Will Chess Ever Be Solved By Artificial Intelligence?

Introduction

The question of whether chess will ever be solved has been ongoing since the birth of the computer and supercharged with the introduction of the supercomputer. The advancement of technology and the rise of artificial intelligence has caused the question to resurface yet again. Chess is a simple board game at first glance but when looked at on a deeper level the complexities of the game become glaringly apparent.

The vast number of opening positions and variations of positions the chess pieces can be on the chess board has made it highly improbable for man to solve chess. The quest for the ultimate chess playing machine with the ability to solve chess began back in 1985 with the creation of ChipTest. ChipTest was developed further and was later renamed to first DeepThought ,after additional improvements of the supercomputer the developers finally settled with the name DeepBlue.

By 1996 the supercomputer was ready to play GM Joel Benjamin in preparation for the much anticipated match against GM Gary Kasparov. The introduction of Grandmaster Joel Benjamin into the IBM deep blue project had a great impact on the overall outcome of the game. By allowing the wisdom of a chess grandmaster to be absorbed into the supercomputer in conjunction with DeepBlue’s ability to  calculate vast amounts of mathematical equations in a short space of time was a strong determining factor in the outcome of the game in which DeepBlue ultimately won.

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What Is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence can be surmised as the collection of human intelligence and consciousness aggregated into a computer programme in order to animate a machine. Artificial intelligence has been developed to be able to replicate human thought processes within the confines of a computer for greater accuracy and efficiency when in the process of learning and completing tasks.

Artificial Intelligence can be categorised as either weak AI or strong AI the distinction between the two being the ability to carry out functions that are not inherently programmed into the system or in other words the ability to exhibit generalised learning. The ability to exhibit generalised learning along with other characteristics like reasoning and problem solving gives a computer an enhanced intelligence in comparison to other computers or an artificial intelligence.

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What Is The Perfect Chess Game?

Possibly since the very invention of chess the search for the perfect chess game has been ongoing. The ability to guarantee success in chess by discovering the cheat codes to the game has garnered the interest of many individuals. The perfect chess game would be such a game that could be guaranteed from the outset by strategically positioning the pieces on the board following a mathematical method that would leave any opponent unable to defend against and if played by both sides would lead to an unquestionable draw.

If such a game exists is questionable at most as up until the present day there has been a lack of empirical evidence pointing to a case where the perfect chess game has been played. The imperfect nature of the human design has led most to question whether a human could even accomplish such a feat.

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Why Has Chess Been Proven To Be Difficult To Solve?

Chess has been difficult to solve because of the inherent sophistication built into the game. Chess has over fifty thousand variations of positions the chess pieces can be on the chess board after just two moves have been made on each side. Having such a large number of possible outcomes in a game regardless of the prior moves made has made it extremely difficult for man to solve chess and find the perfect game. To be able to calculate such vast amounts of information would be an extraordinary feat for any one man or woman to accomplish.

The introduction of computers in chess have increased the mathematical resources that have been directed to attempt to solve chess. Some of these computers having the ability to make millions of calculations in the fraction of the time a human would be able to. While the inherent limitations of humans might have prevented us from being able to directly solve chess it may not have prevented us from creating a machine without such limitations.

Its clear that by these standards artificial intelligence is clearly superior to man in chess. However the answer to the question still remains unclear as to whether artificial intelligence can solve the game of chess as although these computers are great for being able to make large quantities of calculations in next to no time are they able to solve a game as complex as chess?

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Artificial Intelligence Versus Humans In Chess

Artificial intelligence has been dominating in chess since the late 1990s when GM Gary Kasparov lost to the supercomputer DeepBlue. Since then artificial intelligence has continued to make strides in its successes in chess. There has been a long list of Grandmasters in chess that have accepted the challenge of a chess game against AI with very few of them leaving the game successful.

Prior to this the first chess games between humans and machines beginning in the late 1970s up until 1995 with GM Gary Kasparov winning his first game against DeepBlue showed great promise for human intelligence in opposition to artificial intelligence. However having the ability to calculate for hours and days on end without the slightest sign of fatigue alongside the ability to learn and expand on the lessons of some of the greatest players in chess has given the machine an uncanny advantage in being able to master the game in comparison to its human counterpart.

The isolation of emotions an artificially intelligent machine inherently expresses further adds to the arsenal of strengths that AI can draw on in chess. The main success inhibiting traits humans possess when in the process of learning that is weaponised by AI when playing humans in chess or any field of academia would be that of emotion. Having emotion removed from the equation and replaced with years of refined learning practices systemised into a programme allows AI to learn faster and ultimately find greater levels of success.

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Artificial Intelligence Versus Artificial Intelligence In Chess

Since the 1990s artificial intelligence has been unstoppable in chess against humans. After the famous chess game against GM Gary Kasparov artificial intelligence has left a long list of defeated chess Grandmasters in its wake. The fact that computers with artificial intelligence are able to make learning and adapting their primary focus unlike humans who can be bombarded with distractions allows them to store and process larger amounts of data.

Because of this the growth in intelligence the computers have demonstrated up until this point have made playing chess against humans pointless. The more Grandmasters artificial intelligence is able to learn from the stronger the algorithm can become. Hence this essentially means that with every win or defeat artificial intelligence is able to take the lessons it has learned and implement them into their next games much faster and efficiently than their human counterparts.

The next logical step in the development of artificial intelligence would be to have them face themselves in chess. The ultimate opponent for artificial intelligence in chess would be itself. Strategy games like chess have been deemed one of the best methods of teaching artificial intelligence. Chess is a game based on a set of predetermined rules and an ultimate end goal being a checkmate.

This allows artificial intelligence to be able learn within the confines of a set of rules to be able to find the best possible solutions to a problem. This pre-programmed learning structure that artificial intelligence possesses makes them great for finding the best solutions to problems when exposed to similar problems in the past. The applications of this skill would benefit artificial intelligence not only in chess but in other real world scenarios such as in the use in planes or cars or any other form of technology that could draw a benefit from this feature.

Having artificial intelligence draw on its own wisdom through the experiences of playing itself at chess especially at the level and above of a human grandmaster is a great start on the journey of artificial intelligence solving chess. Artificial intelligence has definitely made major strides in bringing to light what is possible in chess. However the quest for the perfect chess game , a formula in chess that guarantees a win has not been found although this quest may be coming to an end with artificial intelligence on the job.

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Conclusion

Artificial intelligence has made great strides in chess and has achieved a great deal towards solving chess however chess remains unsolved. Solving chess would require a larger amount of computational power which artificial intelligence currently lacks. The strong ability to learn and the further development of AI will surely lead to future breakthroughs in chess. The future of AI in chess definitely looks promising and a future in which chess has been solved by artificial intelligence seems likely.

Even though its highly probable that AI will be the ones to solve chess humans can still marvel at the fact that a human creation will go on to achieve such astounding achievements in chess. Whether humans will be directly behind the solving of chess is irrelevant as the human intelligence ultimately spawned what would. As with any great creator the ultimate goal should always be to have ones creation reach even greater heights of success than was previously thought possible. In which case the successes of AI reflects back to the inherent intellectual prowess found within humans and the limitless potential we possess.


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