Commentary for white move 22:

AUDIENCE MEMBER: You know when you start talking about comparisons with the number of atoms in the universe, we're talking about the same ballpark figures. The point is checkers is a very beautiful game and I've gained a lot of appreciation for it. One of the things that I discovered is that people think checkers is a simple game, not because the game and the strategy is simple, but because the rules are so simple. I once read a survey that showed that almost everybody, 98 percent of all Americans -- we have a move.

DB MOVE: 21...Bxg5.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Deep Blue has played Bxg5, and Kasparov --

GK MOVE: 22 hxg5

MIKE VALVO: What's going to happen to that pawn on h5?

MAURICE ASHLEY: Your guess is as good as mine. It is under attack and we know how materialistic Deep Blue is so we would imagine it's going to do something by protecting that pawn. It's a strange move, we might see Rh8 back in the position. I don't see how else to protect the pawn. It looks like it may be the only move in this position. Please, continue on.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Anyway the point is that most people know how to play check /SKPERZ far less people know how to play chess. People think the rules are simple and therefore the game is simple.

MIKE VALVO: Yeah, yeah, yeah, bus which is tougher?

MIKE VALVO: Having gone through the game a lot, I have to admit that I've grown very fond of the game of checkers --

MIKE VALVO: But...?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: It's a good game, but I like to win, but I prefer chess because I'm a Chessmaster and even though I built the worl champion checker program, my program crushes me, I've never, ever beaten it even at novice level. Soy get a lot more satisfaction out of playing chess. But the game is just as rich as chess. Different types of possibilities, different types of strategies, but the beauty and the satisfaction of playing a game --

MAURICE ASHLEY: Okay, we got it, checkers is a great game!

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you. (Audience laughter.) (Audience applause.)

MIKE VALVO: Thank you, Jonathan.

MAURICE ASHLEY: I imagine chess is still tough?

MIKE VALVO: I think he's going to evade that question till tomorrow, or the day after. So we're not going to get an answer from him. Let's get back to this.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Let's get back to this game. The last move by Deep Blue comes as something of a surprise to me, seeing this capture auto g5, because the tempo that it's giving up on the pawn, it looks like as if it has to bring the rook back to h8 to defend. I can't imagine it sacrificing a pawn in this position. It is possible to do. This would be a very aggressive move. But I'm also surprised that it hasn't moved immediately because in this position, after Bxg5 the only move was hxg5 and normally it would move immediately when it's anticipated Kasparov's moves.

MIKE VALVO: Well, maybe it's going to play Qa5 or Qe5 attacking this pawn, /STKPHEPB protect it with the rook.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan has come back --

YASSER SEIRAWAN: It's so exciting I can't stand waiting out there. That was a surprising move.

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