Commentary for black move 26:

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: One thing I want to tell you, actually we're going to have a chance to analyze this final position, whatever I want to suggest in the second game, but if you have time at home, I will give you one hint. In the final position at Qe3 -- DB MOVE: 26...Bh7.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Bh7 has in fact been played.

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: Okay. So after Qe3 Qxd6 and Re8, I think after Qc5 white has very big advantage positionly a -- positional. There is no forced win absolutely. Every attempt fails to win by force, but after Qc5 and Qxc4 and very strong move Kg1 I find black's position very, very difficult, at best.

MIKE VALVO: So Qe3...?

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: Qe3 Qxd6 Re8 Qc5 Qxe4, this is all absolutely forced, and now Kg1. And after Qxf5, now Ra7+ is very strong followed by Qxb5.

MIKE VALVO: Is somebody writing this down?

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: I think black's position is almost winning.

MIKE VALVO: We'll have to go over this later.

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: This is a positional solution, and I don't think this is the first thing computer does when it analyzes this position, but what would happen I predict if Kasparov had played Qe3, that Deep Blue after evaluating all this forced continuation would have played this Qc5 move and we would have seen a very big advantage for white.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Wow. So the debate rages on and it looks like there's going to be no end to this game, one of the most astonishing games in chess history.

MIKE VALVO: We're going to get a chance to analyze this maybe later. Maybe Garry will give us a chance to analyze it. It looks like Garry is doing well, I mean he'll be here. (Laughter.) And you'll be in the audience so we can call on you then and we can say, "Roman, tell us what your idea is for winning."

MAURICE ASHLEY: I'm not sure that Kasparov wants to talk about game two too much.

MIKE VALVO: But we do!

MAURICE ASHLEY: I'm sure he'll have some diplomatic way of saying, "Shut up and let's not talk about that one."

MIKE VALVO: That would be too bad.

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: After the match in Philadelphia, I think Deep Blue looks much better now.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Do we open up the audience to any questions for the Grandmaster while he's here, anyone?

MIKE VALVO: Don't ask him what he knows, because he doesn't know yet.

MAURICE ASHLEY: In the meantime, we should set the stage here. Deep Blue, at the moment, is up one pawn, the a-pawn, it's passed. It's not the greatest looking pawn in the world because it can be pressured by two rooks, but then again, there's some disadvantages in white's position. His bishop on d1 as you mentioned, Roman, is not exactly a pretty piece. And the pawn chain blocks that. And there is some potential for black to open up the position with the move g6, though for the moment he has to watch the h-pawn that it might be captured.

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: Maybe Ng4 the possibility to eliminate that knight and try to bring knight on d5. But then black can retap tour the knight and exchange, finally. That's what Murray Campbell promised us that they know how to do, with Bg5, to exchange bad bishops. Now, every bishop that he owns is bad. So now it exchanges the black squared bishop; the light square is bad. But that's what he has extra pawn for. (Audience laughter.) He has to suffer something.

MAURICE ASHLEY: So, Kasparov now trying to figure out what the best strategical method is for improving the position.

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: Is, or was?

MAURICE ASHLEY: Well, we have to wonder what his idea was when he jumped into this. I assume that he just felt -- maybe you can comment on this, Roman -- sometimes if you know you can win the pawn back, that a-pawn doesn't look that strong so he figures maybe he'll get the pawn back and what's remaining looked pretty good so why not play in variation.

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: I think one of the main incentives for him to get to this position was first that he takes queens off the board which is very important, especially if he felt that he may be getting short of time, and the position may get much too complicated for him to handle. And it's not as close as it -- closed as it used to be, it doesn't go the way he wished it to go so he would be better with the queens off the board. I think this is one incentive for him to play the Ra2 move. And I don't think he's worried too much about the passed pawn, his deficit of a pawn. I think he does have positional compensation for a pawn. I find this position very interesting, and I really have very hard time to evaluate which side has the advantage.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Well, Kasparov is not merrily chirping along making his moves quickly. He also is looking for the most accurate solution to the situation.

ROMAN DZINDZIHASHVILI: They both are concerned.

MAURICE ASHLEY: And there is Kasparov with 28 or so minutes remaining to try to figure out what to do. And it doesn't look as sharp as it did anymore, and I quickly jumped the gun and said we would have a winner in this game, but, you know, that force of history might want to repeat itself and have a draw in the third game, which is what happened last year. We do have a question from -- what's your name?

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