7/20/2004
I picked up
the DVD from London
Chess Center for 19 dollars. I did not realize that the DVD would not
run in the United States. It only runs for region two.
However all was not lost. I was able to purchase software that
allows me to view any
regions
DVD’S. I paid 54 dollars for this software called
DVD-region-free. So I was able to watch this very interesting movie
about the last Kasparov vs. Deep Blue match in 1997. This company also
says you can download a trial version of the software and evaluate it for
30 days. So you might be able to buy the Game Over DVD and down load the
trial software from DVD-Region-Free. This will allow you to watch
this movie for 30 days for only 19 dollars. Do so at your own risk.
No
match has sparked such great interest except for the Spassky vs. Fischer
match in 1972. This documentary about the match states its position early.
The movie opens up with whispers of conspiracy and flashes of the Turk,
the first mechanical chess-playing machine. The secret of the Turk is now
well known. It had a very good human chess player hidden inside the
cabinet. This documentary
brings Garry Kasparov back to the scene of the crime. Kasparov is still
deeply pained by this experience. After
all, it was his first match loss. It placed the first blemish on his
impeccable chess career. It was not a happy time when Garry played this
timeless, faceless monster. The movie touches briefly on Garry Kasparov’s
meteoric rise through the Soviet chess world.
We hear from the Deep Blue team of Feng Hsu who created the
hardware, Joel Benjamin the American who taught Deep Blue how to play like
a GM in closed positions. Murray Campbell introduces us to ½ of the Deep
Blue RS 6000 processors, which is stored at a warehouse in New York; the
other half is in the Smithsonian. We hear from the Kasparov team of MIG,
Fred Freidel, and Owen Williams, Garry’s agent.
The Kasparov team was very suspicious of the entire pentagon like
security regarding the match, Deep Blue, and also by the change in the
relationship between Kasparov and IBM. As Yassar Seirawan says, IBM and
Garry were friends during the 1996 match, however this had changed in 1997.
It was clear that IBM was out to get Garry Kasparov.
IBM had other purposes. Kasparov
felt he had played into IBM hands. IBM was the sponsor, the host, the
financer, the controller, and the player.
After a great Kasparov victory
in game one, Garry was suspicious. The machine played like a machine. After
one year of development, Deep Blue should be much stronger. The Deep Blue
team was unfazed by the loss in game one. It would give Deep Blue a
cocktail. Game two would be quite different; the computer played like a
true strong GM. Deep Blue would defeat Kasparov. Garry was deeply
suspicious of this loss; he did not understand why the computer played
like a very strong GM. Garry grew more suspicious when he found out that
Deep Blue had blundered in game 2 and that Garry had missed his chance to
draw the game. Garry could not understand why Deep Blue would make a move
that would have allowed Garry to draw the 2nd game by
repetition. Garry would make demands for the computer logs of the game.
Games three, four and five would end in draws. Kasparov would accuse the
Deep Blue team of cheating.
Joel Benjamin called it just prior
to game six, that Garry Kasparov was a shot chess player. He would not
recover. Kasparov also admits that he could not recover from his
game two loss. The pressure got so great, that Kasparov almost quit the
match before game 4. An exhausted Garry Kasparov lost game six, without
much of a fight, Deep Blue never got out of its opening book. It was a
tragic end to a great match. I liken game 6 to Tyson biting off
Hollyfield’s ear during their boxing match. Was the match on the up and
up? The Deep Blue team says so. However the Kasparov team thinks other
wise. IBM stock rose 15% upon its victory over Kasparov. IBM sales were
reenergized. IBM got great
publicity for defeating Garry Kasparov. Garry wanted a rematch, but IBM
refused.
Garry went on to lose his title to Vladimir Kramnik in 2000.
However Kasparov feels he still has much to accomplish. He wants to regain
the world title. He wants to take advantage of opportunities to make a
come back. He wants to reestablish his excellence. He wants to keep going
and play well. It makes him fell good. This was a very interesting movie.
I enjoyed the interviews of the various members of each team, as well as
neutral parties. The documentary had interesting footage of the post game
and match press conferences.
I had a few issues with the DVD. I wish they had more
optional DVD scene features. I would have like to have seen extra footage
that went over each of the games. I would also have like to have heard
from the other Grandmasters who were on the IBM team, such as John
Fedorowicz, Miguel Illescas, Nick Defirmian. I would also like to have
heard form the arbiter Carol Jarecki and the appeals committee.
I really enjoyed this movie. I would like to see more video content
of match play, like the world championship matches. I give this DVD 4
out of 5 stars.
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