Thinking Machine

Almost everyone, I'm sure, has played chess at some point of their lives. We win some and I lose more than I win! To be a master at the game, you have to take into consideration every combination of moves that are possible between the opponent and yourself. One wrong move and the game could be lost! But then taking into account every possible move on the board is probably next to impossible for the human brain. But it isn't for a computer. A computer with enough procssing power can possibly consider, all combinations before it makes its move.

Take a look at this site: Thinking Machine 4. It is actually a JAVA applet that shows us exactly what the computer is thinking before it makes its move! Its really cool! I was myself quite amazed when I saw it first! Once you make your move the computer displays a series of orange and green lines which represent the possible moves on the board. The computer then selects the most advantageous move out of the lot and plays. I think it must be next to impossible to defeat a computer.

If I'm not mistaken, didn't the IBM Deep Blue computer defeat Kasparov recently?