowadays, in the age of advanced technology, I would not say players would not be able to win but they would just be very inconsistent in their streak and well yes, cheating is currently a very widespread problem as well. However, chess games played online may not prevent cheating but actually make it easier since you can open up two tabs at once with a chess engine analysing your moves as you play your match."Chess is not rigged.
How is it rigged? Isn't it a fair game for both opponents?
-Anonymous
Comments:
"Well unfortunately it isn't really because people can cheat and well yes I do get that you did not think much about computers playing chess against humans with stunning accuracy."Now here is the answer to the Big Question in my opinion.
Section D: Conclusion
9. So, is chess rigged???
Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that chess is actually rigged as chess computers really do dominate the chess world and despite humans not playing against them, there is no doubt that they are the rulers of chess since AI is just to strong for us to handle. However, we should still continue to learn and play chess as it is always more meaningful to play against real players rather than computers.
Well that is finally the end of this whole first episode of BIG QUESTIONS, Small Opinions. Do look out for our next episode that will be coming as soon as you all fill up its Opinion Form. Hope you enjoyed this episode. See you guys soon! Wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Best regards,
The Good Writer
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