Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins

by Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov's 1997 chess match against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue was a watershed moment in the history of technology. It was the dawn of a new era in artificial intelligence: a machine capable of beating the reigning human champion at this most cerebral game.

That moment was more than a century in the making, and in this breakthrough book, Kasparov reveals his astonishing side of the story for the first time. He describes how it felt to strategize against an implacable, untiring opponent with the whole world watching, and recounts the history of machine intelligence through the microcosm of chess, considered by generations of scientific pioneers to be a key to unlocking the secrets of human and machine cognition. Kasparov uses his unrivaled experience to look into the future of intelligent machines and sees it bright with possibility. As many critics decry artificial intelligence as a menace, particularly to human jobs, Kasparov shows how humanity can rise to new heights with the help of our most extraordinary creations, rather than fear them. Deep Thinking is a tightly argued case for technological progress, from the man who stood at its precipice with his own career at stake.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Chess, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy, Psychology

304 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2017

About the author

Russian (formerly Soviet) chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, and political activist, whom many consider the greatest chess player of all time.

Reviews

[Bharath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garry Kasparov has a way of his own – it is well after his retirement from professional chess, and yet he is so much sought after. This book traces the progress of chess engines, the evolution of their algorithms culminating in the famous Kasparov Vs Deep Blue battle.

Chess engines have gained rapidly in the recent past from databases for reviewing games, to aids for analyzing positions, to challenging humans and finally overpowering them. Kasparov discusses how the algorithms have changed – the limits of technology resulting in lower search depth initially for brute force algorithms, to the incorporation of intelligent search tree reduction and later machine learning. While Chess has been of keen interest to me since years, the information presented is very systematic and well organized with quite a bit of information making for very interesting reading which I was not aware of.

Kasparov hates losing..well, he really does. Till a time it seemed to be smooth going against both human challengers and the machines. He is the world champion and quite easily overpowers Deep Thought – the predecessor to Deep Blue. He wins the first championship against Deep Blue as well, employing clever anti-computer strategies. The Deep Blue which he takes on in 1997 seems to be a different beast though. While Kasparov wins the first game, the second one turns out to be a stunner with Deep Blue employing strategies never before seen in chess engines. Kasparov, in fact becomes deeply suspicious, even alluding to the possibility of human intervention. He admits that the impact to his psyche as a result of this game was so high, that he subsequently loses the tournament. He is not exactly a gracious loser and has issues with not being given logs on time as well. Of course, subsequent revelations do indicate that IBM went to great lengths to prove a point and defeat Kasparov. This includes injecting some delays in Deep Blue to score some psychological points against Kasparov and tuning the opening book on and off. Kasparov mentions that Lou Gerstner visited the match area and gave the Deep Blue team a pep talk and said that the match was between the best chess player in the world and Kasparov.

This book is very well written and Kasparov's intellect really shines through. A large portion of the matter in the book is public information though, if you can make the effort to read and collate it. I really liked Kasparov's writing style and the only thing which could have been avoided was a few excuses for his intemperate behaviour at times such as being a sore loser to Deep Blue, and slamming the door in the game against Anand.

Kasparov's take on Artifical Intelligence / Robots in general are extremely mature and practical. In contrast to the general panic futurists have started spreading on impending large job losses, Kasparov has sensible comments to make and sound advice as well. As he points out - going into a panic on machines overpowering us at this point in time is like worrying about overcrowding on Mars! We are very capable of making a good future for ourselves if we are sensible about it.

If you follow chess, you will love this book!

[Diego · Rating 1 out of 5]

“My name is Gary Kasparov, and I’m the greatest chess player ever. I lost a few times to some computers, but I’m still awesome because I made dumb mistakes. Oh, here is some info about Artificial Intelligence and how it goes with chess. Did I mention I’m awesome at chess, let’s talk about that some more. Why am I not celebrated more? Why don’t people talk about what I did?”

This pretty much sums this book up. Swindled by the title. It’s like listening to the guy brag about himself playing chess and you can’t walk away. It’s as if he needs to talk his side of the story to feel justified by his loss to the IBM computer Deep Blue. The last chapter is interesting but not enough to save the book because it randomly shows up as if he was talking about the future of AI the whole time.

This book was disappointing.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep Thinking by Garry Kasparov is an autobiographical retelling of his historic series of matches against the IBM chess machine, Deep Blue. Kasparov also uses this book to expound on the history of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a focus on its application to chess, and provides his thoughts on how humanity can embrace AI to build a better tomorrow. Kasparov does an outstanding job of setting the stage for his confrontation with Deep Blue, covering not only his ascension to the highest pinnacle of the professional chess ranks, but also the evolution of computer chess, from both hardware and algorithmic perspectives. The most enlightening element of Deep Blue was that Kasparov never viewed computers as his mortal enemy; instead, he was one of the first players to embrace and adopt their use in chess training and preparations. The predominant theme throughout Deep Thinking is the power of the application of technology to better humankind. Kasparov implores not just scientists, engineers and technologists, but also everyday people to engage in applying existing technology in new ways. As a book, Deep Thinking does wander a bit in places and leaves a few key arguments unsupported, but given that Kasparov is the last World Chess Champion to beat a computer in a chess match, this is can be easily overlooked. Deep Thinking is worth a read for anyone interested in the past, current and future directions of AI.

[AnnaG · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb on this book suggests that it will be a comprehensive look into Artificial Intelligence and how machine thinking differs from human thinking. It isn't really that, it's mainly Kasparov's insights into how he changed his behaviour to combat a chess computer, what were the strengths of a chess computer and how those strengths evolved in his various match-ups.

Whilst, that's all very interesting, I felt a bit short-changed reading this that it didn't have more to say on, for example whether a computer can/will be good at driving a car. I'm also reading this book nearly 2 years after it came out and since it's difficult for books on technology to stay current for long, it already feels a bit dated.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is misleading as this is more of a memoir of the grandmaster rather than a treatise of deep thinking. It gets deep into chess engines and bitter history of Kasparov vs Deep Thought + Deep Blue. AI/ML aspects are outdated. I may have enjoyed it more if I had read it when it was published 8 years ago. Not much to learn here unless you’re a chess aficionado.

[Jashan Singhal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew Kasparov was such a brilliant author, his writing skills shadow his prowess in Chess.

Kasparov is unequivocally the greatest chess player of all times, and in this book he gives us an account of the famous 1997 match with IBM's supercomputer chess engine Deep Blue. This book is a vindication of his loss and he builds up to the proceedings of the match, by discussing in depth about how human mind works, how grandmasters think, what is the difference between humans and intelligent machines, the rise of chess machines and the science behind them.

At times he sounds like a sore loser (which he himself accepts) by bickering about how IBM didn't play a fair game. But we can't help but sympathizing with him because he was representing us (humans) in this representative (first of its kind) battle between humans and artificial intelligence.

It is a must read book for those who want to get an insight about artificial intelligence, human-machine relationships and what the future holds for us.

[Dennis Littrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and very interesting

Most of this book is about chess and chess engines and Kasparov’s experiences with them, especially in his two matches with IBM’s Deep Blue. But there is much more. The central theme of the book can be seen in this quote from page 259: “…technology can make us more human by freeing us to be more creative…”

Like Kasparov (peak rating of 2851 in 1999) I (peak rating of 2080 in 1974) have been absolutely fascinated with chess playing programs going back to the eighties when the best engine played at about the USCF 1200 level. I bought one of the first Chessmaster programs and subsequently several others as well. I also bought the Fritz engines when they came out and others including I believe the first Zarkov program. What Kasparov shows is that it is a combination of brute force from the chess engines and the creative and process-finding ability of the human that makes for the strongest player. In human tournaments of course you can’t get help from your cell phone (and hopefully not from a device in your back molar!), but in preparation for a tournament and especially for a match a strong chess engine can be invaluable. Kasparov makes it clear that the proliferation of younger and younger and stronger and stronger grandmasters came about because of the maturing strength of the chess engines which allowed players to study at a level and with an intensity previously impossible.

Kasparov goes on to generalize this idea for other forms of human endeavor. Artificial Intelligence is in the final analysis a tool to augment human creativity and foster human achievement. (This is not to say it won’t be used in detrimental ways.) Fifty-five years ago my friend Bill Maillard, who is a mathematician and a master chess player, put it this way: machine intelligence will eventually exceed human intelligence but it will be the humans that make the decisions.

For Kasparov (quoting John McCarthy who coined the term “artificial intelligence” in 1956) chess became “the Drosophila of AI,” the fruit fly that allows scientific experiments. Put ironically in another way, Kasparov (with tongue in cheek) titled an earlier book of his “How Life Imitates Chess.” What is most interesting about Garry Kasparov is just how intelligent, learned and articulate he is compared to the vast number of chess players. Anybody who has put in the time and energy it takes to become a grandmaster really doesn’t have time to be well read—usually. One only has to recall the very limited abilities of Bobby Fischer away from the chess board. –Speaking of whom, Kasparov has this little story about Fischer on page 92: When “an eager fan pressed him after a difficult win” with “Nice game, Bobby!” Fischer retorted, “How would you know.”

Another interesting thing about Kasparov is how he can be both modest and very confident at the same time. Part of what makes this book so interesting is the way Kasparov reveals himself. He faults himself for the infamous resignation in game two of the second Deep Blue match and even reveals that he didn’t realize the position was drawn until the next day when told so by his seconds. He explains why he lost the match while making plausible excuses based on what he thought was unfair advantages on the other side. This part of the book, which focuses intently on those matches, reveals a very human and likable person, perhaps akin to a character in a popular novel, a person with great strengths and some weaknesses. For example, on page 105 Kasparov writes, “I can say without any false modesty that I was the best-prepared player in the history of chess.”

For many readers the most interesting parts of the book will deal with Kaparov’s understanding of AI (and IA, “intelligence amplification”) and how the technology has developed and where K thinks it’s going. He is less afraid of the surveillance than many people and for the most part sees that the increased knowledge we have of others and ourselves through technology will do more good than harm. He notes that “Our lives are being converted into data” but “The greatest security problem we have will always be human nature.” (p. 118) He adds on the next page, “Privacy is dying, so transparency must increase.” His knowledge is impressive, and he and his collaborator Mig Greengard write so clearly and engagingly that the book is a pleasure to read.

I should add that the book is beautifully designed and meticulously edited. I didn’t notice a single typo and nary a muddled sentence.

One other thing: even very experience chess players will probably learn something about the game of chess they didn’t know or something about the history of chess they missed. I know I did.

Some quotables:

“Romanticizing the loss of jobs to technology is little better than complaining that antibiotics put too many grave diggers out of work.” (p. 42) This is a statement that bears some scrutiny, and indeed might be the subject of a future Kasparov book.

In 1989 Kasparov played the Deep Thought chess engine. After Kasparov won the tabloid New York Post wrote, “Red Chess King Quick Fries Deep Thought’s Chips.” (p. 111)

“Mistakes almost never walk alone.” (p. 239)

“Intelligence is whatever machines haven’t done yet” (quoting Larry Tesler). (p. 251)

“There’s a business saying that if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” (p. 252)

--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Garry Kasparov as a chess player. He was a great World Chess Champion, and his style brought back dynamic, almost romantic chess to the top level of the game. It is interesting that because Kasparov was an early adopter of computer game databases, he was probably the best prepared player of his time. Using databases, he was famous for out-preparing his opponents in extremely sharp openings and often obtained a significant advantage right out of the gate.

At the same time, he actively participated in various commercial computer chess efforts, endorsing chess playing machines and PC programs. Circa 1985, most people didn’t think a computer would beat a grandmaster before the mythical year 2000. Kasparov’s record against humans is amazing and with one exception his record against machines is mind boggling.

As Kasparov describes in this book, after beating IBMs Deep Blue chess computer in a 6-game match, he lost a 6-game rematch in 1997. After IBM invested heavily to upgrade Deep Blue, it was still considered an underdog. Kasparov finally tells his side of the story, coming short of accusing IBM of cheating. He has said before "I don't know" when asked if they cheated, but in this book he has moved on, and attributes his loss to his own mistakes and to IBM playing the types of mind games that you might associate with win-at-all-cost Soviets while going all-in.

Kasparov has written at least three huge serious chess series: one reflects on the world champions that came before him (My Great Predecessors), on his games with Karpov (Kasparov vs. Karpov), and a third on his games with other top players (Kasparov on Kasparov). These are all autobiographical, and in all cases, the annotations go very deep. Kasparov seems to want to prove everything he thought with moves. None of these books describe a single game against a computer.

Kasparov is not an expert in artificial intelligence, or on the algorithms used to play computer chess. He is also not an expert in the more recent ‘deep learning’ algorithms which now allow world champion level play at Go. So, the title of his book should be interpreted as “Kasparov on Kasparov Volume 4: Thoughts (but no moves) on Deep Blue”. The best computer chess programs do not use machine learning algorithms (shallow or deep). They use a specifically tuned algorithm that has been known for many years. The very best computer programs are also tuned by Grandmasters rather than programmers, so much more human knowledge goes into the brute force searches they do.

This type of tree search algorithm is not considered by anyone in the AI community to be artificially intelligent. They are solutions to specific problems. These are useful in many applications, and machine learning algorithms are useful in many other applications. But even so-called deep artificial neural networks are not able to demonstrate general purpose artificial intelligence.

Then, what to make of Kasparov’s book? He is the voice of a 50-something who, at the peak of his career, was outdone by an algorithm. That makes his story important because we are about to see much more of this. The specific algorithm and the specific human skill set is not important, because we will see it everywhere. Rarely, however, will we see it through the eyes of someone who could be called “the best person to have ever done X”. That, and all of Kasparov’s personal views on automation, make the book a good one. It would be hard to argue that when physicians are displaced by algorithms for diagnosis, that any of them are likely to have an ego bigger than Kasparov’s. And it is also more likely than not, that companies pushing automation will be playing to win.

Kasparov believes that chess is bigger than ever, and he stayed the best human player for years so he is optimistic that automation and machine intelligence, will ultimately be as good for other fields as it has been for chess.

My only complaint is that he leaves out a discussion about how chess engines have not really been all that good for the game. If you ask a strong player or a coach what they wish for, many will say, a world without strong chess engines. One reason is that weaker players rely on the engines too much and don’t think for themselves enough. I’ve seen this first hand, and I’m sure other, stronger, chess players here on GR have too. Have the engines, all of which could defeat Deep Blue with half their cores tied behind their back, increase human creativity? I don’t see evidence of this. I see the top Grandmasters memorizing reams and reams of computer generated moves, some of which that make no sense, but are somehow winning.

Chess engines, and the godforsaken Berlin Defense, (the other thing that took down Kasparov). Hey, if something can beat Kasparov, it must be great, right?

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins (2017) by Garry Kasparov and Mig Greengard is a book that looks at how machines eclipsed people in playing chess and what this means for humanity.

Kasparov is one of the greatest chess grand masters of all time and the last human to be the best chess player on the planet. In 1997 Deep Blue defeated him taking the crown for an activity that was once seen as the epitome of human intelligence.

The book looks at how computers play chess, how they were initially fairly week and how in the late 1980s they began to become as good as the best human chess players and finally beat them.

The story of the actual game shows that Kasparov believes, it appears with good reason, that his loss to IBM's Deep Blue involved quite a bit of unfair play. The machine was allowed access to his back catalogue and was quite possibly altered during the game. However, he also makes it clear that if he had won that game he would have lost within a few years. Computers had become too good.

Kasparov goes on to reflect on how this has changed chess, how modern grand masters use computers very differently and how the combination of humans and chess computers is, for the moment, better than just computers on their own. He also reflects on how this doesn't mean that the singularity is near and the book has a great quote from Andrew Ng, the Machine Learning expert from Stanford, Baidu and Google who says that worrying about super-intelligent computers is like worrying about overcrowding on Mars.

The book is very interesting in parts but also quite dull in parts. You'd really have to be a great chess aficionado and someone who is interested in what a smart, informed person has to say about AI to really appreciate it all. And even then you'd probably find it sags in the middle. However it certainly contains insights from someone with a unique perspective on chess and AI.

[Overbooked ✎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was duped by the promising title. I was expecting a book about the modern applications of AI when it comes to creative tasks. This book, instead, presents the history of the application of computers in the professional game of chess and explains, in exhaustive detail, how eventually they succeeded in beating the Grandmasters.
Not being a player and my interests lying in IT, I got very little out of this book. The competitive and psychological aspects of chess were interesting parts, but I cannot obviously appreciate the intricacy of technical play or the complex methods involved in winning a game (e.g. the move-by-move analysis of the author’s famous loss to Deep Blue in 1997). The whole book is a lengthy justification of why Kasparov lost two of the three challenges with Big Blue, even advancing some theories on how IBM *could* have cheated in the rematch. It’s obvious that the guy isn’t over it and still hasn’t moved on (despite Kasparov’s insistence to the contrary). Recommended only of you have a passion for chess. 2 stars.

Fav. quotes:

I remain an optimist if only because I’ve never found much advantage in the alternatives. Artificial intelligence is on a path toward transforming every part of our lives in a way not seen since the creation of the Internet, perhaps even since we harnessed electricity. There are potential dangers with any powerful new technology and I won’t shy away from discussing them. Eminent individuals from Stephen Hawking to Elon Musk have expressed their fear of AI as a potential existential threat to mankind. The experts are less prone to alarming statements, but they are quite worried too. If you program a machine, you know what it’s capable of. If the machine is programming itself, who knows what it might do?

Elevators became much safer as soon as the human operators were replaced.

Despite the rapid pace of technological change that has been the norm for our entire lives, we are briefly amazed, or horrified, or both, by anything new, only to get used to it in just a few years. It’s important to keep our heads on straight during that exciting cusp period between shock and acceptance so that we may look ahead clearly and prepare the best we can.

We create a machine that follows strict rules in order to imitate human performance. Its performance is poor and artificial. With generations of optimization and speed gains, performance improves. The next jump occurs when the programmers loosen the rules and allow the machine to figure out more things on its own, and to shape or even ignore the old rules. To become good at anything you have to know how to apply basic principles. To become great at it, you have to know when to violate those principles.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting this book to be a lot more about artificial intelligence than it actually was, mainly because that’s the way that it’s marketed. Instead, it’s almost entirely about chess, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I got pretty interested in it and indeed now I’m in the mood to play it, and so I’ll probably rope my other half into a game or two.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of stuff in here about the way that AI works and how it’s revolutionized our society, including a fascinating little section on how automated elevators first became a thing. The technology was available early on, but nobody wanted to get into one unless there was a human operator. Then elevator operators went on strike and public perception changed, and Kasparov says that something similar is happening when it comes to our approach to self-driving cars.

Still, if you’re picking up this book because you’re interested in artificial intelligence, there are definitely better ones to go for. You’re better off going with this if you’re interested specifically in chess, especially because the bulk of this book basically involves going over the lead up to the big competition between Kasparov and IBM’s Deep Blue.

I’m glad that I read it, but I don’t think I would have picked it up if I’d known what I know about it now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it should certainly give you pause for thought. Other than that, there’s some cool stuff on machine learning and natural language processing, as well as a well-deserved shoutout for Alan Turing. So not bad.

[Ahsan Sharafuddin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The name of the book 'Deep Thinking' led me to believe I would get some interesting perspective and state of the art of AI. Unfortunately it did not appear anything more than a memoir. Throughout the book he appears bitter with IBM and sometimes even arrogant. To those deeply interested in chess as a game may find it interesting. To me, I could've better spent my time learning something more educational and interesting.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapters covering Kasparov's match and rematch with Deep Blue, and the history of advancement leading to that point were very interesting.

The artificial intelligence angle is only explored generically, mainly because for a long time AI solutions weren't able to outperform at chess. In fact, the top chess engine trained using Reinforcement Learning (AlphaZero) was trained after the book finishes and is therefore only mentioned in an afterword.

All in all, an interesting read but dated by the revolutions we've seen in AI recently, and the lack of mention of RL and LLMs now feels like a glaring ommision.

[Devika · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't need to be a chess expert to appreciate the history of how machines began playing chess. The initial thoughts came from Alan Turing, who proposed the Turing Test (the idea that whether a machine can fool a human into thinking that the machine is human), and Claude Shannon who suggested that the machine can approach chess through either 'brute force' or 'intelligent search'.

Kasparov discusses all technological developments that eventually led to his match with IBM's Deep Blue. The purpose of the book also seems to be a chance for Kasparov to explain his side of the story. I had picked up this book after reading about this match in Nate Silver's The Signal and The Noise. Silver paints Kasparov as a sore loser that couldn't deal with his loss and went berserk claiming that IBM cheated. However, Kasparov seems to give a more fair depiction where he acknowledges his flaws but also uses evidence to outline the unfair lengths that IBM went to for winning.

The book comes across as passionate, just like Kasparov himself. It is incredibly well written! Kasparov discusses how our heuristics (rules of thumb) create biases. For example, in chess one tends to follow "move A must be accompanied by move B" which can limit creativity and progress. Machines and humans each possess certain weaknesses which are complemented by the other. Furthermore, technological development and progress in AI cannot be avoided. So instead of focusing on the doomsday scenarios, we need to learn how to work better with machines. And while using machines for better processes isn't cheating, it can induce a cognitive limp as we heavily rely on digital crutches.

However, the book left me thinking about:

1. How can we be so sure that machines would make us more objective if, as programmers, it is possible that we have programmed our biases into the machine?

2. If data was being deleted at every reboot of Deep Blue, then why wait till the end of the match to get the logs? If upon being restarted the machine would play a move completely different than what it would have played earlier, then how would the machine logs at the end of the game be of any use? This seemed odd considering Kasparov's tactic of finding improvements over his opponents' play.

And what stuck with me even more is this:

"But evolution isn't improvement; it's change. Usually from simple to complex, but the key to it is increasing diversity, a shift in the nature of a thing. Optimization can make a computer code faster but it won't change its nature in creating anything new."

[Alexander Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The human mind isn’t a computer; it cannot progress in an orderly fashion down a list of candidate moves and rank them by a score down to the hundredth of a pawn the way a chess machine does. Even the most disciplined human mind wanders in the heat of competition. This is both a weakness and a strength of human cognition. Sometimes these undisciplined wanderings only weaken your analysis. Other times they lead to inspiration, to beautiful or paradoxical moves that were not on your initial list of candidates.”

Garry Kasparov's Deep Thinking gives us an insightful account of the grand game of chess and the history of artificial intelligence. It is done in a fun way and also in an educational capacity whether he is writing about the Trump election or automated assistants such as Ok Google, Alexa or Siri. Gary also gives the reader great detail about the competitiveness and strategies that come with Chess while exploring the past rivalry between America and the Soviet Union. (The more aggressive approach to Chess, for players in the past regarding the Soviet Union, when it came to current or upcoming grandmasters in the world of Chess...)

The human mind has a way of doing things, when it comes to intuition, speculative posturing, planning and strategized improvisation when compared to the raw efficiency regarding a chess app or program. The comparison that explores strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the human mind and those accompanying an artificial opponent is of vital interest and importance.
I'm reminded of one of the more recent prodigies (In the deep learning world...) AlphaGo which learnt the game of chess and history of the game mastering all possibilities, when it comes to possible moves, in the great game. In many ways surpassing human players, where decisions are made in mere milliseconds.

Overall, without giving too much away Deep Learning: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity begins, is an instant favourite for me, from Garry Kasparov. Whether it is his vivid account of the famous match between him or Deep Blue or his encounters with the first computers that would be used for chess research and practice this is a tantalising and up to date autobiographical marvel. (It also doesn't shy away from political matters or personal affairs which was both compelling and rewarding...)
It has humour and it has its serious moments but what is all together clear is the love of chess and the intimate relationship humanity has with artificial intelligence which is echoed in many of us chess enthusiasts and lovers of the game.

“To become good at anything you have to know how to apply basic principles. To become great at it, you have to know when to violate those principles.”

[Sakib Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes it can be difficult to take stock, look at the world and understand how it’s changing in real-time. The last fifty years have been marked by an information revolution that’s become so ingrained in our daily lives that it’s easy to forget just how groundbreaking it is.
Garry Kasparov makes an astounding argument for reflecting upon our changing times. He leads us through the kinds of questions we should be asking of technology and what we might expect of this rapidly evolving world. It’s a job he’s well qualified to do. As one of history’s greatest ever chess players, he was pitted against a team of computer scientists and their cutting-edge technology. Could their machines beat him? Kasparov’s sparring with IBM’s Deep Blue in the late 1990s settled that question.

What’s more, the mechanics of chess and of artificial intelligence have a lot in common. So when you think about it, you can learn a lot about the workings of the modern technological world through the cultural story of chess. Let Kasparov take you on a journey through the history and the future of artificial intelligence, chess, and computers.

[David Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kasparov and co-author Mig Greengard focus on three topics in this enjoyable book: the story of the famous man-versus-machine chess match against IBM's Deep Blue, the larger history of chess computers and how they have affected the game, and the even larger question of how technology will affect all of our lives going forward. In the first two areas, Kasparov is in his element and gives us a book that cannot be put down—except that we do want to put it down to pick up our chess set! His musings on technology writ large are less focused.

[Hrishikesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply fascinating. Kasparov belongs to that rare breed of experts who are also excellent writers. The central "event" of this book, so as to speak, is his epic duel against IBM's supercomputer. Kasparov expertly leverages that event and ties around it a great perspective regarding Chess, AI, Human Cognition and life in general. A book written with great clarity, this has been one enriching read.

[GeneralTHC · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-stars

This kicked total ass!

You always hear that Deep Blue beat Kasparov. Well, yeah, I guess. But there's a lot more to the story, and it doesn't make IBM look too good, IMO.

[Owlseyes]

http://www.kasparov.com/blog-post/gar...

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting exploration, not only of the Deep Blue vrs Kasparov chess games which form the central tenet of this book, but also of the impact of computers/AI in chess, technology and general life. Kasparov is erudite and intelligent, and this made for a read from which I learned a surprisingly significant amount, considering I have read many books on chess and on artificial intelligence etc.

My only struggle was that I couldn't quite get a handle on the author. Clearly passionate, clearly well read and brilliant in his field, clearly wise enough to know what he does not know.. I could clearly tell that Kasparov was looking back on his professional life and looking forward to the benefits technology will bring us all in the future, but felt he did struggle to be completely honest/frank. There were a few slight moments of Hanlon's razor, a few inconsistencies, a few moments where (as is natural in chess) one puts your wins down to your superiority and your losses down to your having made a mistake, as opposed to being inferior to your opponent. The subject of psychology in chess is an interesting one, and how an isolated AI would not be affected (or effect?) this.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Garry's little think piece on the human-machine interface interspersed with anecdotes from his own notable chess matches over the years—most prominently, the one between him and Deep Blue. Even though this book on AI is now 7 years old and the technology he writes about may as well be prehistoric, it's quite relevant to today and I am continually swayed in an optimistic direction of where technology can take humanity.

I wish he had a proper biography bc he has one of the most prolific chess careers of all time, but in the mean time I will put another of his books on my list. Chess chess chess horsey horsey horsey castle castle castle

[Miguel Palhas · Rating 4 out of 5]

As both a programmer and a chess player myself, this book made me see how much larger the bridge is between the two areas, even compared to what I already knew. The parallels between the Kasparov-Deep Blue matches to our fears and prejudices of AI were extremely interesting

If you're not into one of those two areas, then the book may be suboptimal, though. I found I was drawn into it mostly because I was interested in the history of the sport as well as the technology

[Anup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being an aspiring chess player, it's very nice to read from the former world champion. This book can be read by those who don't know anything about chess, it's not a book about chess. I think this is a book worth reading.

[Adriana Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Bon Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find it hard not to love Angarry Sore Loserov despite the Octoberfest sized ego and complete lack of grace in those rare moments when he manages, somehow, to lose the game. So I had great expectations from this book, all of which were completely fulfilled and more.

In short, the book revolves around one of those occasions when he was outplayed, almost by his own choosing. He was a victim of his inability to fight nasty side effect of being highly intelligent person, e.e. being interested in very wide and differing fields, stuff and areas of human or non-human endeavour. In this case, artificial intelligence.

So, partly wanting to satisfy his ego, hoping for a win and understandably, considering his skill, counting on it on the one hand, and simply wanting to satisfy his burning curiosity on the other, he fell into the trap of corporate interests and individuals that move the ropes behind the scenes.

That's what it comes down to after reading about all the events that happened before, during and after those legendary matches. There's also a strong element of simple human error, which GK completely owns as one factor he has nobody to blame for but himself. It's also a crucial element. Now, how and why he happened to make some sub optimal moves that are out of his character, finesse and chess crunching power, is where things get complicated.

Whatever you chose to believe, I'm calling this book deeply human, honest and personal. It's the way GK thinks and feels about the events, with all possible objectivity granted by the passage and perspective of time.

[Ed Terrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I sensed something new, something unsettling” Kasparov siting across from Deep Blue in 1997

"It became like a God” Worlds top Go player, Ke Jie, after defeat by a Google algorithm May 23, 2017....

People remember Kasparov's loss in 1997 to Deep Blue but few recall his win only one year earlier or his 1988 simultaneous play against the world's best 32 chess computers, score: 32-0, in Kasparov's favor. In those few years, something strange and magical had happened on the other side of the board where those at IBM were leaving nothing to chance, "a game within games". Imagine a computer that added a significant pause during play, not because it was unsure of its next move but because of the interpretation by its opponent that such a pause would effect.

Kasparov lost only in part because the machine was better than any he had ever played. His real downfall was that he wasn’t playing against the machine, he was playing against the myth, the machine had become. While all six games against Deep Blue are reviewed, this is only a small part of the story. The bigger story is of the human machine relationship and AI as philosophy as well as technology. Deep Blue mastered Chess, with brute force and speed and Google did the same with Go but using algorithms based on more sophisticated neural networks. IBM’s Watson dominated Jeopardy before being turned into a Medical robot capable of answering highly technical questions.

As technology marches forward and we see “our lives being converted to data”, we can at least derive some comfort that "inherent in human understanding is the knowledge of context", something our android friends still struggle with. This is an excellent read for those interested in artificial intelligence.

[Alex Slucky · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I found the conventions that shutting off distractions during critical examination, reflection, and work time an important reminder, I found the examples given and the anecdotes both sexist and shallow. Naturally a man would be able to tune out exterior obligations to focus on his driving work while external household duties or basic life needs (i.e. cooking) are handled by someone or some other people. This highlights the invisible emotional labour women must endure so that man can excel in their careers and thus widening the pay and publication gap. Unimpressed.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kasparov has some good information about the Deep Blue chess matches, computer chess programs overall, and AI in general. I'm personally not particularly interested in chess, but Kasparov brings in enough context and detail to make this a good book.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely written, beautiful and good English. You might ask what one can write about a chess match, but one can. A lot. And very interesting.
I read the kindle variant, I didn't listen to the Audio CD as I had selected the title here.
An absolute recommendation for all my friends who love books.