GAME OVER: BLACK TO PLAY AND DRAW IN CHECKERS

Abstract

In 1989, an effort to solve the game of checkers began. It was naïve because of the daunting size of the search space, 5 × l0²⁰ positions, and because of computer capabilities of the time. Nevertheless the work continued, with the final calculation completing in 2007. The result? Perfect play by both sides leads to a draw. Checkers is the largest popular game that has been solved to date.