Fourth Game of "Man vs. Machine" Chess Match Ended at a Draw

On Sunday, the fourth game of the "Man vs. Machine" chess match, which was held in New York where Garry Kasparov was playing against the "Deep Junior" computer program, ended in a draw. Kasparov, who was playing for the black, had to be on the defending side all game long.

The fourth game was the longest one in the match series and lasted for 5 hours.

The game reached its peak on the 40th move, which lead to the situation when Kasparov could have lost by having made a gross mistake only, which no one expected from him. According to chess experts, the draw of the game could have been announced on the 52 move, but the program continued stubbornly with the game. The former World Champion made his moves in an indifferent manner, after which he would leave the playing table and return only after Israeli programmer Shay Bushinsky, who represented the computer program, made a move on behalf of the computer. At one point of the game Kasparov put on his watch, making the opponent realise that the time was running short. His trick worked and on the 61st move Bushinsky proposed to end the game in a draw.

The score of the match, which is now only two games short, is 2:2.

On Wednesday, February 5th, the fifth game will be held and Kasparov will play for the whites.

After having won the first game and making the draw in the second, Kasparov, due to a ridiculous mistake, lost in the third game, which took place on January 31st. According to Kasparov, he made the mistake due to a slight malady.

The last match of the world's most skilful chess player against the "Deep Blue" computer program produced by the IBM company was held in 1997 and ended in favour of the artificial intellect. Back then Kasparov argued hard his defeat, by having stated the possible involvement of the so-called "prompters" and that after each game the computer was suspiciously fast dismantled and taken away. "On the whole "Deep Blue" was a pure "PR action" and the "Deep Junior" is a real opponent, which does not hide behind the scene curtains," the Grand Master stressed.

The present tournament with $1mln of the prize winning money enables Kasparov to return the match and to prove the superiority of man over the product of his intellectual labour. Kasparov's fee for the match is $500,000, $300,000 will be given to the winner and $200,000 will go to the looser in the match.