Chess lessons › Famous chess games
Deep Blue against Kasparov
The two matches between IBM’s computer and the world champion, in 1996 and 1997.
The idea
In 1997 IBM’s computer beat the world champion in a match.
- Black’s h6 pawn attacks the knight on g5.
- Nxe6 gives the knight for a pawn instead of retreating.
- Black’s king on e8 is then stuck in the centre.
In a game: When the enemy king is still in the centre, see if a sacrifice on e6 keeps it there.
How the lesson begins
Deep Blue was a chess computer built by IBM. In February 1996 it played a six-game match in Philadelphia against Garry Kasparov, world champion since 1985.
Deep Blue won the first game. It was the first time a computer had beaten a reigning world champion in a game played at a normal tournament time limit. Here it is. Deep Blue has White.
Deep Blue meets the Sicilian with c3. It breaks up the pawns in front of Black’s king, opens the centre and takes two pawns, while Kasparov pushes his pawns towards White’s king.
- 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Deep Blue plays c3, so that it can answer with d4.
- 2... d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. h3 Bh5 8. O-O Nc6 9. Be3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Bb4 11. a3 Ba5 12. Nc3 Qd6 13. Nb5 Qe7 14. Ne5 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 O-O 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. Bg5 Bb6 18. Bxf6 The bishop takes the knight on f6, and Black’s kingside pawns are broken.
- 18... gxf6 19. Nc4 Rfd8 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Rfd1 f5 22. Qe3 Qf6 23. d5 d5 opens the centre.
- 23... Rxd5 Black’s rook takes the pawn.
- 24. Rxd5 exd5 25. b3 Kh8 26. Qxb6 Deep Blue takes a pawn on b6.
- 26... Rg8 27. Qc5 d4 28. Nd6 f4 29. Nxb7 And another: the knight takes on b7.
- 29... Ne5 30. Qd5 f3 Black’s pawn reaches f3, close to White’s king.
- 31. g3 Nd3 The black knight lands on d3.
- 32. Rc7 White’s rook comes to the seventh rank.
- 32... Re8 Kasparov’s rook heads for the e-file.
Find the move
White to move. Find the knight move that attacks the rook on e8 and the pawn on f7.
A hint
The knight on b7 can come back to the centre.
Show the answer
33. Nd6
Nd6 brings the knight back into play with two attacks at once. Kasparov’s rook checked on e1, and his knight took on f2.