The view from the stands

It was a curious way to view a sporting event.

While the competitors faced off in a tiny television studio high above Manhattan, more than 450 spectators paid $25 each to follow the action on three large video screens far below in a basement-level auditorium.

In addition to instantaneous updates on the players' moves, they were treated to non-stop commentary from chess experts Maurice Ashley, Yasser Seirawan and Michael Valvo, in-person appearances by both Garry Kasparov and the Deep Blue team, the presence of numerous chess grandmasters and even a movie director, Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The People vs. Larry Flynt).

"Things certainly look very good for Kasparov in this match," said Forman, who witnessed the event as a fan, not as a moviemaker scouting out potential subjects. "No. No. Chess is no good for a movie. It's all in the head. No good for a movie," he said.

The three giant screens behind the commentators focused alternately on Kasparov, the wooden chess board on which Kasparov and Deep Blue were playing, and the display of a computer program called "Fritz" that recorded the play and analyzed the merits of each move.

The focus of attention, though, was clearly centered on Kasparov because the state of the match was most clearly measured by the champion's expressions and movements. When Kasparov frowned, the audience murmured. When he replaced his watch, his well-known signal that the game is in hand, there was an audible sigh of relief.

Among the many chess notables in the audience was Susan Polgar, the Hungarian-born 1996 Women's Chess Champion, who gave the edge to Kasparov. "I believe that the human player will win. I cannot imagine another result. Although I believe that in some years, the computer will be better than the best human player, it could be too soon for that to happen right now."