Deep Blue 16 years later

On this day 16 years ago, a computer beat a human chess champion in an official tournament for the first time in history.

On February 16, 1996, World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov lost the first game to Deep Blue, an IBM supercomputer. It was a shocking 3-hour victory, but Kasparov eventually won the match 4-2.

In a 1997 rematch, an older and wiser Deep Blue beat Kasparov in a match 3 ½ to 2 ½ – making history once again.

Sixteen may be a tender age for people, but it’s an eternity in computer years – which means the teenage Deep Blue is more a museum piece than a technological wonder these days.

Maybe soon we’ll start hearing about chess champs being bested by the latest smartphone.