![]() From Issue 10 Title: Champion Chess Requires: 386 PC, 4MB RAM, VGA graphics, 3 1/2" HD drive, Windows 3.1, and DOS 3.3 or higher. |
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Chess is one of mankind's oldest and most respected games.
Computers have added a new twist to this game over the last
few decades, as people wondered if computerized chess
players would ever beat the best human players. Actually,
the concept of a chess automaton goes back even further; in
the late 1700s and through the 1800s, a "chess-playing
robot" made the rounds of various public events. It turned
out, though, that it was actually operated by a midget
inside. The various exhibitors of this "robot" were
fortunate enough to find a succession of diminutive people
with a talent for chess.
The late 20th century, however, has brought on the advent of machines that really can play chess. This started decades ago with hulking mainframes, but now your PC is an able chess opponent, given the right software. To this date, the best human chess grandmasters are still able to beat any computer, but that's likely to change over the coming century. Even if no significant breakthrough in artificial intelligence is reached, the ever-faster computers are able to achieve increasing results through brute force. Still, the number of possible combinations of chess moves is so astronomical that it would take the entire history of the universe for even the fastest computer to run through them all, so there is a place for intuition in chess strategy. Some humans think that this intuitive factor will forever separate humans from computers, but still, computers do crunch their numbers much faster than humans, so even an inferior degree of artificial intuition can overcome the more-creative human mind. Anyway, if you're a grandmaster, you'll likely be able to beat Champion Chess, but if your chess skills are at a lesser level, it will give you a good challenge. |