Commentary for white move 22:

MIKE VALVO: Let's talk about a couple of possibilities that will happen over the next five to ten years in computer chess. First of all we're going to analyze more endgames more deeply as you're suggesting. We have five-piece endgames analyzed exhaustively. We'll probably do six and seven-piece endgames in that period of time. One of the problems is how do we use those in the search because they have to compress the key positions in such a way they can use them rapidly in order to use them in the search, so while, for example, six-piece endgames do exist for the large part today, compressing them is the hard part. In openings they're going to start analyzing openings on their own and go into them much more deeply than they have today. Of course this is all going to take a large amount of time. The computer is going to be thinking 24 hours a day, just going over these positions, coming up with information. They have to be evaluating compared to other kinds of things. Those kinds of efforts will take place. 22 a3

MIKE VALVO: We have a move here? a3? (Audience laughter.) Now, that was a strange move, a3 by white. The computer thinks things are doing fine. I'll just make some luft for my king, make a hole for my king so I don't get mated on the back rank. But Garry has an easy move here, Ne6.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Well, looking at this now, looking at this, Fritz certainly didn't like a3. It's dropped back it's one-point evaluation from a few seconds ago. The other thing you mentioned, though, Mike, and because really Kasparov is shaking his head like what was that?

MIKE VALVO: I'm wondering, if you play Ne6, is he going to play b4?

MAURICE ASHLEY: That's what I was thinking. You said it would do strange things to hold onto the pawn, and possibly after Ne6 Kasparov's intention, we said, which is really a powerful one, is to bring the knight over to c5, maybe, just maybe it's intending to play this move, b4. I know it looks ugly.

MIKE VALVO: Well, it played g5 before. Why not b4? Symmetrical. (Audience laughter.)

MAURICE ASHLEY: Fritz really likes this position. Right? Fritz a second ago thought it was sort of even but now Fritz really likes it after b4. The king is ugly, but he's up a pawn, and Kasparov can't believe the move. Kasparov is saying, what this?

MIKE VALVO: You've got to think about what's Garry thinking. Whenever you're playing a game you're thinking what is the purpose of this move, what is my opponent thinking? Well, why did he play that move? He must be intending to play b4.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Why else?

MIKE VALVO: Garry knows that.

Real-time text commentary is made possible by LiveNote, Inc. and Vincent Varallo Associates