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Based on an article written in June 2000 about the Kasparov against the world match, so the links are no longer relevant.

On June 21st 1999 a contemporary David and Goliath started a new battle of, quite naturally, Biblical proportions, this time choosing the internet as the venue for their fracas.

The address of the arena is http://www.zone.com/kasparov/Home.asp where you will see a chessboard. This is showing the moves of the modern day Goliath aka World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov with the White pieces against David, aka millions of chess players from 79 countries, with the Black pieces.

The world's shower of stones has been expertly aimed and co-ordinated by a team of expert professional chess players. They have been advising the best moves and explaining the game ... led by their chairman Danny King an eminent English Grandmaster. At the rate of play of one move every 24 hours, there is plenty of time for the world to consult their computers, move the pieces around, listen to the expert advice and then vote!

The result has been a fascinating struggle and an interesting example of co-operation, education, disagreement and plain old good fun, on the Internet. The event has also been a great commercial success for the sponsors . a fellow Goliath called Microsoft. They have enjoyed 15 million page views since start of play. That means that "Kasparov vs. The World" is now rated the largest interactive competition in history - even surpassing the previous record of hits, ironically held by a previous chess match, the infamous 1997 meeting between Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue.

Kasparov spoke about the match at a recent chess event at the House of Commons. "I believe that Chess has a great future on the Internet, because unlike any other sport, it can be taught and discussed on the net, and played interactively. If it is well presented and well built, it will have a secure place in the Millennium. It will bring millions of Chess fans together and create the right atmosphere for anyone with a slight interest to be involved"

The site has chat rooms for players to discuss the game. And every week the chairman of the expert team of helpers is on hand to answer questions. I was in the chat room recently when Danny King gave an interesting reply to someone who asked him when he was going to do more chess programs for Channel 4. "I think the Internet is actually a better medium for chess than TV. There are pros and cons to both but there is more time for consideration on the Internet...and interactive too! Thanks to everyone tonight. Thanks for your patience!" Then the moderator said "Yes! Thank you all for coming and waiting for us to get going! SO, back here next Thursday, Danny? Same time?" to which Danny replied "Indeed!"

You don't get that kind of interactivity on Channel 4! Kasparvov himself has also appeared in the chat room but to answer questions of a more general nature such as how do beat my dad Gary? He's not going to give any secrets away about the game in progress obviously!

The game itself has been an interesting struggle but it now looks likely that Kasparov will win. But whatever the result, this modern day David and Goliath match has been every bit as interesting as the first. In that one David won with an expertly aimed, stone to the Giant's temple ... This time a multitude of slingshots from millions of people, paid experts and their various mega and mini computers have been beaten off by one man ... Kasparov ... who might even be justified in putting in a late claim to be the true underdog of this intriguing internet battle!

Graham Brown
By the same author

Mintonett on the Net?
Feature Article 11/7/2001
Back in 1895, in a YMCA somewhere in America basketball coach W G Morgan was faced with a class of wealthy businessmen who found his sport a little too rough for their tastes. Fearing loss of their subscriptions, his desperate solution was to mix basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball to create a brand new sport ...
read full article

Foosball on the net
Table Football or, more correctly, Foosball (1) is currently (when this article was originally written it was!) wowing the public at the English Millenium Dome. It's a bumper version, with 44 rows of mini footballers twisled by 22 humans. The exhibit supposedly "demonstrates and encourages teambuilding" However, word has it that guests are wisely using it for a bit of cheap fun! 
read full article

Biscuits on the net
Biscuits ... comprising sugar, flour and fat - from the Latin 'bis coctus' meaning twice-cooked. Criticised by half-cooked western nutritionists for "high calorific density". Wiser people might caution that biscuits have been produced and eaten successfully for thousands upon thousands of years. One fact can not be denied ... biscuits are absolutely yummy.
read full article

Waterpolo on the net
"Don't the horses drown?"... an amusing quote on the subject of water polo?! But wait a minute! The fact is ... 400 years ago, water polo WAS played using horses. Furthermore ... Because so many WERE drowning, the players took to the moderately deep seawater themselves. 
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Quizzes on the Net
The lecture hall seems to echo with footsteps of the past as a scruffy professor with wild white hair shuffles in.
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Down Lexico way
It was 1931, Poughkeepsie USA, and Alfred Mosher Butts had just lost his job. There was little work to be found designing buildings . in fact, there was little work at all. However, rather than mope around flat-capped, posing for Depression Era Photographs, he elected . to devise a board game. Lexico was to be renamed four times over the next 17 years . "New Anagrams", "Alph" , "Criss-Cross" and "Criss-Crosswords". In 1948 "Scrabble" was born. 

read full article

Bellringing on the Net
The art of change ringing is peculiar to the English, and, like most English peculiarities, unintelligible to the rest of the world.
read full article

 

Chess on the Web


By Sarah Hurst, Richard Palliser, Graham Brown
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