Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine
2004 Directed by Vikram Jayanti
Synopsis
Garry Kasparov is possibly the greatest chess player who has ever lived. In 1997, he played a match against the greatest chess computer: IBM's Deep Blue. He lost. This film depicts the drama that happened away from the chess board from Kasparov's perspective. It explores the psychological aspects of the game and the paranoia surrounding IBM's ultimate chess machine.
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Surprisingly engaging. Filled with as much sex (none) and action/suspense (bucket loads) as chess can have.
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“The great Russian champion was not a graceful loser,” is said more than once in this documentary, but never really shown, highlighting two of the movie’s big problems: unnecessary sensationalism, and throwing things at the audience while expecting us to take them at face value.
No, the future of humanity wasn’t really on the line during the overhyped 1997 Kasparov–Deep Blue match. It was an interesting event, though, and it deserves a more fair and better-researched documentary.
Here, the main premise is that something was fishy in that famous game – namely, did a human being illegally help Deep Blue? But the suspicions are meek at best, IBM never has a chance to defend itself, and the documentary employs all…
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The constant visual link between Deep Blue and the mechanical Turk, both presented as mysterious objects bordering – even entering - the realm of magic, primarily makes this documentary an investigation of our fascination and fears of artificial intelligence. What is in the box?
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One-sided doc about IBM's possible cheating in the 2007 rematch between their supercomputer and chess grandmaster, Gerry Kasparov. Interesting in its approach, but the lack of balance took some of the fun out of it.
As a fan of Kasparov and of his chess, I was hoping for something a bit more level-headed.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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An interesting look at one the most eccentric chess players of modern times and the history of chess engines.
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“The great Russian champion was not a graceful loser,” is said more than once in this documentary, but never really shown, highlighting two of the movie’s big problems: unnecessary sensationalism, and throwing things at the audience while expecting us to take them at face value.
No, the future of humanity wasn’t really on the line during the overhyped 1997 Kasparov–Deep Blue match. It was an interesting event, though, and it deserves a more fair and better-researched documentary.
Here, the main premise is that something was fishy in that famous game – namely, did a human being illegally help Deep Blue? But the suspicions are meek at best, IBM never has a chance to defend itself, and the documentary employs all…
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Surprisingly engaging. Filled with as much sex (none) and action/suspense (bucket loads) as chess can have.