Kasparov, computer draw 2nd match

Zardon · Jan 29, 2003, 06:33 PM

Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov broke a spell in his contests against computers on Tuesday when he drew the second game of his 6-game match in New York against world champion program Deep Junior.

IN KASPAROV’S EPIC STRUGGLES against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1996 and 1997, the winner of the second game went on to win the overall match. Kasparov faded after losing at this stage six years ago, troubled psychologically by analysis that showed he missed an opportunity to draw the game.
“The whole plan worked, but because of this spell on game two, this pressure on me, I spent probably an extra half an hour to decide if I should save a draw or provoke more complications,” Azerbaijan-born Kasparov, the world’s number one ranked chess player, told reporters and spectators at the New York Athletic Club where the games are being played.
Kasparov, 39, and programmers Shay Bushinksy and Amir Ban of the Israeli-built software program agreed to a draw after 30 moves and just over three hours of play after a tense tactical battle. Deep Junior won the world computer championship last year and is considered better than most systems at evaluating chess positions.
In the contest pitting human intuition and experience against the calculating power of the machine, Kasparov convincingly won the first game on Sunday. He leads the $1 million match, which is sanctioned by the International Chess Federation, by 1-1/2 points to a 1/2 point with the third game scheduled for Thursday. One point is awarded for a win and a 1/2 point for a draw.
When Deep Junior, playing with the white pieces, opened the game by moving its king’s pawn forward two squares, Kasparov responded with a variation of the Sicilian Defence, one of his favourite, aggressive systems when playing with the black pieces.
After a series of exchanges on the 22nd and 23rd moves, Kasparov had given Deep Junior a more valuable rook for a bishop, but the resulting position offered the human player opportunities to threaten the computer’s king.
But Kasparov, who said he wants revenge for his defeat to Deep Blue in 1997, in his next few moves chose a less risky continuation that did not offer winning chances for either side, expert observers said, and a draw was agreed.
The games are being shown as they are played on the Web sites http://www.x3dworld.com and http://www.chessbase.com. Reuters

Jan 29, 2003, 06:33 PM	#1
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 177	Kasparov, computer draw 2nd match Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov broke a spell in his contests against computers on Tuesday when he drew the second game of his 6-game match in New York against world champion program Deep Junior. IN KASPAROV’S EPIC STRUGGLES against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1996 and 1997, the winner of the second game went on to win the overall match. Kasparov faded after losing at this stage six years ago, troubled psychologically by analysis that showed he missed an opportunity to draw the game. “The whole plan worked, but because of this spell on game two, this pressure on me, I spent probably an extra half an hour to decide if I should save a draw or provoke more complications,” Azerbaijan-born Kasparov, the world’s number one ranked chess player, told reporters and spectators at the New York Athletic Club where the games are being played. Kasparov, 39, and programmers Shay Bushinksy and Amir Ban of the Israeli-built software program agreed to a draw after 30 moves and just over three hours of play after a tense tactical battle. Deep Junior won the world computer championship last year and is considered better than most systems at evaluating chess positions. In the contest pitting human intuition and experience against the calculating power of the machine, Kasparov convincingly won the first game on Sunday. He leads the $1 million match, which is sanctioned by the International Chess Federation, by 1-1/2 points to a 1/2 point with the third game scheduled for Thursday. One point is awarded for a win and a 1/2 point for a draw. When Deep Junior, playing with the white pieces, opened the game by moving its king’s pawn forward two squares, Kasparov responded with a variation of the Sicilian Defence, one of his favourite, aggressive systems when playing with the black pieces. After a series of exchanges on the 22nd and 23rd moves, Kasparov had given Deep Junior a more valuable rook for a bishop, but the resulting position offered the human player opportunities to threaten the computer’s king. But Kasparov, who said he wants revenge for his defeat to Deep Blue in 1997, in his next few moves chose a less risky continuation that did not offer winning chances for either side, expert observers said, and a draw was agreed. The games are being shown as they are played on the Web sites http://www.x3dworld.com and http://www.chessbase.com. Reuters