Kasparov vs Deep Blue: Game 5

After refusing a draw, Deep Blue goes down to defeat

Garry Kasparov won an impressive victory over Deep Blue in a game that showcased the talents befitting a world champion. With his victory, he ensured at least a tie in the match, and demonstrated that while computers have come a long way, they have not yet surpassed the best chess playing abilities of humans.

It was a bitter defeat for the computer's team, since they chose to refuse Kasparov's offer of a draw after the 23rd move. Kasparov, playing black, tried a new response to Deep Blue's e4 opening. By playing 1. ... e5, 2. ... Nf6, 3. ... Nc6, Garry forced the game into an infrequently played opening known as the Scotch Defense (link to chess glossary).

After the draw offer was refused, the machine proceeded to perform a questionable sequence of moves -- 24. Qc3 f5 25. Rd1 Be6 26. Qe3 Bf7 27. Qc3 f4 28. Rd2 Qf6. Deep Blue's idea, apparently, was to protect the well-placed knight on d4, but by doing so, allowed Kasparov a powerful Queen pin on the d file. A top human player would have seen that equality was possible, and easy to achieve by backing up the knight and almost certainly forcing the exchange of Queens. Deep Blue effectively put itself in a bind that would prove fatal. This was the first time in the match that Deep Blue exhibited surprisingly questionable moves. It resigned after Kasparov's 47th move, h4.