On February 17, 1996, then world chess champion Garry Kasparov won the final match in a series of games against IBM’s chess-playing computer Deep Blue and took the series as well. It wasn’t their first encounter, nor was it their last but it was widely publicised and took the notion of “Man vs Machine” to another level.
1
Deep Blue’s origins goes back to 1985 when Feng Hsiung Hsu, a doctoral student with Carnegie Mellon University, created “ChipTest”, a chess-playing computer.
Later hired by IBM, Hsu, along with his collaborators, continued to work on the chess-playing computer.
Now known as Deep Thought, it was named after a machine in the sci-fi novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
If Deep owes its origins to Hsu, then ___ (A) owes it to Louis.
A system invented by Louis, ___ (A) helps visually challenged people read and communicate.
2
In the same year Deep had its origins, Garry Kasparov became the youngest world chess champion.
Kasparov first encountered Deep in 1989 and easily defeated it in the two-game match.
Kasparov’s more incredible games has often happened when he sacrifices his rook.
A piece in the game of chess, the rook moves horizontally or vertically, through any number of unoccupied squares.
A tourist attraction as well as a U.S. national monument that looks like a rook is ___ (B).
A 40 million year old phenomenon, ___ (B) is located in the Bear Lodge Mountains, Wyoming.
3
IBM further refined Deep and in 1993 renamed it “Deep Blue”, combining Deep Thought with Big Blue, IBM’s nickname.
Kasparov next met Deep in 1996, a six-game series this time around.
Even though Deep could evaluate 100 million positions every second, the IBM team weren’t certain that it would always make the right move.
Art that moves is called ___ (C). ___ (C) contains movement perceivable by the viewer.
An American sculptor, ___ (D) took this art form to sculptures.
___ (D)’s moving sculptures included works that moved in response to touch or air currents.
4
Despite losing the first game, Kasparov didn’t lose hope.
He came back strongly, registering three wins and two draws to finish the series 4-2 in his favour on February 17, 1996.
Talking of hope, ___ (E) is a panda that helped raise the population of its species.
Also known as ‘hero father’, ___ (E) means hope or expectation.
Kasparov faced Deep Blue once again in 1997 and this time the machine emerged victorious, 3.5-2.5. Kasparov suspected human assistance and called for a rematch, but IBM instead retired the machine. As you think of your next move, try and see if you can find (A) to (E).
Send your answers to ganesh.a.s@thehindu.co.in with your details. [subject: 80 pages]
Answers to Jumping Jordan (January 13, 2017):
A - Racetrack Playa; B - Rudolph; C - Grinch; D - borealis; E - australis.
