Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov
Encyclopedia
Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov was a pair of famous six-game human-computer chess matches
played between the IBM
supercomputer
Deep Blue and the World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov
. The first match was played in February 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Kasparov won the match 4–2, losing one game, drawing
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.
against a reigning world champion
under normal chess tournament conditions, and in particular, normal time control
s.
The game was played on February 10, 1996.
. Kasparov played in what could be called a preemptive style blocking all Deep Blue's development tries. The game lasted for 73 moves but eventually Deep Blue's operator had to resign
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.
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.
. The opening played was the Semi-Slav Defense
.
The game was played on February 14, 1996.
, from the Sicilian Defence
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 was the only game in the match that Black won.
The game was played on February 16, 1996.
, to advance.
The game was played on February 17, 1996.
Kasparov–Deep Blue: 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
, which led Kasparov to victory in 45 moves.
This game was played on May 3, 1997.
. Kasparov eventually resigned, although post-game analysis indicates that the game could have been drawn. The game started with the Ruy Lopez
opening Smyslov Defence variation.
This game was played on May 4, 1997.
At the time it was reported that Kasparov missed the fact that after 45... Qe3 46.Qxd6 Re8, Black (Kasparov) can force a draw by perpetual check
(threefold repetition
). His friends told him so the next morning. They suggested 47.h4 h5!, a position after which the black queen can perpetually check White. This is possible because Deep Blue moved 44.Kf1 instead of an alternate move of its king. Regarding the end of game 2 and 44.Kf1 in particular, chess journalist Mig Greengard
in the Game Over
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, 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."
However, it was discovered in 2007 by Internet analysis that after 45... Qe3 46. Qxd6 Re8 47. Qd7+ Re7 48. Qc6 Qxe4 49. d6 Qd3+ 50. Kg1 Re8 51. Ra1 there is no perpetual check and the attack continues. The critical move being for White to force Black's rook on e7, which is later attacked by 49.d6, but also for White to retract his queen to c6, which can later move to g2, if necessary, to block the perpetual check. Various other lines have been analyzed, such as 48... Qc1+ or 48... Qf4+, but White (Deep Blue) invariably ends up with a superior position. Given this analysis, all of Deep Blue's moves make sense; it is not apparent that the computer made any mistake.
, the Mieses Opening
. He believed that by playing an esoteric opening, the computer would get out of its opening book
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.
. Later on he had time problems and had to play in a 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 a hurry may have cost him the victory.
This game was played on May 7, 1997.
opening was played. As in the previous game, Deep Blue played a brilliant endgame that secured a draw, when it was looking as if Kasparov would win.
This game was played on May 10, 1997.
Kasparov–Deep Blue: 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 ½–½
If White plays 50 g8=Q then Black can force a draw by threefold repetition, starting with 50... Rd1+ and then 51... Rd2+.
. He then allowed Deep Blue to commit a knight sacrifice
which wrecked his defences and forced him to resign in fewer than twenty moves.
This game was played on May 11, 1997.
Deep Blue–Kasparov: 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
Human-computer chess matches
This article documents the progress of significant human-computer chess matches.Chess computers were first able to beat strong chess players in the late 1980s...
played between the IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
Deep Blue and the World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
. The first match was played in February 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Kasparov won the match 4–2, losing one game, drawing
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, 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.For the most part,...
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.
Summary
| Game # | White | Black | Result | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. The relevant portion of the FIDE laws of chess is article 9.1... |
| 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 | ||||
| Game # | White | Black | Result | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
The first game of the 1996 match was the first game to be won by a chess-playing computerComputer chess
Computer chess is computer architecture encompassing hardware and software capable of playing chess autonomously without human guidance. Computer chess acts as solo entertainment , as aids to chess analysis, for computer chess competitions, and as research to provide insights into human...
against a reigning world champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age 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. Time controls are typically enforced by means of a game clock...
s.
The game was played on February 10, 1996.
1996 Game 2
The second game began with the Open Catalan OpeningCatalan Opening
The Catalan is a chess opening which can be considered to be White adopting a mixture of the Queen's Gambit and Réti Opening: White plays d4 and c4 and fianchettoes the white bishop on g2. A common opening sequence is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2, though the opening can arise from a large number...
. Kasparov played in what could be called a preemptive style blocking all Deep Blue's development 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
In the third game Kasparov played the Sicilian DefenceSicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a 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
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 offerDraw 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 relevant portion of the FIDE laws of chess is article 9.1...
. 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 position reached after the moves:For the Semi-Slav the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings designates codes D43 through D49.-Main variations:...
.
The game was played on February 14, 1996.
1996 Game 5
The fifth game was the turning point in the match. During the game, Kasparov, playing Black, chose a different opening, the Four Knights GameFour Knights Game
The Four Knights Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The opening is fairly popular with beginners who strictly adhere to the opening principle: "Develop knights before bishops." It was one of the workhorses in the family of the Open Game, at even the highest levels, until World War...
, from the Sicilian Defence
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a 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 was the only game in the match that Black won.
The game was played on February 16, 1996.
1996 Game 6
In the end of the sixth game, Deep Blue's pieces were crammed into its queen side corner, almost completely unable to defend its king. Kasparov's next move would probably have been 44.Qe7 to exchange the queens. That would have allowed his pawn, which was about to promotePromotion (chess)
Promotion is a chess rule 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 color . The new piece replaces the pawn on the same square and is part of the move. Promotion is not limited to pieces that have...
, to advance.
The game was played on February 17, 1996.
Kasparov–Deep Blue: 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
1997 Game 1
The 1997 rematch began with the King's Indian AttackKing's Indian Attack
The King's Indian Attack , also known as the Barcza System , 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
In this game Kasparov accused IBM of cheating, a claim repeated in the documentary Game Over: Kasparov and the MachineGame Over: Kasparov and the Machine
Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine is a 2003 documentary film by Vikram Jayanti about the match between Garry Kasparov, the highest rated chess player in history and the World Champion for 15 years , and 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 or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The opening is named after the 16th century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess Libro del...
opening Smyslov Defence variation.
This game was played on May 4, 1997.
At the time it was reported that Kasparov missed the fact that after 45... Qe3 46.Qxd6 Re8, Black (Kasparov) 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 checks. Such a situation typically arises when the player who is checking cannot deliver checkmate; while failing to continue the series of checks gives the opponent at least a chance...
(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. The repeated positions need not occur in succession...
). His friends told him so the next morning. They suggested 47.h4 h5!, a position after which the black queen can perpetually check White. This is possible because Deep Blue moved 44.Kf1 instead of an alternate move of its king. Regarding the end of game 2 and 44.Kf1 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.-Journalism:Greengard's online column "Mig on Chess" appeared from 1997 to 1999...
in the Game Over
Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine
Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine is a 2003 documentary film by Vikram Jayanti about the match between Garry Kasparov, the highest rated chess player in history and the World Champion for 15 years , and 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, 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."
However, it was discovered in 2007 by Internet analysis that after 45... Qe3 46. Qxd6 Re8 47. Qd7+ Re7 48. Qc6 Qxe4 49. d6 Qd3+ 50. Kg1 Re8 51. Ra1 there is no perpetual check and the attack continues. The critical move being for White to force Black's rook on e7, which is later attacked by 49.d6, but also for White to retract his queen to c6, which can later move to g2, if necessary, to block the perpetual check. Various other lines have been analyzed, such as 48... Qc1+ or 48... Qf4+, but White (Deep Blue) invariably ends up with a superior position. Given this analysis, all of Deep Blue's moves make sense; it is not apparent that the computer made any mistake.
1997 Game 3
The third game was interesting because Kasparov chose to use an irregular openingIrregular chess openings
Irregular openings are chess openings with an unusual or rare first moves from White. Such openings include:*1.a3 *1.a4 *1.b4 *1.c3...
, the Mieses Opening
Mieses Opening
The Mieses Opening is a chess opening:It is named after the German-British grandmaster Jacques Mieses.White's 1.d3 releases his c1 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. Of the...
. He believed that by playing an esoteric opening, the computer would get out of its opening book
Opening book
Chess opening book refers either to a book on chess openings, or to a database of chess openings used by chess programs.-Literature:Opening books, which discuss chess openings, are by far the most common type of literature on Chess play...
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
In this game Kasparov played the Caro-Kann DefenceCaro-Kann Defence
The Caro-Kann Defence is a chess opening —a common defense against the King's Pawn Opening characterised by the moves:The usual continuation isfollowed by 3.Nc3 , 3.Nd2 , 3.exd5 , or 3.e5 . The classical variation has gained much popularity...
. Later on he had time problems and had to play in a 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 a hurry may have cost him the victory.
This game was played on May 7, 1997.
1997 Game 5
In this game, the King's Indian AttackKing's Indian Attack
The King's Indian Attack , also known as the Barcza System , 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. As in the previous game, Deep Blue played a brilliant endgame that secured a draw, when it was looking as if Kasparov would win.
This game was played on May 10, 1997.
Kasparov–Deep Blue: 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 ½–½
If White plays 50 g8=Q then Black can force a draw by threefold repetition, starting with 50... Rd1+ and then 51... Rd2+.
1997 Game 6
Before the sixth match the overall score was even: 2½–2½. As in Game 4, Kasparov played the Caro-Kann DefenceCaro-Kann Defence
The Caro-Kann Defence is a chess opening —a common defense against the King's Pawn Opening characterised by the moves:The usual continuation isfollowed by 3.Nc3 , 3.Nd2 , 3.exd5 , or 3.e5 . The classical variation has gained much popularity...
. He then allowed Deep Blue to commit a knight sacrifice
Sacrifice (chess)
In chess, a sacrifice is a move giving up a piece in the hopes of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms. A sacrifice could also be a deliberate exchange of a chess piece of higher value for an opponent's piece of lower value....
which wrecked his defences and forced him to resign in fewer than twenty moves.
This game was played on May 11, 1997.
Deep Blue–Kasparov: 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
See also
- List of chess games
- ArimaaArimaaThe objective of the game is to move a rabbit of one's own color onto the home rank of the opponent. Thus Gold wins by moving a gold rabbit to the eighth rank, and Silver wins by moving a silver rabbit to the first rank...
– A game inspired by Kasparov's loss to Deep Blue in 1997.