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Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov: 20th Anniversary of Epic Chess Match

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World Chess champion Garry Kasparov barely acknowledges the handshake from Dr. C.J. Tan head of the IBM Deep Blue computer team which defeated Kasparov in the six-game series that ended on May 11, 1997.
World Chess champion Garry Kasparov barely acknowledges the handshake from Dr. C.J. Tan head of the IBM Deep Blue computer team which defeated Kasparov in the six-game series that ended on May 11, 1997. (Image credit: Roger Celestin/Newscom)

It took just 19 moves. Today marks the 20th anniversary of an epic chess match between IBM's computer Deep Blue and world chess champion Garry Kasparov. On May 11, 1997, the undefeated Kasparov faced off against the chess-playing machine in the sixth and final game of a hotly contested match. After only 19 moves, Deep Blue claimed victory over the chess champ, marking a key milestone in the burgeoning world of artificial intelligence.

"I lost my fighting spirit," Kasparov said as he resigned the final game, reported The New York Times.

It was the first time a chess champion was bested by a machine in a traditional chess match, and it was a stunning demonstration of the computing power of machines over the human brain. In the best-of-five match, Kasparov won the first game, Deep Blue won the second, and then the subsequent three matches ended in draws, setting the stage for the sixth and final game.

After the fifth game, Kasparov said he had not been in the mood for playing, and when asked to elaborate on his outlook, he said: "I'm a human being. When I see something that is well beyond my understanding, I'm afraid," he said, according to the Times.

Original article on Live Science.

Denise Chow
Denise Chow
Live Science Contributor

Denise Chow was the assistant managing editor at Live Science before moving to NBC News as a science reporter, where she focuses on general science and climate change. Before joining the Live Science team in 2013, she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.com, writing about rocket launches and covering NASA's final three space shuttle missions. A Canadian transplant, Denise has a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.