Computer loses in king-size blunder

Abstract

This article is based on my personal reminiscences about the early days of computer chess tournaments, describing not only how different the technology was, but also that progress was steady and continues today in the broader field of Artificial Intelligence. The author was a participant in the 1^st ACM computer chess championship (1970) and continued to compete well into the 1980s.

Speaking for myself, I learned how to play chess in Junior High School (actually King Charles 1 Grammar School in Kidderminster, UK), but now only remember losing in a simultaneous game with C.H.O’D. Alexander (the UK Chess Champion) in 1950. In High School (Preston Grammar School) I played for the school’s chess team, who were undefeated in the 1954–55 school year. Naturally I played for the University of Nottingham (where I was studying Mathematics), and later for the Bedfordshire County team, before leaving to join Boeing, Seattle, in 1962. That said, I don’t think I was ever better than a Class A player. Basically, I have played chess all my life, and it has helped develop my problem-solving skills.