Commentary for white move 16:

YASSER SEIRAWAN: We should also talk about the three-minute rule -- and it's not a rule, so let me correct myself -- but Deep Blue -- the time control is 40 moves in two hours, meaning that Deep Blue has three minutes, on average, per move. So the programmers have said -- the programmers have said --

DB MOVE: 16 Qd3

YASSER SEIRAWAN: -- that Deep Blue should play a move every three minutes and the computer should think on Garry's time as well. This ensures that the computer will never lose on time. So when the computer played the move axb5 cxb5 came from Garry right away, we can expect the computer to play within three minutes.

MAURICE ASHLEY: And it has done so.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: It was getting close to the three-minute mark.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Well, Qd3 shows Deep Blue avoiding the forced win of material. Very big point, was my concern earlier that Deep Blue might have played the move Qe2, seeing the attack on the e6 pawn and seeing the attack from the b5 pawn. That's materialistic. That's as far as we understand, typical for computers. They see a pawn, they want a pawn, why not, it's a pawn. This move is very atypical. Qd3, Yaz, I dare say, it's a very human move, showing a complete understanding, complete understanding of the situation, and it knows -- forget the material -- that's going to lead to bad positions, I'll end up losing, I don't want the pawn back. I'm going to mate your king. That sounds nice.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: It does. But I don't like the -- I think it's just a sophisticated understanding. And we saw Garry just a moment ago very sternly shaking his head and not a happy camper.

MAURICE ASHLEY: It has surprised him with so many decisions. I mean we have to really give kudos to the programmers because they have this computer playing such wonderful chess strategy. Game two was indeed a masterpiece of chess strategy, and you yourself said that's the best game you've ever seen a computer play.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: Absolutely.

MAURICE ASHLEY: And just time and time again it plays these moves, makes these decisions that you just really have to be in awe of the work the programmers have done to get it to play chess on this amazing level.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: Absolutely. Kudos to IBM and its staff. Absolutely. (Applause.) But the thing that's making Garry annoyed is that in his practice match strategy, all of the computer specialists that were helping him have told him that he can expect a computer that will go after material. And when you see a decision like Qd3, Garry shakes his head and he says, "Darn it. The computer is not playing like a computer, and I want to see the printouts to make sure that there's not any intervention, because this computer is playing too darn good."

MAURICE ASHLEY: And he needs to be surprised at this moment. It looks like he hasn't been able to get his composure back because of it.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: Well, game two came as a shock, but we do have a move now by Garry.

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