Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent book, now slightly out of date
A great book on computer chess from two of the field's pioneers.

State-of-the-art, clear and entertaining computer chess book
This excellent book was and still is one of the state-of-the-art books in computer chess literature, dealing with both a very interesting history of computer chess, including many rare examples of the play of early programs, and several recent examples of the best actual programs, as well as discussing in sufficient detail the quite complex technical aspects of programming a computer to play chess.

In "The Challenge Is World Champion Kasparov", we are introduced to one of the first encounters between Garry Kasparov and the former incarnation of Deep Blue, then called Deep Thought, through the detailed discussion of the proceedings and analysis of both games. A game between Karpov and Deep Thought is also carefully analyzed.

Next, "The Early Ideas" present historically the pioneer works of Shannon, Turing, Zuse, and many others, whose theorical works provided the basement for writing procedures to allow a machine to play chess.

Then, in "The First Working Programs", we see Bernstein, Kotok, McCarthy, and other AI specialist, as they struggled to implement Shannon's ideas to make Jurassic computers play some passable chess. Several games between both computers and humans are discussed.

After these preliminary attemps, "The Formative Years" discusses more advanced programs, such as Greenblatt's MacHack VI program, Botvinnik's Pioneer, and specially Slate & Atkin's Chess program and soviet Kaissa, focusing both on the internal of the programs and on relevant sample games.

The following chapter, "The Challenges for the Levy Bet", tells us all the details of the famous Levy bet, nicely commented by co-author David Levy himself. The best games between him and Chess are commented, as well as a particularly beautiful miniature of Blitz against Belle.

As the field advances, "The Computer Becomes a Master" discusses the ever increasing achievements of the new generation of stronger hardware-assisted chess programs, such as Belle (written by Ken Thompson, who also has developed many Endgame Databases) and Cray Blitz (written by Bob Hyatt, who is also the author of Crafty, a strong freeware chess program), which use their incredibly fast underlying hardware to compensate for their lack of chess sophistication. We can also read all about how the first International human Masters began to know defeat against them on a regular basis.

The next step, the defeat of strong human Grandmasters, is introduced in "Eyeball to Eyeball with Grandmasters", where we see several commented games between the strongest chess programs, such as Deep Thought and Hitech, and human grandmasters such as Miles and Larsen. Also, microprocessor commercial chess program Mephisto has a close encounter of the 3rd kind against macroprocessor non-commercial Deep Thought, and far from ashamed, beats him hands down !

Once those historical details have been dealt with, the book enters into a discussion of the more advanced chess techniques there are, such as "Endgame Play and Endgame Databases", an area pioneered by Ken Thompson's Belle, where computers have conquered new grounds, and become invincible players. The development of a K+R vs K database is discussed in detail enough to allow anyone to program it, and then both games of the mini-match between grandmaster Walter Browne and Belle, the former trying to mate the computer with K+Q against K+R, are commented in detail.

A very technical chapter follows, "Search Techniques Used by Chess Programs", where the most advanced techniques are explained, such as Minimaxing, Alpha-Beta prunning, Iterative Deepening, and a large, detailed, and complete explanation of Hash tables, with many diagrams and examples, to make it crystal clear. Other aspects such as Time management, Evaluation functions, Move generation, etc. are thoroughly discussed as well.

The next chapter, "The Evolution of Computing Systems for Chess Programs", explains what lies ahead: faster processors, chess-specific hardware, multiprocessors, and makes dire predictions on the increment of playing strength all these advances will bring.

Once these almost unearthly machines have been shown, it is the time for down-to-earth-ones, the ones everyone can buy, and "Commecially Available Chess Computers and Software" introduces them all, from the primitive, very early Chess Challenger, to Mephisto Almeria announcing mate in 7 to a 2350 ELO player under tournament conditions.

On "Writing a Chess Program" gives a concise advice on how to write a chess program oneself, and by way of comparison shows a table with the ELO rating of the best chess programs as compared to that of their programmers and more chess-profficient technical advisors.

Finally, closing the book with a gem, "Stop Press" shows commercial program Mephisto Portoroz defeating former World Champion Anatoli Karpov during a simultaneous exhibition. That such a machine, which anyone could buy, without any special ultrafast hardware, can defend successfully against as superb a grandmaster as Karpov, says much about how far computer chess has progressed.

The book closes with an extensive bibliography given in "Additional Reading", and some information on the ICCA, given in "Appendix A: The International Computer Chess Association", and a table with complementary data in "Appendix B: Results of Major Tournaments".

A book for the Computer and Chess Enthusiest.
If you like to program computers and you love chess then "How Computers Play Chess" is for you.This easy to read and intuitive book by Chess Master David Levy takes you on a tour guide of man's attempt to create a machine that can master that ancient game of strategy, Chess. You'll gain an introductory view of how computers go about playing the game of chess including the types the algorithms that are used and the general theorys behind these "thinking machines".Levy also introduces some of his own thoughts on the strenghts of computer chess and even includes a few pradictions on when a computer will be able to defeat a human world champion.I read this book in an attemp to satisfy a life long desire I've had to create a computer program that could be me in chess. I've found that this book as gotten me off to an excellent start

Interesting history, technically simple
This book is a definitive history of computers and chess up through Deep Thought in 1990. Largely a survey, it rarely takes a strong point of view of its own. For someone looking for such a history, or for a basic consideration of chess algorithms from alpha-beta pruning through hash tables, killer move tables, and quiesence, it is a fine book. For my money, though, it did not go into enough depth either in technical issues such as the details of even a simple evaluation function or move generator, or in the philosophical issues raised by computer chess. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Useful, well written book, maybe a little lightweight in terms of improving your chess
Note: This review first published in the Irish Chess Journal, February 2006

How to Use Computers to Improve Your Chess is a book that will appeal to rather a lot of chess players. From the upper echelons of the super-GMs polishing their opening theory to club players getting in a little practice, computers permeate the modern chess world. The problem is, it's not exactly clear how to make the most of what they can do.

Kongsted, who you might remember as the winner of Limerick 2004, is a very strong correspondence chess player, and rated around 2200 over the board. However, his claim of journalistic training seem dubious in the face of a book that is both carefully researched and very readable!

The book title is a little misleading. Only half the book is directly about improving your play. Part one of the book (How the Computer Works) contains a short history of computer chess, followed by a detailed examination of how they work and then advice on beating them. While much of the material here will be familiar to anyone who's read about computer chess, you'll be surprised at the details you've missed.

Kongsted builds up the material methodically. After the chapter on the history of computer chess, he begins the meat of the book by introducing the various methods computers use for position evaluation and to prune the search tree.

Next, he writes about the limitations this manner of analysis introduces on the computer's play. He demonstrates each of his points with examples from games between strong commercial programmes such as Fritz and Rebel and strong human grandmasters - the likes of Kramnik, Shirov and Anand. The annotations to these games are detailed and interesting.

Kongsted concludes the first part of the book with a chapter on how to beat your computer. He advises on good anti-computer openings without resorting to junk like 1.d3, as well as appropriate strategy and mindset.

Part one of the book is very interesting, well written and will unfortunately do very little to improve your chess. Kongsted makes up for that in the second part of the book (Improving with the Computer), where the knowledge just gained of the strengths and weaknesses of computers is useful.

First up is a quick review of the available software. While he ultimately uses Chessbase as his database tool of choice for examples in the book, Kongsted unreservedly recommends Chess Assistant as its equal. He also explains how to expand your games database via the internet, as well as where to get endgame tablebases.

He looks at eight playing programmes in detail - Fritz 8, Junior 7, Hiarcs 8, Shredder 7, Nimzo 8, Gandalf, Chess Tiger 15 and Chessmaster 9000. He has a couple of paragraphs on each one, covering things like strength in the endgame, positional play and materialism. I would have liked to have seen what benchmark tests he applied to each of them, but I guess space constraints wouldn't allow it. That chapter also has sections on hardware (RAM and processor speed are important, in a less than shocking revelation), chess CDs (don't bother), optimising your programme's performance (turn off everything else and allocate lots of RAM for hash tables) and electronic chessboards.

Now, we come to the really interesting bits. The next four chapters are on how to use chess software correctly for analysis, opening preparation, tactical practice and endgame study.

For the analysis, Kongsted warns against the kind of lazy thinking that sees the computer doing all the work. Each section recommends a method of overcoming weaknesses in the computer's thinking. He also has a section on automatic analysis. The latter was enlightening, such as the example of the computer's incorrect initial assumption that Black was winning lead to it rejecting a repetition of moves - this was a line it had thought overnight on.

The recommendations on using computers for opening preparation consist of a chapter on how to use your database properly, the kind of thing that should really be explained in a manual, but isn't. Kongsted really packs in the tips and tricks (which are heavy on the key-board shortcuts). This is probably the most useful chapter in the book. The tactics chapter again warns against using the computer as a crutch. There are a number of problems given, which is not all that necessary, but a nice touch. The endgames chapter is similar in structure, but with much more detail on using the computer properly.

Overall, How to Use Computers to Improve Your Chess is an enjoyable guide to chess computers and their correct use. A rarity among chess books, you could go through it in detail in a few days, making it particularly helpful for the time invested in reading it. Recommended for average club to strong players.

Good for improving your chess
This book taught me a lot about how to use computers for improving in chess. It speaks about ChessBase and Chess Assistant and a few others, about how to use databases and playing programs for chess training. There is also an interesting chapter on computer-assisted analysis, and info about how to study opening and middlegame ideas with computer programs plus some suggestions for how to train tactics with the computer. The part I got most out of is how to learn a new opening, which can be done much easier with computer programs. I can recommend this book to anyone that wish to understand more about computer chess programs and improve their chess.

Wrong title
I agree with the introduction and the first part of the book "History of Computer Chess" (About 18 pages). But then, The author spends 2/3 of the book trying to explain how to beat your computer! Only a minimal part tries to explain what the title says: "How to use Computers to Improve your Chess". Even then, there's nothing realy valuable on those pages worth your time and money. Nothing new for a common and average database and playing program user, nothing you already know or cannot find out with a little common sense. If the title were "How to beat your Chess Playing Program" (Which is what the book should've been named), I would've given it 2 1/2 stars. Do yourself a favor, enjoy a latte at Borders and browse through the book, put it back on the shelf and you are done with it.

Nice ideas!
This book tells you how computers think and points out their strong points and weaknesses. It explains how to use the computer for learning.
Though sometimes it was not clear in a few places.
A good book.

This book is solid!
This book really hits the nail on the head.Suggests real ideas for lower rated chess players on the role the computer should play in analysis and skill improvement.It saved me a lot of time which would have been spent staring at a computer screen, or playing fritz and trying useless tricks hoping to swindle it. ... Read more

Book Description
Chess Software Sourcebook is the is the first book to focus exclusively on the latest chess-related computer programs. Several chapters review in detail the various types of software available, as well as the pros and cons of commercial programs in each category. Feature comparison tables help you decide which software best matches your specific needs, and screen shots show the graphical interface for each program. Playing live chess over the Internet (including its addictive tendencies!) is also discussed. Other chapters cover opening study, computer handicapping, game analysis, and time-saving tips so you can get the most out of the software you own or plan to purchase. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good Overview
The author of this book gives a good overview of the major chess programs.Not owning any chess software, I was a little confused as with some of his discriptions of the catagories of chess software.I did find that hissummaries were otherwise clear and help significantly in choosing programsfor myself (novice chess player).None of the descriptions were overlylengthy or technical and the tables were moderately helpful.As of thisdate, I believe this is your only choice for a comprehensive criticalsummary of chess software, so if this is what you are looking for, thisbook will start you in the right direction.

Could be better
I bought this book because of glowing reviews. I have found this book to be useful and indeed I have bought software based on what I've read. At the same time I have to confess I think the book could be much better. What theauthor refrains from doing is critical and comparative analysis. To giveone example, ChessBase7 and Chess Assistant 5.0 could be criticallycompared. To give another example, some of the shortcomings of Bookup 1.6.2could be described. An authorsuch as John Nunn would have combined bothtechnical virtuosity and chess erudition to give a revealing analysis ofthe strengths and shortcomings of the chess software currently available.

Must Buy for Chess Lovers
I bought this book a little while ago and was really surprised at how good it was. I already owned some of the programs Dr. Pawlak reviews in the book, but really wasn't using them as well as I could. The book reallyhelped me understand what my programs could do. I have been analyzing someof my games using his approach, and it works. ... Read more

Book Description

On May 11, 1997, as millions worldwide watched a stunning victory unfold on television, a machine shocked the chess world by defeating the defending world champion, Garry Kasparov. Written by the man who started the adventure, Behind Deep Blue reveals the inside story of what happened behind the scenes at the two historic Deep Blue vs. Kasparov matches. This is also the story behind the quest to create the mother of all chess machines. The book unveils how a modest student project eventually produced a multimillion dollar supercomputer, from the development of the scientific ideas through technical setbacks, rivalry in the race to develop the ultimate chess machine, and wild controversies to the final triumph over the world's greatest human player.

In nontechnical, conversational prose, Feng-hsiung Hsu, the system architect of Deep Blue, tells us how he and a small team of fellow researchers forged ahead at IBM with a project they'd begun as students at Carnegie Mellon in the mid-1980s: the search for one of the oldest holy grails in artificial intelligence--a machine that could beat any human chess player in a bona fide match. Back in 1949 science had conceived the foundations of modern chess computers but not until almost fifty years later--until Deep Blue--would the quest be realized.

Hsu refutes Kasparov's controversial claim that only human intervention could have allowed Deep Blue to make its decisive, "uncomputerlike" moves. In riveting detail he describes the heightening tension in this war of brains and nerves, the "smoldering fire" in Kasparov's eyes. Behind Deep Blue is not just another tale of man versus machine. This fascinating book tells us how man as genius was given an ultimate, unforgettable run for his mind, no, not by the genius of a computer, but of man as toolmaker.

Customer Reviews (24)

Computers and savant conceit
Conceit and self-righteousness have become the calling cards of anyone who can outdo someone or something with computers. Big deal. All the self adulation that has gone into this tacky piece of work can't hold a candle to the fact that Gary Kasparov can play chess (and think!) Which is more than I can say about the vanity displayed by the author. Anyone who sets out to humiliate or bring down a champion by using questionable means has zero integrity. However, it's to be expected from this kind of individual.
It is singularly unimpressive; vain and self indulgent.

The soul of a new chess player
Feng-Hsiung Hsu's story will appeal to anyone who enjoyed Tracy Kidder's Soul of a New Machine or Steven Levy's Hackers. The book captures the thrills and spills of an intellectual steeplechase. Along the way, it reveals the inner workings of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University. It's a great read. Feng-Hsiung Hsu, if you're reading this and you ever find yourself in Hortonville, Wisconsin, the first cup of coffee is on me.

A really good read...
Behind Deep Blue was written by the man who lead the research and development team which created the chess computer that beat the World Chess Champion, Gary Kasparov. Hsu tells a lot of fascinating stories about his involvement with IBM, academia and the world of computer-vs-computer chess tournaments. It never got too bogged down in computer or chess jargon.

Some interesting things concerning the identity of Deep Blue (or computers in general) emerge from Hsu's story. Hsu speaks of his computers' identities in ways which facilitate his sportsmanship. So for instance, almost every time one of Hsu's computers loses a game it is retrospectively explained by reminding the reader that the computer had been regrettably forced to play when it still needed a few more weeks of software or hardware tweaking.It never lost because it was an inferior machine - it lost because its superiority could not manifest because its update/debugging had been interrupted by the tournament schedule.As the book makes clear, Hsu's computers were continuously undergoing relentless tweaking, providing Hsu with this excuse every single time one lost. This may be par for the course when diagnosing machines - since any sub-desired performance which can be corrected can, therefore, be "explained" as the unfortunate consequence of the machine's present uncorrected state. For humans it's different. When I lose a foot-race I can't say, "Well the only reason I lost is because this race was scheduled a few years before my training made me fast enough to win it."

Another fascinating element of the book is Hsu's recounting of Deep Blue's now-famous rejection of 36. Qb6 in game two against Kasparov in the 1997 match. Kasparov broadly hinted that the computer's decision not to move that way was a human decision - implying that the IBM team had cheated. Hsu's defense of Deep Blue is convincing. But there is raised an interesting point regarding computer intelligence. If Deep Blue did in fact choose to avoid 36. Qb6 without human intervention then Kasparov's heartfelt identification of the move as cheating has Deep Blue passing a simple version of a Turing Test.

Very good book.
I have prurchased this book to improve my english language.
Yhe same talks about two subjects that I know: computers and chess.
It was a good surprise read this enjoyable work which offers information, stories and knowledge.
The author explains very clear the roots of Deep Blue and reflects the environment of Top chess.

Read it!

The soul of a new chess player
Feng-Hsiung Hsu's story will appeal to anyone who enjoyed Tracy Kidder's Soul of a New Machine or Steven Levy's Hackers. The book captures the thrills and spills of an intellectual steeplechase. Along the way, it reveals the inner workings of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University. It's a great read. Feng-Hsiung Hsu, if you're reading this and you ever find yourself in Hortonville, Wisconsin, the first cup of coffee is on me. ... Read more

Download Description
A synopsis of eminent computer chess programs reveal that they are designed around a 'brute force' approach.An argument is made that by continuing the 'brute force' search approach, computer chess development is moving away from human evaluation methods.Research is done into studies of evaluation methods, and a discovery is made that humans use a form of intuition, called their 'sense of beauty', to choose the best chess move.A paper by Margulies is cited which formulates principles of beauty which apply to chess.Three versions of a chess program are developed, using no heuristics, standard chess heuristics, and beauty heuristics formulated from Margulies principles.The performance of the three versions of the program are compared using chess puzzles, and rated for how quickly they find the solution, and how few nodes they evaluate.Graphs are produced from the results of these tests, showing that beauty heuristics are, on average, 15% faster at finding the solution, and evaluate 10% fewer nodes.An improvement is implemented in all versions of the program which biases the search towards better moves, resulting in the beauty heuristics success rising to an average of 25% faster to the solution, and evaluating 33% fewer nodes, than the other heuristics.It is concluded that the beauty heuristics are closer to the way that humans evaluate chess positions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good, but could be better.
An interesting read, but don't agree that Beauty is the factor that makes a chess player better.The eight concepts quoted from Margulies do not always help the computer play chess in a more human way.I think the human chess player has more principles used.For example, setting traps, pins and using combos.The human is more creative and doesn't use Beauty as described in the book to determine his/her actions.It is a far cry from playing like Fischer. This just shows how much more we have yet to explore in human learning and cognition.

I like it!
Good book, interesting topic.A little weird, but some original ideas, including a good section on alternative search.

Original and Interesting - when is there a follow up??
This is an orginal book, following an interesting proposal to get Computer chess games to 'think' more like human players.It is clear the author values this approach more than current 'brute force' search, and I mustadmit, I am swayed by his arguments (e.g. that the Deep Blue v Kasparovmatch did nothing to advance computer chess) - although I could have donewith more results to convince me. I think the reader from Concord, MAmissed the point of the book - the author never says he is proposing a'better' (i.e. higher ELO) chess program - just one that thinks and playsmore like a human (from an AI research perspective). To conclude, if youare looking for a book about conventional (outdated?) computer chessprogramming then this is of little interest. However, if you are after anovel book on the quest to 'capture' what goes on in the human mind whenanalysing problems, and how to represent that in, for example, chessproblems, then this book is a good starting point.

Disappointing
This is a book bound version of a simple article comparing simple chess heuristics and simple + "beauty" heuristics as an attempt to emulate human chess thinking, where the "beauty" heuristicsfollownow outdated ideas in human 'intuition". The resultingprograms are subjected to relatively simple mate in 2, 3 and the odd matein 4 and 5 chess problems. The resulting time and nodes analysed betweenthe two systems are probably statistically insignificant as only 24problems are studied. An interesting read, but by no means revolutionary.

Very unimportant research.
This dissertation investigations problems of the mate-in-two variety, and shows that a few heuristics that correspond to the human concept of "beauty" tend to reduce solution times (10% to 33%). Mydisappointment arises because this is not a difficult problem; there isn'ta chess program on the marketplace that can't solve mate-in-N problems inthe blink of an eye. Furthermore, the advantage obtained through theseheuristics is very minor; on a small sample of positions it is alwayspossible to tune one's chess engine to obtain comparable speed-ups. Myconclusion is that the author's time at the University of Sussex was notwell spent. ... Read more

Book Description
In February 1996, a chess-playing computer known as Deep Blue made history by defeating the reigning world chess champion, Gary Kasparov, in a game played under match conditions. Kasparov went on to win the six-game match 4-2 and at the end of the match announced that he believed that chess computing had come of age. This book provides an enthralling account of the match and of the story that lies behind it: the evolution of chess-playing computers and the development of Deep Blue. The story of chess-playing computers goes back a long way and the author provides a whistlestop tour of the highlights of this history. As the development comes to its culmination in Philadelphia, we meet the Deep Blue team, Garry Kasparov and each of the historic six games is provided in full with a detailed commentary. Chess grandmaster Yasser Seirawan provided a lively commentary throughout the match and here provides a Foreword about the significance of this event. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book teaches you about computer chess from the '50s+
This book teaches you about how computer "scientists" have tried to make a program that can beat the world's best chess player. It talks about programs from the '50s to '90s with moves and diagrams about the games. It has pictures of the authors of the programs such as Robert Hyatt programmer of Cray Blitz or Dave Kittinger author of WChess. It is highly detailed and shows you how a computer chess program plays. If you get this book be prepared for a real lesson on computer chess. You'd be surprised how chess programs have gone from losing to a complete beginner to beating a world champion! ... Read more

Book Description
The game of chess traditionally has been considered as the epitome of intellectual skill and accomplishment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Author's comments
This sequel to "Computer Chess" is an ambitious attempt to combine the insights of a chess programmer who is a competitive player, and those of a very strong master who at the time was adviser to Fidelity Electronics, then the largest manufacturer of chess playing computers.

Like its predecessor, the book is organized into two sections: a detailed discussion of how computers play chess, and a detailed analysis by Boris Baczynskyj of games played by chess programs.

The technical section is more extensive and invoved than that of the first volume, and this book has been selected as a university textbook. Its insights are deeper than those of the first volume, thus it is more oriented toward advanced players and programmers, than toward the average chess player. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

A Fine Basic Introduction -
to the Game of Chess.Suggests and offers examples, to practice on your computer, of basic mates and elementary endgames.The book is written in a friendly style that is unlikely to intimidate one new to Chess.As such the book is suitable for individuals with no prior knowledge of the game and particularly appropriate when included with the gift of a chess computer (or chess software) to such an individual.

Unfortunately I was disappointed.I was looking for something that built on and expanded Julio Kaplan's "How to Get the Most from Your Chess Computer" RHM Press 1980.For a (more) rigorous examination of how computers play chess and advanced methods of employing the computer to improve your game I highly recommend Kaplan's work.

To read this book is to win both computer and human
This book is good for beginners and intermediate players. It doesn't give you 101 chess opening but it can lead you to more than 101 opening. The author summarizes opening ideas and clarifies middle-game stretegies. It might be better if you buy this book accompanied with a good chess-opening book, then read opening tactics and compare to this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

my first "complete" date with a chess program...
My first chess program was Sargon, running on Apple Computer. It was very impressive and beat me easily. My next two Sargon programs (II and III) were for Commodore 64. I guessed even my Fidelity Chess Computer ran on one of these versions of Sargon. I was always curious about the internal working mechanism of these programs. I tried to study the machine codes (6502 and 6510) of Sargon and Sargon III, but gave up about 10% into the process. I found this book from my school library, but at that time my programming experience was weak and had no tools to test the program in the book. Later, on the job, I found some discarded Z80 motherboards, and I was back to study this Sargon program. It is a very good way to understand how the internal program works. Now I have studied two more programs GNU Chess 5.00 and Phalanx, Sargon was still a "good-date" to remember. Sargon was written for micro-machine when memory was at the premium; therefore the code was in machine code. It took lots of efforts to go through it but it is worth it. With high-speed CPUs and plenty of memory newer computers provided, most programs are now in C or higher-level languages. These higher-level languages help a lot to speed through the programs. I have a copy of Sargon book. It is one of the historical documents of chess playing programs in particular and of artificial intelligence in general.
One more point, Sargon was the first program written for microcomputer to compete with other more dedicated and/or specialized chess engines, and Sargon had won some honorable prizes. If you can afford one for your chess program library, keep one.

Computer Chess - Program Line By Line
First saw the book back in 1979.Bought the book in (May) 1981 and studied the program.Bought a TRS-80 Model 1 (second hand) in 1982.With the computer was the SARGON program.I played a few games on level 1 and it won.I thought I knew the program, but it still beat me.I took the program apart line by line using the book and started to win.I got up to level 4, of the 6 levels, and I would beat it more time than it beat me.(A game would take 2 or 3 days.) The book is the heart and soul to the program.It IS the program. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Must for the Serious Match Player

This very practical companion for those idle times waiting in line or on a long airline flight. A must for any serious match playing chess player.

It contains a graduated set of mate -- rating problems (ranging from mates in three and up) that range in difficulty from moderate to very difficult -- to be solved in under two minutes. There are warm-up problems leading up to the actual "Mate-raters." These are non-trivial problems taken from actual match play with solutions given in the back of the book.

Scores conform to the FIDE scoring system and range from 1600 FIDE points (a class "D" Player) up to 2300 ("Master") depending on how quickly the problems are solved. Various tactics and strategies are grouped in an effort to stressgiven themes or weakness.

It contains 85 problems with 65 mate-raters. It is one of my most prized possessions.The diagrams are clear easy to analyze three-dimensional pictorials.A valuable contribution to any chess library. Five Stars ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Finally it makes sense!!! ;)
I first read the book in 1985.The topic is interesting, the book title is impressive.After the first two chapters, the rest looked like Greek to me.The next three chapters are the "meat" of the book.Finally last week, after 18 years of "soul-searching", it begins to make sense to me.Between then and now, I revisited the book at least 5-6 more times.Difficult book!There are two reasons that this book threw me off.Dr. Botvinnik used lots of Greek letters to represent his formulars: alpha, beta, psi, theta, sigma, tau, rho, phi, delta, pi, sigma, etc. (See what I meant.)If that was not enough, he added in the "complex number representation" as a "bonus."That was the first reason.The second was the way he wrote those expressions, I thought they were "well-known continuous functions" in math or science.Most of them are NOT.They are binary functions, either have values of 1 or 0; which now can be represented as Boolean math in standard programming language.
The main way to use his evaluation expressions is with the assumption there is always an "attack" provided an material exchange.This was applicable for tactical chess; while for state-of-the-art program, the positional evaluation is more involved.
The first is about the historical match between the USA-USSR programs, which resulted in favor of the USSR's.The second, a lot of theories and background which are useful in chess-playing technique, computer programming, management decision-making, human-reasoning, etc.Chapter 3 has: the confussing math expressions with those beautiful Greek letters.Chapter 4: using bit-map to represent attack-defense paths that the decisions and evaluations in chapter 3 will compute.Chapter 5: using the his famous win over Capablanca as experiment to illustrate his math expression.Chapter 6: a useless one; he spent 7 pages to list some of his own games as excercise.(Why? If we want examples, Alekhine's, Capa's, Lasker's, Tal's or Fischer's are more typical.)In addition, many diagrams are so large, while the whole book is only about 90 pages.More than 10% of the pages goes wasted, killing at least 3 trees.Chapter 7: the future of computer chess.There are four chapters for the Appendices.
In summary, it is good book at the time, too confussing (at least to a literacy-challenged reader like me), and some minuses mentioned above.Four stars for your book, GM and many-time world chess champion Botvinnik!!!! (****) ... Read more