Chess computers 'unbeatable'

2006-01-23 07:59

Sofia - Chess computers will be almost unbeatable in 10 years and may bring about radical new rules for the ancient game, world champion Veselin Topalov predicts.

"At the present moment I don't fear humans. Computers I think are very strong," the Bulgarian grandmaster said.

"Probably they will be better than 99.9% of human beings" in a decade from now, he said.

Topalov, 30, also raised the possibility that today's version of chess could give way to "Fischer Random Chess" - invented by eccentric former champion Bobby Fischer - which sets back-row pieces randomly to narrow the importance of rehearsed openings.

Random chess will take off, Topalov said, "when the chess we play now is exhausted from computers and (knowledge of) openings and everything will be (fore)seen. It will not happen next year."

Symmetrically shuffling pieces behind the pawns creates 960 possible line-ups, with games then played under normal chess rules. Realignment removes the advantage for a well-prepared player - like switching battlefields the moment before an assault.

'You can't bluff'

Although Topalov has never tried Fischer's version of chess, he said it "makes sense" and would happily play Fischer at his own game.

"It shows the talent of the players. You forget all the (chess opening theory) books because they are completely useless," he said. "It's more or less like how people were playing chess thousands of years ago, they knew nothing."

It's not clear how computers, deprived of vast memory banks of opening moves, would fare at random chess.

Super-grandmasters of chess - the top 0.1% - may still fancy beating computers the traditional way.

"Of course, when it comes to pure calculation you can never be better (than computers) but in long-term plans they're not very good at positioning their pieces," Topalov said.

One key challenges Topalov faces in playing machines is that his trademark aggressive style can't intimidate them.

"The problem against computers is you cannot scare them. This is a big problem, you cannot bluff, (there's) no psychological fight ... The good thing is I don't care if the computer calculates 100 million moves per second, or 200 million, for me it's about the same, I don't see any difference."

Topalov won his world title last autumn in San Luis, Argentina, by storming the Fide championship - the world chess authority based in Athens, Greece - with a surprising six wins in his first seven games.

In 2004, Topalov was the highest human finisher at an elite 12-game man vs machine showdown, won by chess computers Fritz and Hydra. The three participating grandmasters ended with a dismal 1-5-6 scorecard.

Topalov drew against Hydra but claimed he should have won: "It defended fantastically ... I missed a win but the good thing was it was seen from the game it had weaknesses."

- AP