Deep Blue - Kasparov, 1997, Game 6

The infamous Sixth game of the Deep Blue - Kasparov rematch, played in New York City on May 11, 1997 and starting at 3:00 p.m. EDT, was the last chess game in the rematch of 1997 of Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov. It marked the first time that a computer had defeated a World Champion in a match of several games. This, as well as the fact that Kasparov had only lasted 19 moves in this game, attracted a lot of media attention. This final game lasted barely more than an hour.

Before this game the score was tied at 2½-2½. Kasparov had won the first game, lost the second game (after resigning in a drawn position) and drawn games 3, 4 and 5 after having advantageous positions in all three. He was tired and dejected before this game.

Game

Chess diagram|=
tright|
=
rd| |bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|rd|=
pd|pd| |nd|pd|pd|pd|pd|=
| |pd| | | | | |=
| | | | | |nl| |=
| | |pl| | | | |=
| | | | | | | |=
pl|pl|pl| | |pl|pl|pl|=
rl| |bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl|=
The position after 5. Ng5

White: Deep Blue
Black: Garry Kasparov
Opening: Caro-Kann Defense, Steinitz Variation, B17

1.e4 c6

Somewhat atypically, Kasparov plays the solid Caro-Kann Defense. In later matches against computers he opted for 1...e5 or 1...c5, the sharp Sicilian Defence, Kasparov's usual choice against human opponents.

2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5

This relatively recent innovation breaks one of the classic opening principles ("don't move the same piece twice in the opening"), but puts pressure on the weak f7 square. Kasparov had played this move himself as White at least three times earlier.

5...Ngf6

Not 5...h6? 6.Ne6! fxe6?? 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qxg6#.

6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 h6??Chess diagram|=
tright|
=
rd|__|bd|qd|kd|bd|__|rd|=
pd|pd|__|nd|__|pd|pd|__|=
__|__|pd|__|pd|nd|__|pd|=
__|__|__|__|__|__|nl|__|=
__|__|__|pl|__|__|__|__|=
__|__|__|bl|__|nl|__|__|=
pl|pl|pl|__|__|pl|pl|pl|=
rl|__|bl|ql|kl|__|__|rl|=
The position after 7...h6?A strange blunder by Kasparov, one of the most theoretically knowledgeable players in chess history. Apparently Kasparov got his opening moves mixed up, playing ...h6 a move too early. The normal 7...Bd6 8.Qe2 h6 9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Qxe4 was played in Kasparov(!)-Kamsky, 1994 and Kasparov-Epishin, 1995, among other games. The upcoming sacrifice is well known to theory and Kasparov must have known about it (in fact, there are some reports that he even wrote an article supporting 8.Nxe6 as a refutation).

8.Nxe6!

Actually it is not Deep Blue's fantastic skills which made it play this move, the knight sacrifice is programmed into the computer's opening book. This move had been played in a number of previous high-level games, with White achieving a huge plus score.

8...Qe7

Instead of taking the knight immediately, Kasparov pins the knight to the king in order to give his king a square on d8. However, many annotators have criticized this move and said that Kasparov ought to have taken the knight immediately. Although the Black king uses two moves to reach d8 after 8...fxe6 9.Bg6+ Ke7, the Black queen can be placed at the superior c7 square.

9.0-0

White castles so that 9...Qxe6?? loses to 10.Re1 pinning and winning the black queen. Black must now take the knight or he will be a pawn down.

Chess diagram|=
tright|
=
rd| |bd|kd| |bd| |rd|=
pd|pd| |nd|qd| |pd| |=
| |pd| |pd|nd|bl|pd|=
| | | | | | | |=
| | |pl| |bl| | |=
| | | | |nl| | |=
pl|pl|pl| | |pl|pl|pl|=
rl| | |ql| |rl|kl| |=
The position after 11. Bf4

9...fxe6 10.Bg6+ Kd8 11.Bf4

If Black's bishop were on d6 instead of f8, White would not be able to play this. For the sacrificed knight, White's bishops have a stranglehold on Black's position. Black, having moved his king, can no longer castle, his queen is blocking his own bishop, and he has trouble getting out his pieces and making use of his extra knight.

11...b5

The first new move of the game and Deep Blue must now start thinking on its own. Kasparov's idea is to get some breathing room on his queenside and prevent White from playing c4.

12.a4 Bb7 13.Re1 Nd5 14.Bg3 Kc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Bf5

White is pounding at Black's e6 pawn and is planning to invade the position with his rooks. Kasparov cannot hold onto all his extra material and desperately decides to surrender his queen for a rook and a bishop.

17...exf5 18.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 Black ResignsChess diagram|=
tright|
=
rd| |kd| | | | |rd|=
pd| | |nd|bd| |pd| |=
__|__|bd|__|__| |__|pd|=
|pd| |nd| |pd| | |=
_ | _|pl|pl| |__| | |=
| | |ql| |nl|bl| |=
|pl| | | |pl|pl|pl|=
rl| | | | | |kl| |=
Final position

Black resigns because the white queen will soon invade through c4 or f5, and once Re1 is played it will be lights out. A sample line would be: 19...bxc4 20.Qxc4 Nb4 (20...Kb7 21.Qa6 mate!) 21.Re1 Kd8 22.Rxe7 Kxe7 23.Qxb4+. The shortest loss of Kasparov's career.

After the game Kasparov was in a foul mood and accused the Deep Blue team of cheating (i.e. having a team of human masters to aid the computer). Although Kasparov wanted another rematch, IBM declined and ended their Deep Blue program.

External links

* [http://www.research.ibm.com/deepblue/home/may11/story_1.shtml Commentary on the final game from IBM.com]
* [http://www.research.ibm.com/deepblue/ IBM's Coverage of the entire match]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1070917 Moves of the game online at www.chessgames.com]
* [http://www.chesscafe.com/text/yaz13.pdf Yasser Seirawan's commentary on this game (pdf file)]