This was a very tough match,
which demanded a lot of my energy. It was also a very interesting match,
that captured the imagination of millions of people all over the world.
Unfortunately, they also got to see some errors on my part...
I admit that I was probably
too optimistic at the start of the match. I followed the conventional
wisdom when playing computers of playing 'ugly' openings [non-theoretical]
to avoid early confrontation, to accumulate positional advantages and
then I was confident that my calculation would stay at a high level
once the confrontation occurred.
My whole preparation was
a failure because Deep Blue played very differently from what I expected.
My preparation was based on some wrong assumptions about its strategy;
and when after game 2 it proved to be a disaster, I over-worked myself.
I actually spent more energy on the games in this match than for any
before in my life. Every game in this match took a lot out of me. There
was enormous pressure because I had to keep my eye on every possibility,
since I didn't want to miss any single shot.
This is also partly why
I lost this match. When Game 6 finally came, I had lost my fighting
spirit. I simply didn't have enough energy left to put up a fight. At
the end of Game 5 I felt completely emptied, because I couldn't stand
facing something I didn't understand. If I had been playing against
a human whom I knew, then it would have been different. For example,
I was one game down against Anand in the 1995 world championship, but
I fought back. Here, I was fighting the unknown.
Despite the score of this
match, I am firmly convinced that this thing is beatable. Having said
that, I don't think there are that many players in the world who would
be able to beat it. I think only four or five players in the world would
stand a chance against Deep Blue You need outstanding chess qualities
to play it - you simply can't make comparisons with other chess computers.
Take my case: I have an enormous score in training against the best
PC programs, but it didn't help me to prepare for Deep Blue. As a matter
of fact, I think I made a mistake in doing that. In the future I have
to prepare specifically for Deep Blue, and play normal chess, as well
as normal openings.
Is there a future? Yes,
I think so! I just challenged IBM for a rematch, to take place later
this year, under slightly different conditions, such as 10 games, with
one rest day between each game. Further, I want to receive ten practice
game played by Deep Blue against a Grandmaster, as well as the nomination
of an independent panel to supervise the match and Deep Blue, making
sure there are no suspicions whatsoever. If this match takes place,
and I hope it will, I am so confident I can win it, that I am even willing
to play for a "winner takes all" prize. My score prediction?
6-4 in my favor! - Kasparov
