It took AlphaZero only a few hours of self-learning to become the chess player that shocked the world. The artificial intelligence system, created by DeepMind, had been fed nothing but the rules of the Royal Game when it beat the world’s strongest chess engine in a prolonged match. The selection of ten games published in December 2017 created a worldwide sensation: how was it possible to play in such a brilliant and risky style and not lose a single game against an opponent of superhuman strength? For Game Changer , Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan investigated more than two thousand previously unpublished games by AlphaZero. They also had unparalleled access to its team of developers and were offered a unique look ‘under the bonnet’ to grasp the depth and breadth of AlphaZero’s search. Sadler and Regan reveal its thinking process and tell the story of the human motivation and the techniques that created AlphaZero.
Game Changer also presents a collection of lucidly explained chess games of astonishing quality. Both professionals and club players will improve their game by studying AlphaZero’s stunning discoveries in every field that matters: opening preparation, piece mobility, initiative, attacking techniques, long-term sacrifices and much more.
The story of AlphaZero has a wider impact. Game Changer offers intriguing insights into the opportunities and horizons of Artificial Intelligence. Not just in solving games, but in providing solutions for a wide variety of challenges in society.
With a foreword by former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and an introduction by DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.
Matthew Sadler (1974) is a Grandmaster who twice won the British Championship and was awarded an individual Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympiad. He has authored several highly acclaimed books on chess and has been writing the famous ‘Sadler on Books’ column for New In Chess magazine for many years. Natasha Regan is a Women’s International Master from England who achieved a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University.Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan won the English Chess Federation 2016 Book of the Award for their bookChess for Life .
Contents
Explanation of symbols
Foreword by Garry Kasparov
Introduction by Demis Hassabis
Preface
Introduction
Part I AlphaZero’s history
Chapter 1 A quick tour of computer chess competition
Chapter 2 ZeroZeroZero
Chapter 3 Demis Hassabis, DeepMind and AI
Part II Inside the box
Chapter 4 How AlphaZero thinks
Chapter 5 AlphaZero’s style - meeting in the middle
Part III Themes in AlphaZero’s play
Chapter 6 Introduction to our selected AlphaZero themes
Chapter 7 Piece mobility: outposts
Chapter 8 Piece mobility: activity
Chapter 9 Attacking the king: the march of the rook’s pawn
Chapter 10 Attacking the king: colour complexes
Chapter 11 Attacking the king: sacrifices for time, space and damage
Chapter 12 Attacking the king: opposite-side castling
Chapter 13 Attacking the king: defence
Part IV AlphaZero’s opening choices
Chapter 14 AlphaZero’s opening repertoire
Chapter 15 The King’s Indian Sämisch
Chapter 16 The Carlsbad
Part V Conclusion
Chapter 17 Epilogue
Chapter 18 Technical note
Glossary
About the authors
Index of names
416 Seiten, 2019, kartoniert, englisch.
