A New Era (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"I tried to play through the rest of the game as best I could, but I lost because [Deep Blue] played great. It played like God."
--Garry Kasparov

In 1995, shortly before he was to play IBM's Deep Blue, World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov defeated challenger Viswanathan Anand in eighteen demanding and gripping games. Here for the first time are move-by-move analyses by International Grandmaster Leonid Shamkovich and by Master--and Kasparov second--Michael Khodarkovsky which provide insight into the mind of the world champion as he prepared for the match against Deep Blue.

Garry Kasparov handily won his first match with Deep Blue, but it is clear from Khodarkovsky's description that even in 1996 the massively parallel computer could be a difficult opponent. Then, before the spring 1997 rematch, the IBM team let on that it had improved Deep Blue considerably and that it was spoiling for a fight . . . The analysis of these games in A New Era shows just how much IBM has improved the breed.

Must-reading for anyone who is passionate about the world's most enduring game of strategy and wits, A New Era takes the reader inside the world of professional chess, offering insiders' insights (including those of Kasparov himself) into the politics and psychology of competition at the top levels of play, whether against human or machine.

"A [match] victory by Deep Blue would be a very important and frightening milestone in the history of Mankind."
--Garry Kasparov

From the Inside Flap

"I tried to play through the rest of the game as best I could, but I lost because [Deep Blue] played great. It played like God."
--Garry Kasparov

In 1995, shortly before he was to play IBM's Deep Blue, World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov defeated challenger Viswanathan Anand in eighteen demanding and gripping games. Here for the first time are move-by-move analyses by International Grandmaster Leonid Shamkovich and by Master--and Kasparov second--Michael Khodarkovsky which provide insight into the mind of the world champion as he prepared for the match against Deep Blue.

Garry Kasparov handily won his first match with Deep Blue, but it is clear from Khodarkovsky's description that even in 1996 the massively parallel computer could be a difficult  opponent. Then, before the spring 1997 rematch, the IBM team let on that it had improved Deep Blue considerably and that it was spoiling for a fight . . . The analysis of these games in A New Era shows just how much IBM has improved the breed.

Must-reading for anyone who is passionate about the world's most enduring game of strategy and wits, A New Era takes the reader inside the world of professional chess, offering insiders' insights (including those of Kasparov himself) into the politics and psychology of competition at the top levels of play, whether against human or machine.

"A [match] victory by Deep Blue would be a very important and frightening milestone in the history of Mankind."
--Garry Kasparov

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Product Details

• Paperback: 291 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (September 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034540890X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345408907
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,213,372 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, but one-sided and poorly written, August 13, 2003

By A Customer

For chess players it's a very useful account of Kasparov's matches with Anand and against Deep Blue. However, the style is very dull and, although fluent, it is obvious that the author's first language is not English. Some analysis is presented in this book but not in any useful way - neither in depth for the expert nor descriptive explanation for the novice.

In stark contrast to the quality of writing, Dominic Lawson's book on the Kasparov-Short match, End Game, is a much more enjoyably read as an account of a world championship match, although it lacks any chess analysis.

Khodarkovsky also seems unable to have his own opinions on the matches and appears only to present Kasparov's point of view. He often drones on how intelligent and wonderful Kasparov is, without there being any relevance to the story. There is also a lot of criticism of IBM's behavior in the second Deep Blue match but no attempt to get a perspective from outside the Kasparov team. This is understandable if he wants to remain as a trusted aide for future matches, but it doesn't make for enjoyable reading.

These criticisms of style and approach aside, the book is very worthwhile to the chess player as it gives the world champion's perspective on one of his title matches and also on the most important man-versus-machine games ever played.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent coverage from inside source., April 11, 2003

By	Bryan Castro (Williamsville, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A New Era was a very interesting book! This book provides coverage of Kasparov's championship defense against Vishy Anand, as well as his two matches against Deep Blue. The difference between this book and other books on the matches is that it is written by one of Kasparov's team, master Mikhail Khodarkovsky. This means that it includes much inside information about how Garry was feeling through the matches as well as fascinating insights into how their team prepared for each game and the general strategy of match play.

Kasparov is a very common hero for chess players not just because he is perhaps the greatest player ever but also because he often shows his emotions both on and off the board. He is a passionate person, as exhibited by his play as well as his views on politics and other topics. This book illustrates this aspect as he goes through the emotional ups and downs that comes from playing at the pinnacle of the game.

The games themselves were fascinating. I also have read Patrick Wolff's account of the 1995 World Championship match as well as Pandolfini's book on the second match against Deep Blue, so I had some background on the games. It is interesting to compare the feelings of Anand in Patrick Wolff's book (he was one of Anand's seconds) with that of Kasparov's during the same match.

My only criticism of the book is with regards to the analysis. It is detailed and includes Kasparov's own preparation and analysis. However, at times I feel it could be over the heads of less than advanced chess players because there is little commentary. However, I felt I could enjoy the games overall anyway. However, I don't think this detracts too much from the book overall as I felt the strength of the book was Khodarkovsky's perspective as an inside person in Kasparov's life.

If you are a fan of Kasparov's, you would do well to read this book. If you are a fan of chess, I also highly recommend it.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Computers are getting smarter see also The Black Swan, February 25, 2008

By	Gabriel Falco "Black Swan" (NYC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is combined in my other reviews and writing and can be found on my web site www.gabrielfalco.com
This book gives a chess player detailed information on how computer chess programing can be applied to ones personal game and thrilling account of the matches between Gary Kasparov and Deep Blue

Academia Made Magically Intuitive Real Time Review
By Gabriel Falco Copyright 2008 www.gabrielfalco.com
This review is written in the first person and will be updated bi-weekly.
I was delighted to begin reading this book but disturbed that some the ideas memorialized in the pages were ones that I have begun writing a white paper on titled "Fly by Wire Economy".
Obviously the book is great and this is more of a narrative and "slight of internet" to get you, the reader of this review to take a look at me; a self declared Black Swan (there is also a video of a black swan on my web site)
Nassim Nichols Teleb has an extraordinary ability to reinforce the meaning of academia-speak by context. The process seems to be magically intuitive. By the time I finished the prologue I was delighted.
Set forth in the prologue is a hint a brilliant crystallization of concepts and theories that will be accessible to a layperson like me. They include precision verse theorization and the impact of television.
I read very few books. The authors who I have chosen to read have all dramatically shaped my thinking. Most of them I know so I recon I am a bit biased.
They include: Michael Khodarkovsky, Gary Kasparov, Bart Kosko, Holly Peterson, Douglas r Hofstadter, Steven Gaines, Fritjof Capra, G. V. Chernov, Ron Chernow,D.T Suzuki and Shunryu Suzuki
Both this review and "Fly by Wire Economy" will be updated on my website, www.gabrielfalco.com

Is the "wire " strong enough to support our faith in financial systems. This article will is in progress as of Feb 20, 2008 and will be added to bi- weekly.