Book Review: Chess Metaphors – Artificial Intelligence and The Human Mind

Here is a book review by Garry Kasparov who was World Chess Champion in the 80s and 90s about how the progress of computers in the realm of chess have exceeded the best human brains on the planet in chess.
“In 1985, in Hamburg, I played against thirty-two different chess computers at the same time in what is known as a simultaneous exhibition. I walked from one machine to the next, making my moves over a period of more than five hours. The four leading chess computer manufacturers had sent their top models, including eight named after me from the electronics firm Saitek.
It illustrates the state of computer chess at the time that it didn't come as much of a surprise when I achieved a perfect 32–0 score, winning every game, although there was an uncomfortable moment. At one point I realized that I was drifting into trouble in a game against one of the "Kasparov" brand models. If this machine scored a win or even a draw, people would be quick to say that I had thrown the game to get PR for the company, so I had to intensify my efforts. Eventually I found a way to trick the machine with a sacrifice it should have refused. From the human perspective, or at least from my perspective, those were the good old days of man vs. machine chess.
Eleven years later I narrowly defeated the supercomputer Deep Blue in a match. Then, in 1997, IBM redoubled its efforts—and doubled Deep Blue's processing power—and I lost the rematch in an event that made headlines around the world. The result was met with astonishment and grief by those who took it as a symbol of mankind's submission before the almighty computer. ("The Brain's Last Stand" read the Newsweek headline.) Others shrugged their shoulders, surprised that humans could still compete at all against the enormous calculating power that, by 1997, sat on just about every desk in the first world.”
You may read more from this link. Happy reading, guys! Thanks to En. Zullghafari Saparmin for the suggestion.

The Kings of New York, book by Weinreb

Image via Wikipedia

There is a chess book called "The Kings of New York", about a group of New York school kids who grew up with chess. One of them, is the new Grandmaster Alex Lenderman who achieved his Grandmaster title in six months.

For those who are interested, you may reach GiLocatur’s commentary about the exploits of the young GM Alex Lenderman and how he achieved his IM and eventually his Grandmaster title at the following link below:-

http://gilocatur.blogspot.com/2010/01/kings-of-new-york-dan-alex-lenderman.html,

or, the Chessville website at the following link:-

http://www.chessville.com/reviews/TheKingsofNewYork.htm

GM Alex Lenderman frequently gives lectures on chess openings in the Internet Chess Club (ICC) webpage. However, you need to be a subscriber to view it.

I have personally bought and read the book itself and it is definitely a thriller to read from front to the last page of the book. A definite joy read for chess enthusiasts!