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Anyone
who plays or follows chess - and many who do not - are probably aware of
by now that a chess match was held on TV in November of 2003. And most
even know the names (or parties) of the two contestants: GM Garry
Kasparov and the computer program, (Virtual Reality's) Fritz_X3D.
ESPN
did an excellent job and assembled an expert team of commentators. And
for the first time, it seemed that ESPN had dedicated itself to covering
the entire game ... no matter how long it lasted. (Hallelujah!)
*******
They were ... in no particular order:
#1.) Many times U.S. Champion GM Yasser Seirawan.
(Maybe the only American to defeat both Karpov and Kasparov when they
were the reigning world champions.) "Yaz" has also won
many top-class events.
#2.)
GM Maurice Ashley - a still fairly young and a very dynamic
player and teacher. (Ashley was also the FIRST Black American to become
a GM.) Ashley is also an excellent commentator and covered the last
match that Kasparov played against the computer. (Versus Deep_Junior.)
#3.)
Paul Hoffman - a well-known expert on computers, games and
chess. (Hoffman has also written extensively on the subject as
well.)
*******
The
first thing ESPN did was to re-cap the match's progress ... basically tell
the story of what had transpired thus far - albeit in as a flowery and in
as colorful a way as they could possibly could. (A draw in Game 1, a
win for the computer in Game 2, {after a huge blunder}; and then a
crushing win ... in a fairly closed position ... by Kasparov in Game
Three.)
Before
the game, both GM Ashley and Seirawan were saying that Kasparov appeared
to be very fired up. Seirawan was saying Kasparov was going for the gold
and predicted that Garry would win. Hoffman said that in the last game,
the computer, "played like a POTZER." (While this might be
basically true, there is something incongruous about a non-master like
Hoffman calling a computer ... which has already proven to
have world-class tactics ... a "fish.")
Everyone
seemed to be all smiles and predicted a good result for Garry. Everyone
seemed to be convinced Garry would win.
*******
But
they all forgot a few basic facts:
#1.)
The computer has no emotions. It is not ashamed of its performance in its
last game. It cannot be embarrassed or ridiculed. It cannot be made to
feel inferior. It does not CARE ... how fired up Garry is or how
enthusiastic Garry is! It does not flinch when Garry slams down a piece.
(No real pieces to manipulate in virtual reality, anyway.) It will simply
grind away ... with its four super-integrated Xeon processors ... and
continue to search ... with nearly PERFECT short-term tactics ... all the
possibilities of the position that is laid before it. And it will do so
... at a rate of OVER ... FOUR MILLION POSITIONS PER SECOND!!!
(In one game, the computer had searched virtually all reasonable replies
about 8 moves ahead. UNREAL!!)
#
2.) The computer has in its {practically
infallible} memory ... every single game that Garry has ever played.
Further, it has an opening book with literally thousands of different
lines. And this opening book was prepared by some of the best and most
savvy GM's in the business. Also - the computer does NOT get tired, get a
headache .. and FORGET a line. (As a human often might.)
#
3.) Garry has the Black pieces today ... he
has NEVER defeated a good program with the Black pieces
... ... ... PERIOD!! (End of story.)
#
4.) The Fritz team has proven ... over and over
... that they can ...
TWEAK THIS BEAST!! For example, in the first half of the Fritz match with
Kramnik, the computer seemed inept and nearly losing in every game.
(Kramnik won two, and two were drawn.) Then after a few adjustments,
the computer came roaring back ... won two games in a row, and in the end
- Kramnik seemed rather happy to be able to make a draw.
*******
All
things considered, I told all my friends that I expected a draw. (Although
I truly feared a loss for Kasparov might be possible.)
For
example, in one of the games in the computer match with the program
Deep_Junior, Garry got a VERY favorable position ... which many of
the experts considered to be just winning. But in the end, Garry was
unable to overcome the stout resistance of the box, and even blundered and
lost. (I could only pray that this scenario did not repeat itself
here.)
In
the end Kasparov did exactly what I predicted he would do. He came to the
board with a variation which he had DEEPLY prepared. It would basically
GUARANTEE him a draw ... IF (and only if) ... the metal monster found the
very best moves. (Should the computer play less than best, it would
obviously be in a lot of trouble.) And of course if the program did poorly
or was not prepared for that particular line, then Garry would win as he
did in the previous game.
Unfortunately
... for the pro-human faction, anyway ... the computer had been prepared
very well by its team of 'handlers' - and played the line nearly perfectly. What then transpired was a draw
more brilliant and more precise than what we saw in game one. (Something I did
not think we would see again for 25-30 years!)
***************************************
Technical
note: Before the last game, the Fritz team made MANY adjustments
to the program, and specifically updated the openings book. They also
'instructed' their charge to seek wide open positions, and to be a tad
more aggressive. Of course the whole idea was to be sure that the computer
program was ready for Garry and also presented the greatest possible
challenge. Garry
too made a few changes, in fact one very drastic change. (He had
complained earlier that the true 3D board was too hard on the eyes and
that he had a headache after every game.) He wound up turning the true
"3D-effects" OFF for game four. Instead of the pieces jumping
out at him, he instead went for the more traditional type of 3D board.
(Instead of the pieces 'floating in air' they appear to have three
dimensions, but the pieces stay confined to the interior of the rather
large and very sophisticated monitor.) Garry later said that he was,
"much more comfortable" with this method, and felt almost
completely at ease playing this way. |
