Behind Deep Blue: Building the Computer that Defeated the World Chess Champion

Book Description

On May 11, 1997, as millions worldwide watched a stunning victory unfold on television, a machine shocked the chess world by defeating the defending world champion, Garry Kasparov. Written by the man who started the adventure, Behind Deep Blue reveals the inside story of what happened behind the scenes at the two historic Deep Blue vs. Kasparov matches. This is also the story behind the quest to create the mother of all chess machines. The book unveils how a modest student project eventually produced a multimillion dollar supercomputer, from the development of the scientific ideas through technical setbacks, rivalry in the race to develop the ultimate chess machine, and wild controversies to the final triumph over the world's greatest human player.

In nontechnical, conversational prose, Feng-hsiung Hsu, the system architect of Deep Blue, tells us how he and a small team of fellow researchers forged ahead at IBM with a project they'd begun as students at Carnegie Mellon in the mid-1980s: the search for one of the oldest holy grails in artificial intelligence--a machine that could beat any human chess player in a bona fide match. Back in 1949 science had conceived the foundations of modern chess computers but not until almost fifty years later--until Deep Blue--would the quest be realized.

Hsu refutes Kasparov's controversial claim that only human intervention could have allowed Deep Blue to make its decisive, "uncomputerlike" moves. In riveting detail he describes the heightening tension in this war of brains and nerves, the "smoldering fire" in Kasparov's eyes. Behind Deep Blue is not just another tale of man versus machine. This fascinating book tells us how man as genius was given an ultimate, unforgettable run for his mind, no, not by the genius of a computer, but of man as toolmaker.

Customer Reviews:

The soul of a new chess player.......2007-03-25

Feng-Hsiung Hsu's story will appeal to anyone who enjoyed Tracy Kidder's Soul of a New Machine or Steven Levy's Hackers. The book captures the thrills and spills of an intellectual steeplechase. Along the way, it reveals the inner workings of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University. It's a great read. Feng-Hsiung Hsu, if you're reading this and you ever find yourself in Hortonville, Wisconsin, the first cup of coffee is on me.

A really good read..........2006-04-19

Behind Deep Blue was written by the man who lead the research and development team which created the chess computer that beat the World Chess Champion, Gary Kasparov. Hsu tells a lot of fascinating stories about his involvement with IBM, academia and the world of computer-vs-computer chess tournaments. It never got too bogged down in computer or chess jargon.

Some interesting things concerning the identity of Deep Blue (or computers in general) emerge from Hsu's story. Hsu speaks of his computers' identities in ways which facilitate his sportsmanship. So for instance, almost every time one of Hsu's computers loses a game it is retrospectively explained by reminding the reader that the computer had been regrettably forced to play when it still needed a few more weeks of software or hardware tweaking. It never lost because it was an inferior machine - it lost because its superiority could not manifest because its update/debugging had been interrupted by the tournament schedule. As the book makes clear, Hsu's computers were continuously undergoing relentless tweaking, providing Hsu with this excuse every single time one lost. This may be par for the course when diagnosing machines - since any sub-desired performance which can be corrected can, therefore, be "explained" as the unfortunate consequence of the machine's present uncorrected state. For humans it's different. When I lose a foot-race I can't say, "Well the only reason I lost is because this race was scheduled a few years before my training made me fast enough to win it."

Another fascinating element of the book is Hsu's recounting of Deep Blue's now-famous rejection of 36. Qb6 in game two against Kasparov in the 1997 match. Kasparov broadly hinted that the computer's decision not to move that way was a human decision - implying that the IBM team had cheated. Hsu's defense of Deep Blue is convincing. But there is raised an interesting point regarding computer intelligence. If Deep Blue did in fact choose to avoid 36. Qb6 without human intervention then Kasparov's heartfelt identification of the move as cheating has Deep Blue passing a simple version of a Turing Test.

Very good book........2005-12-07

I have prurchased this book to improve my english language.
Yhe same talks about two subjects that I know: computers and chess.
It was a good surprise read this enjoyable work which offers information, stories and knowledge.
The author explains very clear the roots of Deep Blue and reflects the environment of Top chess.

Read it!

The soul of a new chess player.......2005-06-02

A thoroughly engaging and candid account.......2004-11-09

Taiwanese-born Feng-Hsiung Hsu has written a most engaging and readable account of how Deep Blue came to be, and how it defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in perhaps the greatest chess match of all time. I say "perhaps" because there are many who still consider the 1972 encounter at Reykjavik, Iceland between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky to be the greatest match ever. One thing both matches had in common, in addition to a worldwide audience, is two deeply suspicious and idiosyncratic geniuses, Kasparov and Fischer.

However, while Fischer's triumph rejuvenated interest in chess, especially in the US, Kasparov's defeat, many fear, may have rung the death knell for the ancient game. Before Deep Blue's victory, it was easy to imagine that the human mind was light-years ahead of any artificial intelligence. After Kasparov slunk off mumbling vague charges of human intervention ("cheating"), it became necessary to face the possibility that machine intelligence was on its way to exceeding that of humans.

But what did the match really prove? According to Hsu himself, the triumph of Deep Blue "might be the more important human achievement when all was said and done." (p. 256) By a "more important human achievement," he means, more important than the one that would have been Kasparov's had he won.

This I think is the crux of the matter. Deep Blue, an IBM computer of enormous power, is the product of human minds and human engineering. Look at it this way: as computers become more and more powerful and their algorithms become more and more sophisticated, there will be no thought at all that a human might compete with them at chess. It would be like expecting the world's fastest human to beat a motor car in a race. Or for the world's best human calculator to add numbers faster than a personal computer.

In a deeper sense what was destroyed by this match was not human intellectual superiority but the delusion that somehow a board game--even the greatest board game ever invented--is a true measure of human intelligence. Quite simply, the ability to play chess at the highest level is only one talent, similar to (but different from) the ability to play the violin or to run fast. More significant is the greater human ability to conceive and build a machine that does something better than humans can do themselves.

Hsu's account includes a lot of information about his personal adventures in academia and the corporate structure, including rivalries with others in the race to build the ultimate chess-playing computer. He is candid, and self-revelatory to a surprising degree, and it is this candor that helps to make this a fascinating read, not only for computer specialists and chess players, but for anyone interested in how the human competitive spirit works. His portrait of Garry Kasparov--perhaps the strongest chess player of all time--captures the arrogant, suspicious genius at his most human and makes it clear how he came to lose a match he fully expected to win.

Ah, the match itself! The book includes the moves of the games in an appendix, but one can readily see that the match turned on two very strange decisions by the hitherto nearly invincible Kasparov. Strange to say, it appears that Kasparov lost the match mainly because of poor psychological decisions. In game two, believing that he was lost, mainly because he believed that the computer would not have made the move it had made had there been a perpetual check available to the human player that would have drawn the game, Kasparov resigned. However, the machine had erred, and there was a way to draw the game. Against a human opponent, I believe that Kasparov would have closely investigated that line and found the drawing resource.

In the final game again Kasparov made a decision based on what he thought was the nature of the way computers play chess. He allowed a sacrificial line as Black in the Caro-Kahn Defense, a line that he believed Deep Blue would never play since computers are notoriously bad at figuring out how to conduct a complicated attack. Indeed, commercial chess software for PCs typically exclude this line from their opening repertoire so as not to burden the program! So Kasparov thought in playing 7... h6 that Deep Blue would retreat its knight giving Kasparov easy equality. Instead Deep Blue plunged in with 8. Nxe6! Eleven moves later Kasparov resigned--easily one of the quickest defeats of his career.

So, with better decisions, based on sound chess and NOT on mistaken preconceptions about Deep Blue's prowess, Kasparov might have won the match. However, the irony is that it is unlikely that there ever will be another match between the world chess champion and a machine simply because Kasparov and the whole chess world know that the ultimate victory of machine over man, in the arcane test of will and calculation that is chess, is inevitable. But what we also know is that it doesn't matter. We still hold races between humans even though our machines can easily out distant them. And humans will continue to play chess even though they would have no chance against a computer because chess is first and foremost a human sporting event, a test of mental strength and skill much as a boxing match is a test of physical strength and skill.

Secure Programming with Static Analysis (Addison-Wesley Software Security Series)

Average customer rating:

making more robust code
If your code must be secure, read this book
Glad to see this is out!
The best book for learning how to fix your code
Great security education and awareness book for average developers

Secure Programming with Static Analysis (Addison-Wesley Software Security Series)
Brian Chess , and Jacob West
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0321424778

Book Description

The First Expert Guide to Static Analysis for Software Security!

Creating secure code requires more than just good intentions. Programmers need to know that their code will be safe in an almost infinite number of scenarios and configurations. Static source code analysis gives users the ability to review their work with a fine-toothed comb and uncover the kinds of errors that lead directly to security vulnerabilities. Now, there’s a complete guide to static analysis: how it works, how to integrate it into the software development processes, and how to make the most of it during security code review. Static analysis experts Brian Chess and Jacob West look at the most common types of security defects that occur today. They illustrate main points using Java and C code examples taken from real-world security incidents, showing how coding errors are exploited, how they could have been prevented, and how static analysis can rapidly uncover similar mistakes. This book is for everyone concerned with building more secure software: developers, security engineers, analysts, and testers.

Coverage includes:

Why conventional bug-catching often misses security problems

How static analysis can help programmers get security right

The critical attributes and algorithms that make or break a static analysis tool

36 techniques for making static analysis more effective on your code

More than 70 types of serious security vulnerabilities, with specific solutions

Example vulnerabilities from Firefox, OpenSSH, MySpace, eTrade, Apache httpd, and many more

Techniques for handling untrusted input

Eliminating buffer overflows: tactical and strategic approaches

Avoiding errors specific to Web applications, Web services, and Ajax

Security-aware logging, debugging, and error/exception handling

Creating, maintaining, and sharing secrets and confidential information

Detailed tutorials that walk you through the static analysis process

“We designed Java so that it could be analyzed statically. This book shows you how to apply advanced static analysis techniques to create more secure, more reliable software.”

– Bill Joy, Co-founder of Sun Microsystems, co-inventor of the Java programming language

“'Secure Programming with Static Analysis' is a great primer on static analysis for security-minded developers and security practitioners. Well-written, easy to read, tells you what you need to know.”

– David Wagner, Associate Professor, University of California Berkeley

“Software developers are the first and best line of defense for the security of their code. This book gives them the security development knowledge and the tools they need in order to eliminate vulnerabilities before they move into the final products that can be exploited.”

– Howard A. Schmidt, Former White House Cyber Security Advisor

BRIAN CHESS is Founder and Chief Scientist of Fortify Software, where his research focuses on practical methods for creating secure systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from University of California Santa Cruz, where he studied the application of static analysis to finding security-related code defects.

JACOB WEST manages Fortify Software’s Security Research Group, which is responsible for building security knowledge into Fortify’s products. He brings expertise in numerous programming languages, frameworks, and styles together with deep knowledge about how real-world systems fail.

CD contains a working demonstration version of Fortify Software’s Source Code Analysis (SCA) product; extensive Java and C code samples; and the tutorial chapters from the book in PDF format.

Part I: Software Security and Static Analysis 1

1 The Software Security Problem 3

2 Introduction to Static Analysis 21

3 Static Analysis as Part of the Code Review Process 47

4 Static Analysis Internals 71

Part II: Pervasive Problems 115

5 Handling Input 117

6 Buffer Overflow 175

7 Bride of Buffer Overflow 235

8 Errors and Exceptions 265

Part III: Features and Flavors 295

9 Web Applications 297

10 XML and Web Services 349

11 Privacy and Secrets 379

12 Privileged Programs 421

Part IV: Static Analysis in Practice 457

13 Source Code Analysis Exercises for Java 459

14 Source Code Analysis Exercises for C 503

Epilogue 541

References 545

Index 559

Customer Reviews:

making more robust code.......2007-07-29

Chess and West describe methods of building security into your coding projects. As an integral part of the development process. There are tools out there which perform the static analysis described in the text. These are far removed from the early tools, which the book correctly describes as glorified grep. (That is, they were merely fancy parsers.)

The tools are not definitive, as you are cautioned. Often, their greatest virtue can be to point out source code that should be subject to manual scrutiny. In a large code base, of hundreds of thousands of lines, this can be invaluable assistance.

A quick comparative summary of various bug and security tools is also provided in Chapter 2. Specifically, figure 2.2 is a nice qualitative summary of these tools.

Various chapters of the book deal with problems also covered elsewhere. Like finding buffer overflows. Especially with string logic. While the Web also is now a source of weaknesses in web applications that are weak in input and output validation. You have to carefully filter anything that you solicit as user input on a web page.

If your code must be secure, read this book.......2007-07-11

Every software developer who has to write secure code should read this book. This book will tell you how to use static analysis tools to help you build more secure software. It's a great primer for software developers who are new to static analysis and for security practitioners who want to learn how recent advances in the field can improve their software.

I reviewed an pre-release version. It's good stuff. It's well-written, easy to read, and tells you what you need to know without getting bogged down in the details. Brian Chess and Jacob West have a great deal of experience in this area and they do a good job of conveying pragmatic information you can apply in practice to improve your software.

Glad to see this is out!.......2007-07-06

I was an early technical reviewer of the manuscript and I'm thrilled to see that the book is finally in print so other people can get their hands on it.

Brian and Jacob live and breathe this stuff, and it shows. If you're a developer or manager of developers and you're coding software that may eventually be run over the internet (that's pretty much 100% of it, right?) you should read this book!

The best book for learning how to fix your code.......2007-07-05

After having read every secure programming book in print, this is the book I would recommend to both working developers and students. The abundance of code examples in C/C++ and Java help this book stand out from the shelf of other secure programming books, but that's just the beginning of what sets this book apart from the rest.

While most secure programming books focus on the basics of security mistakes like buffer overflows, they're short on how to find and fix security flaws in a large body of code. Most of us have too much code to inspect manually line by line by the next release, so this book shows the reader how to effectively use static analysis tools as a part of the code review process to automate finding security bugs. The CD that comes with the book has a working demo version of the Fortify Source Code Analyzer tool, so the reader can gain hands-on experience with static analysis.

Once you've found the bugs, you could attempt to fix them one by one, or you could fix them in a consistent, structured manner using secure design strategies to solve problems like input validation and memory management that are the source of so many security problems. Secure Programming with Static Analysis has a readable and practical discussion of these strategies, with many code examples so the reader can easily apply these strategies. It also shows how to use static analysis tools to ensure that all of your code follows these strategies, so that no input escapes validation.

Every software developer needs to know how to program securely, and there's no better place to start learning than this book.

Great security education and awareness book for average developers.......2007-07-05

I had the privilege to read the manuscript of this book before its publication. Highly recommended to developers who are starting to learn application security from a more practical view. With lots of real code examples, this book explains security vulnerabilities from a coding practice perspective, which is unique and easy for an average developer to understand. In my opinion, this book is extremely valuable for an organization to promote security into a software development life cycle(SDLC). It uses easy-to-understand "coding" language and examples to explain many of the vulnerabilities and security concepts that are usually hard to learn for developers with little security experience and expertise. A must-have application security book for the average developers.

How to Use Computers to Improve Your Chess

Average customer rating:

Useful, well written book, maybe a little lightweight in terms of improving your chess
Good for improving your chess
Wrong title
Nice ideas!
This book is solid!

How to Use Computers to Improve Your Chess
Christian Kongsted
Manufacturer: Gambit Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1904600026

Customer Reviews:

Useful, well written book, maybe a little lightweight in terms of improving your chess.......2006-02-10

Note: This review first published in the Irish Chess Journal, February 2006

How to Use Computers to Improve Your Chess is a book that will appeal to rather a lot of chess players. From the upper echelons of the super-GMs polishing their opening theory to club players getting in a little practice, computers permeate the modern chess world. The problem is, it's not exactly clear how to make the most of what they can do.

Kongsted, who you might remember as the winner of Limerick 2004, is a very strong correspondence chess player, and rated around 2200 over the board. However, his claim of journalistic training seem dubious in the face of a book that is both carefully researched and very readable!

The book title is a little misleading. Only half the book is directly about improving your play. Part one of the book (How the Computer Works) contains a short history of computer chess, followed by a detailed examination of how they work and then advice on beating them. While much of the material here will be familiar to anyone who's read about computer chess, you'll be surprised at the details you've missed.

Kongsted builds up the material methodically. After the chapter on the history of computer chess, he begins the meat of the book by introducing the various methods computers use for position evaluation and to prune the search tree.

Next, he writes about the limitations this manner of analysis introduces on the computer's play. He demonstrates each of his points with examples from games between strong commercial programmes such as Fritz and Rebel and strong human grandmasters - the likes of Kramnik, Shirov and Anand. The annotations to these games are detailed and interesting.

Kongsted concludes the first part of the book with a chapter on how to beat your computer. He advises on good anti-computer openings without resorting to junk like 1.d3, as well as appropriate strategy and mindset.

Part one of the book is very interesting, well written and will unfortunately do very little to improve your chess. Kongsted makes up for that in the second part of the book (Improving with the Computer), where the knowledge just gained of the strengths and weaknesses of computers is useful.

First up is a quick review of the available software. While he ultimately uses Chessbase as his database tool of choice for examples in the book, Kongsted unreservedly recommends Chess Assistant as its equal. He also explains how to expand your games database via the internet, as well as where to get endgame tablebases.

He looks at eight playing programmes in detail - Fritz 8, Junior 7, Hiarcs 8, Shredder 7, Nimzo 8, Gandalf, Chess Tiger 15 and Chessmaster 9000. He has a couple of paragraphs on each one, covering things like strength in the endgame, positional play and materialism. I would have liked to have seen what benchmark tests he applied to each of them, but I guess space constraints wouldn't allow it. That chapter also has sections on hardware (RAM and processor speed are important, in a less than shocking revelation), chess CDs (don't bother), optimising your programme's performance (turn off everything else and allocate lots of RAM for hash tables) and electronic chessboards.

Now, we come to the really interesting bits. The next four chapters are on how to use chess software correctly for analysis, opening preparation, tactical practice and endgame study.

For the analysis, Kongsted warns against the kind of lazy thinking that sees the computer doing all the work. Each section recommends a method of overcoming weaknesses in the computer's thinking. He also has a section on automatic analysis. The latter was enlightening, such as the example of the computer's incorrect initial assumption that Black was winning lead to it rejecting a repetition of moves - this was a line it had thought overnight on.

The recommendations on using computers for opening preparation consist of a chapter on how to use your database properly, the kind of thing that should really be explained in a manual, but isn't. Kongsted really packs in the tips and tricks (which are heavy on the key-board shortcuts). This is probably the most useful chapter in the book. The tactics chapter again warns against using the computer as a crutch. There are a number of problems given, which is not all that necessary, but a nice touch. The endgames chapter is similar in structure, but with much more detail on using the computer properly.

Overall, How to Use Computers to Improve Your Chess is an enjoyable guide to chess computers and their correct use. A rarity among chess books, you could go through it in detail in a few days, making it particularly helpful for the time invested in reading it. Recommended for average club to strong players.

Good for improving your chess.......2004-09-10

This book taught me a lot about how to use computers for improving in chess. It speaks about ChessBase and Chess Assistant and a few others, about how to use databases and playing programs for chess training. There is also an interesting chapter on computer-assisted analysis, and info about how to study opening and middlegame ideas with computer programs plus some suggestions for how to train tactics with the computer. The part I got most out of is how to learn a new opening, which can be done much easier with computer programs. I can recommend this book to anyone that wish to understand more about computer chess programs and improve their chess.

Wrong title.......2004-08-25

I agree with the introduction and the first part of the book "History of Computer Chess" (About 18 pages). But then, The author spends 2/3 of the book trying to explain how to beat your computer! Only a minimal part tries to explain what the title says: "How to use Computers to Improve your Chess". Even then, there's nothing realy valuable on those pages worth your time and money. Nothing new for a common and average database and playing program user, nothing you already know or cannot find out with a little common sense. If the title were "How to beat your Chess Playing Program" (Which is what the book should've been named), I would've given it 2 1/2 stars. Do yourself a favor, enjoy a latte at Borders and browse through the book, put it back on the shelf and you are done with it.

Nice ideas!.......2004-03-09

This book tells you how computers think and points out their strong points and weaknesses. It explains how to use the computer for learning.
Though sometimes it was not clear in a few places.
A good book.

This book is solid!.......2003-10-28

This book really hits the nail on the head. Suggests real ideas for lower rated chess players on the role the computer should play in analysis and skill improvement. It saved me a lot of time which would have been spent staring at a computer screen, or playing fritz and trying useless tricks hoping to swindle it.

Average customer rating:

Good Overview
Could be better
Must Buy for Chess Lovers

Chess Software Sourcebook
Robert J. Pawlak
Manufacturer: Treehaus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Chess Software User's Guide: Making the Most of Your Software

ASIN: 0967384001

Book Description

Chess Software Sourcebook is the is the first book to focus exclusively on the latest chess-related computer programs. Several chapters review in detail the various types of software available, as well as the pros and cons of commercial programs in each category. Feature comparison tables help you decide which software best matches your specific needs, and screen shots show the graphical interface for each program. Playing live chess over the Internet (including its addictive tendencies!) is also discussed. Other chapters cover opening study, computer handicapping, game analysis, and time-saving tips so you can get the most out of the software you own or plan to purchase.

Customer Reviews:

Good Overview.......2000-07-24

The author of this book gives a good overview of the major chess programs. Not owning any chess software, I was a little confused as with some of his discriptions of the catagories of chess software. I did find that his summaries were otherwise clear and help significantly in choosing programs for myself (novice chess player). None of the descriptions were overly lengthy or technical and the tables were moderately helpful. As of this date, I believe this is your only choice for a comprehensive critical summary of chess software, so if this is what you are looking for, this book will start you in the right direction.

Could be better.......2000-04-01

I bought this book because of glowing reviews. I have found this book to be useful and indeed I have bought software based on what I've read. At the same time I have to confess I think the book could be much better. What the author refrains from doing is critical and comparative analysis. To give one example, ChessBase7 and Chess Assistant 5.0 could be critically compared. To give another example, some of the shortcomings of Bookup 1.6.2 could be described. An author such as John Nunn would have combined both technical virtuosity and chess erudition to give a revealing analysis of the strengths and shortcomings of the chess software currently available.

Must Buy for Chess Lovers.......1999-12-02

I bought this book a little while ago and was really surprised at how good it was. I already owned some of the programs Dr. Pawlak reviews in the book, but really wasn't using them as well as I could. The book really helped me understand what my programs could do. I have been analyzing some of my games using his approach, and it works.

Average customer rating:

Excellent book, now slightly out of date
State-of-the-art, clear and entertaining computer chess book
A book for the Computer and Chess Enthusiest.
Interesting history, technically simple

How Computers Play Chess
David N. L. Levy , and Monroe Newborn
Manufacturer: W H Freeman & Co (Sd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0716781212

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book, now slightly out of date.......2003-11-20

A great book on computer chess from two of the field's pioneers.

State-of-the-art, clear and entertaining computer chess book.......1997-09-22

This excellent book was and still is one of the state-of-the-art books in computer chess literature, dealing with both a very interesting history of computer chess, including many rare examples of the play of early programs, and several recent examples of the best actual programs, as well as discussing in sufficient detail the quite complex technical aspects of programming a computer to play chess.

In "The Challenge Is World Champion Kasparov", we are introduced to one of the first encounters between Garry Kasparov and the former incarnation of Deep Blue, then called Deep Thought, through the detailed discussion of the proceedings and analysis of both games. A game between Karpov and Deep Thought is also carefully analyzed.

Next, "The Early Ideas" present historically the pioneer works of Shannon, Turing, Zuse, and many others, whose theorical works provided the basement for writing procedures to allow a machine to play chess.

Then, in "The First Working Programs", we see Bernstein, Kotok, McCarthy, and other AI specialist, as they struggled to implement Shannon's ideas to make Jurassic computers play some passable chess. Several games between both computers and humans are discussed.

After these preliminary attemps, "The Formative Years" discusses more advanced programs, such as Greenblatt's MacHack VI program, Botvinnik's Pioneer, and specially Slate & Atkin's Chess program and soviet Kaissa, focusing both on the internal of the programs and on relevant sample games.

The following chapter, "The Challenges for the Levy Bet", tells us all the details of the famous Levy bet, nicely commented by co-author David Levy himself. The best games between him and Chess are commented, as well as a particularly beautiful miniature of Blitz against Belle.

As the field advances, "The Computer Becomes a Master" discusses the ever increasing achievements of the new generation of stronger hardware-assisted chess programs, such as Belle (written by Ken Thompson, who also has developed many Endgame Databases) and Cray Blitz (written by Bob Hyatt, who is also the author of Crafty, a strong freeware chess program), which use their incredibly fast underlying hardware to compensate for their lack of chess sophistication. We can also read all about how the first International human Masters began to know defeat against them on a regular basis.

The next step, the defeat of strong human Grandmasters, is introduced in "Eyeball to Eyeball with Grandmasters", where we see several commented games between the strongest chess programs, such as Deep Thought and Hitech, and human grandmasters such as Miles and Larsen. Also, microprocessor commercial chess program Mephisto has a close encounter of the 3rd kind against macroprocessor non-commercial Deep Thought, and far from ashamed, beats him hands down !

Once those historical details have been dealt with, the book enters into a discussion of the more advanced chess techniques there are, such as "Endgame Play and Endgame Databases", an area pioneered by Ken Thompson's Belle, where computers have conquered new grounds, and become invincible players. The development of a K+R vs K database is discussed in detail enough to allow anyone to program it, and then both games of the mini-match between grandmaster Walter Browne and Belle, the former trying to mate the computer with K+Q against K+R, are commented in detail.

A very technical chapter follows, "Search Techniques Used by Chess Programs", where the most advanced techniques are explained, such as Minimaxing, Alpha-Beta prunning, Iterative Deepening, and a large, detailed, and complete explanation of Hash tables, with many diagrams and examples, to make it crystal clear. Other aspects such as Time management, Evaluation functions, Move generation, etc. are thoroughly discussed as well.

The next chapter, "The Evolution of Computing Systems for Chess Programs", explains what lies ahead: faster processors, chess-specific hardware, multiprocessors, and makes dire predictions on the increment of playing strength all these advances will bring.

Once these almost unearthly machines have been shown, it is the time for down-to-earth-ones, the ones everyone can buy, and "Commecially Available Chess Computers and Software" introduces them all, from the primitive, very early Chess Challenger, to Mephisto Almeria announcing mate in 7 to a 2350 ELO player under tournament conditions.

On "Writing a Chess Program" gives a concise advice on how to write a chess program oneself, and by way of comparison shows a table with the ELO rating of the best chess programs as compared to that of their programmers and more chess-profficient technical advisors.

Finally, closing the book with a gem, "Stop Press" shows commercial program Mephisto Portoroz defeating former World Champion Anatoli Karpov during a simultaneous exhibition. That such a machine, which anyone could buy, without any special ultrafast hardware, can defend successfully against as superb a grandmaster as Karpov, says much about how far computer chess has progressed.

The book closes with an extensive bibliography given in "Additional Reading", and some information on the ICCA, given in "Appendix A: The International Computer Chess Association", and a table with complementary data in "Appendix B: Results of Major Tournaments".

A book for the Computer and Chess Enthusiest........1997-05-13

If you like to program computers and you love chess then "How Computers Play Chess" is for you. This easy to read and intuitive book by Chess Master David Levy takes you on a tour guide of man's attempt to create a machine that can master that ancient game of strategy, Chess. You'll gain an introductory view of how computers go about playing the game of chess including the types the algorithms that are used and the general theorys behind these "thinking machines". Levy also introduces some of his own thoughts on the strenghts of computer chess and even includes a few pradictions on when a computer will be able to defeat a human world champion. I read this book in an attemp to satisfy a life long desire I've had to create a computer program that could be me in chess. I've found that this book as gotten me off to an excellent start

Interesting history, technically simple.......1996-07-14

This book is a definitive history of computers and chess up through Deep Thought in 1990. Largely a survey, it rarely takes a strong point of view of its own. For someone looking for such a history, or for a basic consideration of chess algorithms from alpha-beta pruning through hash tables, killer move tables, and quiesence, it is a fine book. For my money, though, it did not go into enough depth either in technical issues such as the details of even a simple evaluation function or move generator, or in the philosophical issues raised by computer chess.

School of Chess Excellence 2: Tactical Play

Average customer rating:

Great book for advanced players
Excellent book for the serious player
A Highly Rewarding Study
Practical and Complex

School of Chess Excellence 2: Tactical Play
Mark Dvoretsky
Manufacturer: Georg Olms Verlag AG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 328300417X

Book Description

In this second book in his School of Chess Excellence series, Mark Dvoretsky looks at combinations and tactical techniques and suggests methods for developing a player’s ability to calculate. Using a number of fascinating examples, he also analyzes methods of attack and defense. The book also includes special test positions and questions to engage and instruct the reader.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for advanced players.......2004-06-17

Dvoretsky's book is for advanced players. In order to get maximum benefit one should probably have a rating of at least 2000 FIDE (app. 2100 USCF). At that level basic tactical skills would be in place. However, in order to develop further one must work with more complicated material, basically well-annotated complex tactical games.

This is where Dvoretsky comes in. The book is packed with complex games and analysis of very high quality, with additional observations and succinct advice about decision-making and psychology in tactical situations. In this book chess is a very concrete game - the master-teacher is a firm believer in the power of the specific example more than in overall synthesis or general conclusions.

If you are looking for quick fixes or easily digested "lessons", look elsewhere. However, if you have reached a certain level of play and are willing to put in the work (answering the training questions, doing independent analysis) its instructional value is very high.

I am rated 2200 ICC standard and have gone through about half of the book. In some positions I have managed very well, but in many others I have missed some points or the main point. I know that I am relatively weak tactically so I have to remind myself that rewards will come from the very fact of trying to solve these problems.

In short: a excellent book for hard-working advanced players

Excellent book for the serious player.......2003-05-31

When I first looked at this book, I found it hard and a little plodding. Then going through the examples, I found my play improving, and beat two masters in quick chess. This is an outstanding book, perhaps the best I have read, though it requires time and thought.

A Highly Rewarding Study.......2003-01-10

As a player with a growing but still modest chess library, it was only recently that I discovered Dvoretsky's name recurring in the books and reviews of players in-the-know. School of Chess Excellence 2 was my first foray into his writings and I have found it tremendously rewarding, though difficult, to work through. Chief among the book's virtues is its willingness to approach the games of chess legends and relative unknowns with equal respect and equal care, and to strike an excellent balance between analysis and commentary in doing so. Dvoretsky's own games, as well as those of his leading pupils, figure prominently in the work, and contribute a host of insights into the differences between planning and playing, succeeding and failing.
The analysis itself is first-rate. As a player of average talent, I often find tactical analysis comes most easily in positions that are already themselves overtly tactical. By contrast, Dvoretsky excels at revealing the subtlety of tactical thought as it develops through the course of a game. As a result, he routinely shows a culminating tactical shot to be the punctuation mark to a rigorous process of continually seeking out the best move, rather than a stroke of brilliance arriving like a bolt from the blue.
As a stylist, Dvoretsky can tend towards the self-congratulatory from time to time, though this may be as much a result of the difficulties of translation as anything else. For the most part he is likeable and accessible. I agree with previous reviewers that the ideas presented are both difficult and dense, but they should not prevent any player beyond a beginner level from comprehending the book and benefiting greatly from it, provided one is patient. I recommend it.

Practical and Complex.......2002-08-21

Practical and complex, this book is a collection of essays, games, puzzles and studies focused on tactical play; especially interesting is how psychology enters into choosing moves. This book is not geared toward beginners, but any dedicated student could benefit if willing to put in the study time.

Winning Chess Strategies : Proven Principles from One of the U.S.A.'s Top Chess Players

Average customer rating:

Another great introductory book by Seirawan
Great Continuation
Mid-Level Strategy book focusing on a varitey of concepts this author feels is important to learn
Thank You Mr. Seirawan!!
A positonal primer.....

Winning Chess Strategies : Proven Principles from One of the U.S.A.'s Top Chess Players
Yasser Seirawan
Manufacturer: Microsoft Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556156634

Amazon.com

This is the third of Seirawan's four-volume series, which takes the reader from chess greenhorn to a player advanced enough to understand grandmaster play. Here, Seirawan shows how to set long-range goals for a game and systematically gain a superior position. His deft explanations give anyone with basic chess knowledge (covered in his previous books) the insights to leap levels in play. As usual, he tackles the subject with an infectious enthusiasm, communicating the sporting thrill as each piece of a meticulous plan comes together. Throughout the book, engrossing chess puzzles help teach strategic points.

Book Description

We've updated the cover of WINNING CHESS STRATEGIES so that the Microsoft Press(r) Chess series has a more cohesive and dynamic look. This is the third book in the Chess series by International Grand Master Yasser Seirawan, with Jeremy Silman. In chess, there is a class of moves that are appropriate for a given situation, and in fact, true masters of chess all tend to make the same type of move in a given circumstance, although variation exists in the details of the actual move. WINNING CHESS STRATEGIES teaches that although no one move is best in any given situation, the type of move to use is crucial. As most chess players know, learning strategy is key before moving to the details of tactics.

Customer Reviews:

Another great introductory book by Seirawan.......2007-06-25

This is the 3rd book in Yasser Seirawan's "Winning Chess" series. In this book Yasser discusses chess strategy and coming up with a plan. He discusses topics such as proper piece placement, and pawn structure. Once again Yasser does a good job providing clear explanations of the topics to the reader.

I would have to think that his series is about the best introductory chess series in the English language.

Great Continuation.......2007-03-24

I purchased this the same time as Seirawan's "Tactics" book. I enjoy the author's writing style and he knows his stuff. He uses a good sense of humor to keep the reading lively and his background on the annotated masters games is informative, interesting, and engaging.

The only reason I give "Tactics" 5 stars over this one's 4 is that Tactics is just easier to read and work through. Due to the topics of this book the examples are long, some even full games, so while the explanation of the principals of the chapters is simple and straightforward it takes some serious set-aside study time to work through the examples with your own chessboard. (Tactics on the other hand with its short term calculations can be done in your head). The format of having test questions at the end doesn't gel with the subject matter as well as Tactics, but is consistent with the format of the other books of the series.

The examples take longer to work through than to get the point of the chapter--with several chapters I could correctly answer the end of chapter tests without working through the examples. You can quickly review the points of the chapters just by looking for the italicized print, and that is often enough information to answer the end of chapter questions correctly. I'm sure working through all the examples would increase the value and understanding of this book but I am someone who does not have hours a day to devote to studying chess.

Again it is an excellent book and I recommend it, I do believe it has improved my play. Just plan on scheduling serious study time when you want to read through some of it, it's not something you can read casually on your nightstand.

Mid-Level Strategy book focusing on a varitey of concepts this author feels is important to learn.......2006-12-17

This is book at a mid-level skilled player who wants to add on their their basic knowledge of chess. Ideas are taken from actual play and are made into broken down examples. This is instead of using complete games (another excellent way to improve - here one of the mid-level comment on every moves book like "Logical Chess" or "Unbeatable Chess" would fit in well) the author focuses on a variety of concepts that he fees are important. This is certainly a good, but not a great book.

Thank You Mr. Seirawan!!.......2006-09-26

I started taking chess seriously about one year ago and I bought this book only a few days ago. This book is very engaging and has demystified many aspects of positional chess for me because of Mr. Seirawan's very lucid and down to earth approach to the various concepts presented. It is also very encouraging to see that even an IGM of Mr. Seirawan's ability can err during play. I am about to purchase "Winning Chess Tactics" and I know that my money will be well spent!!

A positonal primer............2006-08-04

This third work by Seirawan in his Winning CHess series is a truely great positional chess primer! I strongly advise that before diving into this work that the reader has an in depth understanding of tactics which was covered in Seirawan's Winning CHess Tactics, which is book #2 of this series.

The information in this work is a basic primer of the art of positional play for intermediate players looking to improve their play. One should make every effort to understand these basic concepts as it will provide you with a solid foundation as far as postional play and enable the reader at a later date to understand and digest more advanced works such as Nimzowitch's 'My System,' various pawn structure books, and the games collections of GM's such as Capablanca, Petrosian, Karpov, etc. This intro book into positional play by Seirawan is the best by far....

Kasparov versus Deep Blue: Computer Chess Comes of Age

Average customer rating:

This book teaches you about computer chess from the '50s+

Kasparov versus Deep Blue: Computer Chess Comes of Age
Monty Newborn
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387948201

Book Description

In February 1996, a chess-playing computer known as Deep Blue made history by defeating the reigning world chess champion, Gary Kasparov, in a game played under match conditions. Kasparov went on to win the six-game match 4-2 and at the end of the match announced that he believed that chess computing had come of age. This book provides an enthralling account of the match and of the story that lies behind it: the evolution of chess-playing computers and the development of Deep Blue. The story of chess-playing computers goes back a long way and the author provides a whistlestop tour of the highlights of this history. As the development comes to its culmination in Philadelphia, we meet the Deep Blue team, Garry Kasparov and each of the historic six games is provided in full with a detailed commentary. Chess grandmaster Yasser Seirawan provided a lively commentary throughout the match and here provides a Foreword about the significance of this event.

Customer Reviews:

This book teaches you about computer chess from the '50s+.......1998-04-05

This book teaches you about how computer "scientists" have tried to make a program that can beat the world's best chess player. It talks about programs from the '50s to '90s with moves and diagrams about the games. It has pictures of the authors of the programs such as Robert Hyatt programmer of Cray Blitz or Dave Kittinger author of WChess. It is highly detailed and shows you how a computer chess program plays. If you get this book be prepared for a real lesson on computer chess. You'd be surprised how chess programs have gone from losing to a complete beginner to beating a world champion!

Average customer rating:

Impartial Analysis!
Wonderful game collection
Korchnoi's Legacy
Thank you for this masterpiece, Terrible Viktor!!

My Best Games, Vol. 2: Games with Black
Victor Korchnoi
Manufacturer: Georg Olms Verlag AG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3283004056

Book Description

In this second volume of My Best Games, grandmaster Victor Korchnoi presents fifty of his best games with Black, with which he has always excelled as a determined defender, ready, when the opportunity presents itself, to switch to counterattack.

Customer Reviews:

Impartial Analysis!.......2004-04-18

This book has been a real pleasure to read and study. Korchnoi is so impartial, and doesn't hype himself like other GM's. To boot, he spent 3 days analysing each game. The comments are straight forward with excellent insight to his feelings about different games and moves, and the phychological aspect of these books is well appreciated by me. A great work and a must for every studious and ambitious chessplayer.

Wonderful game collection.......2003-02-27

This is a wonderful game collection by Victor Korchnoi. It has a very handy index of openings, of which you will find a food variety from the Caro-Kann (one, white played the advance variation) to Reti to King's Gambit and many others.

Dispite being one of the best players in his day (and indeed, he continues to be very strong to this day -- still at 70+ years old in the top 50!), the annotations are at a level class players like myself can understand. Variations are kept to a bare minimum in the book.

This book is very similar to Yasser's Winning Chess Brilliancies, but more games, and a little less depth. Victor just gets to the point rapidly, explains the nuances of the position, and moves on.

This book was also named BCF book of the year, for I think good reasons. A third volume in this series should be out soon, I look forward to it, and will purchase the first volume as well.

Korchnoi's Legacy.......2002-09-06

This book and its companion volume My Best Games: Games With White are quite simply the two best chess books I have seen in a long, long time. The name Viktor Korchnoi is synonymous with fighting chess, and this collection is his legacy to future generations. There is deep analysis, penetrating psychological assessment, and clear explanation of strategic ideas. The games are chosen as much for their interesting and instructive features as for their quality, and Korchnoi is quite prepared to level criticism where warranted. Following his example, you will be inspired to analyze and understand your own games to a much greater degree. How can this not improve your play? These books are instant classics, and they belong in the library of every serious player, alongside the collections of Fischer, Larsen, Keres, Tal, and Shirov.

Thank you for this masterpiece, Terrible Viktor!!.......2002-03-24

Every chess player can easily say a few essential chess books: My system, Alekhine's best games, Tal's life and games. Fischer's 60 games ... well, after the publication of this book we have to rearrange our list!!
Viktor Korchnoi - two times challenger to the title of World Champion - has been around for ever, he has played and beaten the stars of the 1950s through to players who are stars now at the beginning of the 21st century.
Here Korchnoi has chosen 50 of his games with Black from 1952 to 2000, he stresses that he is rather old-fashioned about his black opening strategy, not being a regular exponent of the King's Indian or the Pirc or other `nihilistic' ways of playing with Black.
This is the second volume of a two volume work and there is no doubt: this is the most eagerly waited book of recent months; the first volume last year won the British Chess Federation's Book of the Year award: the decision was unanimous. If you are a chess player you can't live without this book.

Book Description

"Playing chess is like looking out over a limitless ocean; playing checkers is like looking into a bottomless well." Marion Tinsley, World checkers champion This extraordinary book tells the story of the creation of the world champion checkers computer program, Chinook. From its beginnings in 1988, Chinook became a worthy opponent to the world champion by 1990 and by 1992 had defeated all the world's top human players. In this fascinating account, Jonathan Schaeffer, the originator and leader of the Chinook team, provides an engrossing story of failures and successes. He describes the human story behind the program and his own feelings in learning from mistakes and technical problems in a continuous effort to improve Chinook's performance. Over the ten year period beginning in 1988, we follow the development of Chinook from an innocent question asked over lunch through to the final match against the then world champion, Marion Tinsley. As the story unfolds, readers are introduced to the rules of checkers and the basics of computer game programs, as well as to the key figures of the story. As a result, all those interested in computing and games will enjoy this book. " Schaeffer's personal involvement in the Chinook project, along with his engaging and open story-telling makes the book surprisingly gripping." A.K. Dewdney

Customer Reviews:

Honest.......2006-11-06

This is one of those books that makes you wince
now and then. Its that transparent. The author
didn't intend it but there is a story here beyond
the program. It unfolds with some interest and
some amaturism, and that lends charm to the
tale. In the end, the greatest player dies but
his legacy lives on in Chinook, the program,
built to defeat him. A negative image surely
but not a bad one.

Chinook, hopefully, is pissing off enough players
that Checkers can experience a revival, though,
like Connect Four and Tic-Tac-Toe it seems
destined for the kiddy heap.

How would Chinook do with a board twice as
large?

Not in the book so I'll pass on that, but by now
the team is on to some amazing stuff, putting
the nails in the coffin of Checkers as a game.

A Gripping Read.......2002-12-17

Well I never thought that title would describe for a book on a project to create a world champion beating chequers playing program!

I originally read the first half of the book when staying with a friend. When I got home I had - for the first time in my life - to buy a book merely to read half of it, so un-put-downable is it.

The book requires no technical knowledge either or computers of of draughts (and to an extent if one approaches it expecting technical insights in to either one will be disappointed).

In practice it's such a good read as the story is well told and gathers momentum the nearer the author gets to the goal. It is focused on the people and the project and not the technicals. Schaeffer recounts his hopes, feelings and motivations with a brutal honesty - never shying away from an accurate description when authorial licence might have presented him in a better light.

Very interesting!.......2001-03-16

Once I started to read this book I found it difficult to put down. Granted I am addicted to playing checkers against my computer when taking breaks at work, but still.... This is very interesting material for checkers players and computer programmers alike.

However, I do have a couple of problems with the book. First, it is very poorly edited. There are a number of grammatical mistakes, [one right on the first paragraph], the author at times goes into unnecessary tangents and, in general the book is too long and repetitive. In addition, it bothered me that, perhaps because of the author's familiarity with chess, he decided to use chess notation to describe the games. This makes it more difficult for checkers players to follow the games while reading the book. The author/editor should have made the effort to use checkers notation or to provide better diagrams.

OK, But.......2001-03-02

I enjoyed reading this book but as a serious checker player was hoping there was a detailed list of new moves , 4, against 3, Ect.. a listing of cooks, detailed, a checker learning experence Something teaching me, some new endgames, something. New openings, challenging the existing openings. Im sure computer/checker players would love this book Since Jonathan chose to not use standard numeric notations as in most checker books, the helpful way would have identified the notations in each illustration of the checker board.

short of ink.......2001-02-28

im enjoying this a bit but im also a checker player and would defintely like the checker coordinates ( numeric notations) shown in every instance as I dont have them memorized, so I can follow the book better. I would not buy it as its more about the ego of the programmer than about checkers.

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