Kasparov and Deep Blue The Historic Chess Match Between Man and Machine

From America’s foremost chess coach and game strategist for Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit comes the classic confrontation of Man versus Machine—the match between Kasparov and IBM's chess program.

In six games that riveted chess enthusiasts and laypeople alike, world chess champion Garry Kasparov and IBM’s chess program Deep Blue fought for the title of best chess player in the world. The games themselves were dramatic events, filled with fascinating strategic moments, but their impact reverberated for beyond the chess world and the world would never look at computers the same way again.​

Pandolfini follows the tournament in a game-by-game, play-by-play analysis that reveals the significance of this important match. With numerous diagrams and easy-to-follow explanations of the key moves of every game, Paldolfini reenacts the drama of this intense week. Sidebars, tips, and short essays also provide a broader view of the match in terms of the history of artificial intelligence, computers’ creative abilities, and whether or not human intervention was the ultimate cause of Kasparov’s defeat, as the defeated champion claims.

Bruce Pandolfini is one of the world’s most sought-after chess teachers and one of the most widely read chess writers working today. His role as analyst for PBS’s coverage of the 1972 match between chess superstars Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky first launched him into the public eye. His coaching of chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin was portrayed in the book and film Searching for Bobby Fischer. He is a regular columnist for Chess Life, the bible of the chess world, and continues to coach young players professionally and consults for CEOs from numerous Fortune 500 companies. Pandolfini also created over 300 hypothetical games as a consultant for Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit. He lives in New York City.