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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.
read full article
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.
read full article
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
Reviews
& Buy online
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2nd
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