Chess Improvement
Artificial Intelligence And Chess
The Match That Changed Chess Forever
It’s no secret that artificial intelligence now plays a big role in Chess.
Chess engines, such as LeelaZero and AlphaZero took the world by storm and now pose danger to the world’s best — Stockfish.
The Question is : When and how did the AI become so strong?
Today, we’re discussing one of the greatest stories in Chess!
1. The Start
In the Garry Kasparov era, humans were dominating the Chess world. Karpov, Kasparov, Ivanchuk, Gelfand…They were all at the top of the mountain.
That is until IBM, one of the world’s biggest tech corporations, started developing Deep Blue, a computer (machine) that could play Chess.
At the time, literally nobody thought that Deep Blue would pose any danger to humans in Chess.
But everything changed when IBM challenged Garry Kasparov, World Champion (at that time), to a match with Deep Blue in 1996.
2. The Climax
I’m sure many of you asked “Well, what happened next?”
Kasparov won the 1996 match with the score of 4–2, but he lost 1 game against the computer.
This changed everything, as humans saw that AI may be catching up quicker than before.
Still, Kasparov won, so no big deal. Right?
Not so fast. IBM wanted a rematch, and challenged Kasparov again in 1997 for another 6-game match.
Would he prevail? Or would he falter against a computer?
Surprisingly, Deep Blue showed its power and beat Kasparov 3.5–2.5.
In the last game, it took advantage of Garry’s questionable play, hence claiming the win.
Everybody was shocked, but it was the brutal truth.
Even Garry Kasparov couldn’t withstand Deep Blue at that time, which finally proved computers’ power and possibilities.
From that point on, AI has gone on to be incredibly strong, as no human is ever able to beat or draw them now.
You can view the full Deep Blue story here.
3. The Present
You may ask, “What’s the situation now with AI?”
Since Kasparov’s defeat, tech companies have been investing in their development, because there was purpose: to create the greatest Chess machine ever.
In 2023, we have Stockfish, LeelaZero and AlphaZero, all of which are absolutely capable of destroying everyone who comes in their way.
Although humans are not the best chess players in the world anymore, we’ve still got emotions and a special sense of creativity, which AI can never replicate.
Practically, we have all to live for :)
That was all for today, thank you for reading!
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