The Everything Chess Basics Book (54 page)

Fischer Random

This is chess with a different starting position. A computer will generate your starting position, which can be almost anything as long as the pieces begin on the first and eighth ranks and the pawns begin on the seventh and second ranks. Certain restrictions apply to castling and the bishops must be on opposite colors.

Another, similar, idea is called
prechess
. The game begins with only the pawns on the board, and each player’s first eight moves consist of placing his pieces somewhere on the first rank (for White) or the eighth rank (for Black). Again, the bishops must occupy opposite color squares.

The reason for these variations is simply that openings have been studied so intensely for the last couple hundred years that many players feel this tremendous body of knowledge takes away any possible creativity in the openings.

Giveaway

In this version, the object of the game is not checkmate. Rather, the object is to give away every piece and pawn. Besides being able to ignore check and checkmate with impunity, the other peculiarity of giveaway is that captures are mandatory.

Chapter 15
Chess Computers

Twenty or more years ago, when IBM produced the first computers, did we ever think that one day we’d be playing chess on a computer? Probably not. But technology, being what it is, has found a way to give us what we like and what we want right in the palm of our hands.

A Modern Invention

Considering that chess started around A.D. 600, and computers only came on the scene a mere two to three decades ago, it would seem that chess and computers wouldn’t mix. But the modern invention of computers that can play against people, play itself, analyze games, and run software that can teach you chess is an amazing modern invention. But, using artificial intelligence (AI), can computers really a match a person’s ability to think through complicated moves to the finish? Realistically, computers are only as smart as they are programmed to be.

David Levy’s Challenge

Back in 1970, when computers were first starting to play chess, International Master David Levy issued a £10,000 challenge to any programmer, stating that no computer could defeat him in a match within ten years. He later collected on his bet, defeating the best program of the day. He renewed the bet, and again collected, this time in 1990 versus Hans Berliner’s Deep Thought. But by then the computers were starting to offer real resistance, and he did not renew the challenge the third time.

Kasparov Versus Deep Blue

By the early 1990s, chess-playing computers had reached grandmaster level. There weren’t many players left who could defeat them when they were allowed to play at their best. They had been banned from tournament chess for some time.

Finally, the world champion of the time, Garry Kasparov, consented to play a highly publicized match with IBM’s Deep Blue. He defeated the machine in 1996, 4 to 2, but the match was close, and he did lose one game.

In October 2002, humanity got a measure of revenge when BrainGames World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik played an eight-game match with Deep Fritz, one of the strongest computers available. The match ended in a tie, with Kramnik winning two early games and Fritz rallying to win two late games. The other four games were drawn.

Deeper Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997. Surprisingly, it was not the tremendous look-ahead capability of the machine (it analyzed 200 million moves per second) that allowed it to triumph. Rather, it was Kasparov’s surprise at its positional sophistication and his subsequent emotional collapse that allowed the machine to win. Kasparov resigned game two in a drawn position and made an uncharacteristic error in game six, and these were the two games he lost.

The human-computer match played in New York City between Kasparov and Deep Junior ended in a draw in February 2003. Each competitor won one game and drew the other four.

Machines That Play Chess

Everything from a mainframe, such as IBM’s Deep Blue, to the smallest handheld devices can be programmed to play chess. If you want to go beyond the world of Internet chess, and take your chess game with you everywhere you go, you can now do so with the advent of the Palm Pilot machines, and other portable types of handheld devices that feature chess games. Are you traveling, or do you like to sit in front of the television and play games? With the handheld computer device called a PDA— personal digital assistant—you can keep your address book and date book up-to-date while you play your games.

Some chess-playing computers make their own moves. Instead of having to punch in the notation for your move and reading and interpreting the computer’s answer, you simply make your move and wait for a reply. The computer will make its own move. This is done by using interior magnets.

Some computers are programmed to talk to you. They may offer advice to help you play better or snide comments, depending on the humor of the programmer. Such programs show a clear intent to replace your usual human opponent. As such, they will never succeed. But isn’t it amazing what these machines can do?

Software That Plays Chess

There are many, many software programs that can be loaded into your computer, your handheld, or these days, your cell phone that will allow you to play chess against a machine. Most software is Windows-based, but there is plenty out there for Macintosh and DOS enthusiasts. The USCF has a large collection of chess software available through the Web site w
www.uschess.org
, the USCF catalog, or the sales hotline
1-800-388-KING (5464).

Chessmaster

At this writing, Chessmaster has just released the 9000 version of chess software program. This is probably one of the best products in terms of features (what it offers) and benefits (what it does) and price. Load Chessmaster onto your computer and you can begin to play immediately. You can even play interactively with someone else via the Internet or e-mail. It also features online help, a training module, and analysis.

Computer software that plays chess can be an exceptionally good training tool. Or it can be just plain fun (or just plain frustrating, depending on the level you set the software to play at). Most available packages have something of everything: a database of games, the ability to play you or itself, the ability to analyze each move and give the results of its analysis. You can probably learn more sitting at your computer for a couple hours than you ever could simply reading a chess book. It’s that interactive part that is such a wonderful coaching device.

Focus

Other software modules include programs that focus specifically on tutorials, or on games played by grandmasters with their notes so you can study their moves. And others offer specific opening, middlegame, and endgame sequences, as well as specific strategies and tactics such as the Dragon and Najdorf variations of the Sicilian Defense. Many computer software programs have an extensive library of games, and allow you to download other, newer games to your computer.

Analysis Engines

If you want to analyze your games, or the games of another, analysis engines rank at the top in allowing you to separate out every move and decide whether or not it was a good move or a weak move. In addition, analysis engines will even suggest other moves that you might have made instead.

But you must beware. Computers still have a different way of “looking at” positions than humans do. Psychological considerations don’t come into their thoughts at all, and humans often need this element in order to play well.