Artificial intelligence can be both ally and adversary on the chess board, says champion Bhagyashree Thipsay
Bhagyashree and Praveen Thipsay believe chess teaches logical thinking. Pic/Ashish Raje
Contrary to belief, chess is not always about black ‘n’ white. Sometimes, there is a little blue involved too. Deep Blue, to be precise. When an IBM supercomputer Deep Blue took on the legend Garry Kasparov in a six-game chess match contest in the late 1990s, chess experts and aficionados were sitting so far on the edge of their seats that they were in danger of falling off altogether. The matches between the then world chess champion Kasparov and Deep Blue resulted in the first defeat of a reigning world chess champion by a computer under tournament conditions in the second match.
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The contest threw the world of chess into a tailspin and the ‘man vs machine’ confrontation became the subject of a documentary film called: ‘Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine’. Many went beyond the obvious man vs machine aspect. They saw the defeat as artificial intelligence (AI) catching up with Human Intelligence. Man vs Machine or even man vs animals have always held followers in thrall. We have occasionally heard sporting enthusiasts talk about how the fastest man in the world would fare against a car. Or a cheetah, for that matter.
The AI in chess needs to be looked at through another angle though. The speed of a car or a cheetah does not prevent human racing taking place, as it does not affect the running speed of a sprinter in competition. On the contrary, the strength of chess playing engines could have a direct effect on a chess game, if a player secretly uses engines during a game. Cheating in tournament chess by using engines has certainly become a serious menace to the very existence of correct and fair tournaments.
The engines
Scour the sports pages today and there are opinions and analysis of how AI is going to transform the sporting landscape, just like it will with other aspects of our life.
“Yet, that statement may seem overwhelming,” said Bhagyashree Thipsay, celebrated chess player who holds the title of Woman International Master (WIM). “It gives an impression that AI is going to completely take over, relegating the human factor or human element to the margins,” said the five-time winner of the Indian Women’s Championship. She added, “The use of chess engines or any other external help is not permitted while a tourney is in progress and it is the skill of the players which will continue to be the major factor in chess,” she explained.
Thipsay said, “AI is now widespread in chess practice. In chess lingo, these are known as chess engines. These engines are common, and are useful as an adjunct to regular study, practice and training. Some players use the engines, like I sometimes do, to decode games played by top players. The engines not only function as practice partners but are very useful to study another, usually stronger player’s moves. The engine may analyse the move that helps us to evaluate the position quickly, which, otherwise, would need several hours of analysis by us.”
Thipsay, who is a Khar resident, said there are many chess engines now. She reels out some names and for chess novices, one sounds like a dragon, the other: somebody doing a disappearing act and yet another: something you reeled in with your net. Thipsay explained, “Some of the popular chess engines are Stock Fish, Houdini, Komodo. I have downloaded Stock Fish. This is very accessible and popular across all formats.”
Human touch
Fishes swimming in chess seas and Komodo dragons however, do not compare to humans. Thipsay said, “In the end you have to play against a human. To improve your chess skills you need to practice with somebody better than you.” Talking about better players to practice with, Thipsay has her husband Grandmaster Praveen Thipsay at home. A black ‘n’ white board is their battleground, where they square off against each other intellectually on familiar turf.
Thipsay, who is also an Arjuna award winner, reminded that, “Besides the obvious cerebral part, you also have to factor in all the mind games that come with the package of top class, competitive chess. These are psychological strategies designed to unsettle opponents, one that no AI/engine can teach the chess player. As seasoned, strong players we need to be prepared for psychological warfare, it should not ruffle us.”
The future
The Padma Shri awardee explained, “You can play against an engine but it cannot be considered a good teacher. It will tell you a good move from bad, but it cannot tell you ‘why’ that move was good or bad. It cannot explain that to you. That is why the AI/engines have their limitations.”
Before there were engines or devices, players had books and periodicals which they learnt from. That was in the past, though. When it comes to the future, Elon Musk has famously and in typical, ‘Musk say something controversial’ style remarked that, “computers are so much better than humans at chess, it’s absurd. I feel that chess will be essentially fully solved (like checkers) in 10 years.”
When it comes to the future, Thipsay claimed that these and other statements have given rise to conjecture about humans being eliminated and two engines playing chess against each other. For Thipsay, that just isn’t going to happen. Her logic stems from what she said are, “Two machines against each other will be a tepid, mechanical literally and figuratively contest. Without humans, chess will just not be interesting enough. The car races and human racing competitions co-exist and so will be engine matches and human chess competitions.”
Play on
Humans will and should continue playing chess, “at all levels,” said Thipsay. “It improves memory, focus, logical thinking and decision making. These are life skills that can be used outside the chessboard too.” In the end, engines/AI has and will continue to add fascinating dimensions to the game. Yet, even with the advent of stronger, more sophisticated engines and AI bringing in different tweaks, the living, breathing Shatranj ke Khiladis will still be the King and Queen of the chess turf. Like Thipsay signed off, “AI is our ally sometimes, and at other times, a formidable adversary worthy of respect. Yet, players like Magnus Carlsen with his fierce intellect and personality ensure that spectators keep coming back to the board, something engines will be unable to do.” Well… checkmate Elon.
What are they? A chess engine is a computer program that helps players analyse chess positions and improve their moves.
How do they work? The engine analyses the positions of all the pieces on the board to determine what is the strongest move.
Who do they affect/benefit? They affect all, because at a basic level they popularise the game and make it more accessible. They have revolutionised chess with Grandmasters too, adopting some of the engine’s moves and strategies.
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