The victory was seen as a sign of how far artificial intelligence had come and how it was catching up with the intellectual capabilities of human intelligence. The match was a historic moment in chess, as it was the first time that a computer defeated a reigning world chess champion. The 1997 six-game chess match between world chess champion Garry Kasparov and IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue was a rematch after the machine’s defeat in Philadelphia in 1996. Deep Blue (W) v Garry Kasparov, New York, 1997 As a result, Kasparov became the thirteenth and youngest world champion aged 22, a title he held till 1993. This eventually led to decisive errors from Karpov on move 36 and move 40, leading to his loss after 42 moves. Often called by Kasparov as the ‘game of his life’, the young Russian turned the game on its head with a far-sighted rook play on his 23rd move.
Karpov entered the World Chess Championship match at a FIDE rating of 2720 with Kasparov not far behind at 2700, with the final match of the championship, match 24, a must-win for Karpov to retain his world title which he had held from 1975 onwards. Anatoly Karpov v Garry Kasparov (W), Moscow, 1985 The game and the rivalry have also inspired several musical, documentaries and movies, such as Tobey Maguire’s Pawn Sacrifice (2014). The 40-move game and Fischer’s corresponding victory is seen as a historic moment amidst the Cold War tensions, making Fischer an instant celebrity back home, even leading to celebration known as Bobby Fischer Day upon his return. With political overtones due to the Cold War, Fischer’s victory in game 21 of the championship ended 24 years of Soviet domination of the sport.
The 1972 World Chess Championship match between American challenger Bobby Fischer and Soviet Union’s defending champion Spassky is often called the ‘match of the 20th century’. Bobby Fischer (W) v Boris Spassky, Reykjavik, 1972