Game Over - Kasparov and the Machine

Starring:Garry Kasparov, Jeff Kisselhof, Michael Greengard, Joel Benjamin, Terry Wogan, Anatoli Karpov
Director: Vikram Jayanti
Studio: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Product Description
In May 1997, 8 years ago, Gary Kasparov, regarded as the greatest Chess Player the world has ever seen, played Deep Blue- a hulking one and a half ton IBM computer. As it played out in the media, this was a chess tournament and a scientific experiment that would question our dominance as the most intelligent entity on the planet. Capturing people s imaginations, the outcome of this Man vs. Machine battle was stunning. To win the match, the computer did what many thought impossible at the time- it appeared to think like a human . . .

System Requirements:

Running Time 85 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Average customer rating:

A Missed Opportunity
Rage Against the Machine
A lot of flash, but no real substance.
Conspiracy theory
WAS KASPAROV A PAWN IN IBM's GAME?

Game Over - Kasparov and the Machine
Starring: Jeff Kisselhof , Terry Wogan , John Searle (III) , Michael Greengard , and Joel Benjamin
Director: Vikram Jayanti
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Searching for Bobby Fischer
The Luzhin Defence
Garry Kasparov Teaches Chess 1: Opening Strategies, The Queen's Gambit (DVD)
Garry Kasparov on Fischer: Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 4 (My Great Predecessors)
Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 5 (My Great Predecessors)

ASIN: B0007VY5K8
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Product Description

In May 1997, 8 years ago, Gary Kasparov, regarded as the greatest Chess Player the world has ever seen, played Deep Blue- a hulking one and a half ton IBM computer. As it played out in the media, this was a chess tournament and a scientific experiment that would question our dominance as the most intelligent entity on the planet. Capturing people s imaginations, the outcome of this Man vs. Machine battle was stunning. To win the match, the computer did what many thought impossible at the time- it appeared to think like a human . . .

System Requirements:

Running Time 85 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

A Missed Opportunity.......2007-03-12

I went into this movie with high hopes. The subject of a grand chess master taking on a supercomputer is inherently fascinating, and could have been used as a jumping-off point to investigate a rich vein of interesting topics: what was the philosophical significance of this showdown between man and machine? What did it mean to the chess world, and to society at large? What defines a grand master-level chess player, and what goes through Kasparov's head as he contemplates his individual moves and overall strategies? How does this differ with the problem-solving programming that the computer is relying on? Just how do you program a computer to simulate the chess-playing style of a grand master? And how can a documentary movie creatively capture the essence of a complex chess match onscreen, making it real and involving for the average audience?

Sadly, "Kasparov and the Machine" does not address a single one of these questions -- especially not the last one. It is a plodding documentary that mostly consists of a film crew following Kasparov around the rather drab location where the match took place years earlier, as he reflects on his poor treatment by IBM. It also features some uninformative interviews with the computer programmers, and a lot of footage from a black and white silent movie about a chess machine from the 1800's that is terribly overused. A poorly substantiated conspiracy theory is advanced that IBM was somehow not playing fairly, and what might have been a good 30-minute PBS special is stretched out into a very thin feature length film.

This could have been a great, thought-provoking film exploring the ramifications of a man pitting his intellect against an artificial intelligence. It is tragic that the filmmakers missed such an opportunity to sweep us away with the complex consideration that this subject deserved.

Rage Against the Machine.......2007-02-28

In the May 1997, Gary Kasparov, the reigning Chess World Champion and by the opinion of many, the greatest chess player ever played Deep Blue, an IMB Supercomputer. At its best scenes, the film is an entertaining look at the never ending competition of human intellect against artificial. The greatest player on Earth does not like and does not know how to lose, and his account of the match and its result is quite bitter. He can't believe that the computer program, the combination of 0s and 1s may appear to think like a human. It was sad and nostalgic for me to see Gary like that. I remember him back in 1985, 22 years old World Champion after his victorious match with Anatoly Karpov. In his (and former mine) country millions of people that knew nothing or next to nothing about ancient game of chess (All I know that the first move e2 - e4 will not bring me any problems, at least for a little while) passionately wished him to win. Gary was not just a brilliant chess genius, a wonder-boy - he was also a symbol of hope, of changes not only in the chess politics but in the life of the whole country that was ready for changes.

2.5/5

A lot of flash, but no real substance. .......2006-12-10

Being an admitted chess addict, I was excited to see a documentary about the 1997 rematch between Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer. I was hoping to see an in depth look at the match and a lot of what Kasparov had to say. Boy was I wrong and misguided by a mile. This documentary is a lot like many modern documentaries - there is a lot of flash but no real substance. After watching it, I am sad to say, I felt like I wasted my time. One of the most annoying aspects about the documentary is that it does not stay at one place for a decent period of time. It has the typical MTV type editing, where the camera shows different images and quick sound bites from people every five seconds. It is very sad that filmmaking has been watered down to the attention span of a 10-year old child.

I understand it is difficult to make a film about chess, but that does not mean one should make it flashy. 'Game Over' did have a couple of interesting ideas though. It brought up the idea whether computers can think like human beings or not; whether computers have advanced to a unique new level. This is what Kasparov thought after the match, but this film does not go deep enough with this idea. Also, this film tries to bring in a bizzare theory. It tries to imply the paranoid theory that a human being was making the moves along with the help of the computer. Kasparov had suspicions about this, but still to this day there is no evidence. Towards the end of the film, it tries to imply the bizzare idea that maybe Anatoly Karpov might have been the human being who was secretly making the moves with the aid of Deep Blue. Interesting to think about, but I don't know how plausable or realistic it is. I still would not recommend this movie though, not even for chess addicts.

Conspiracy theory.......2006-11-12

Deep Blue Conspiracy Theory

Whether the match of Kasparov versus Deep Blue was a fair match is a matter of debate. I came up with the following conspiracy theory just for fun, but which could be plausible and consistent with the evidence presented in the movie. IBM, as a corporation, wanted to win at whatever cost, since the company's reputation was at stake and potential for economic revenue would be great. (The movies Enron, The Smartest Guys in the Room; McLibel; Wal-Mart, The High Cost of Low Price; and The Corporation are eye opening films in this respect) IBM, as shown in the movie, created two Deep Blue computers. Kasparov suspected that both computers were present at the match, although there is no conclusive evidence of this. Imagine that one was a true computer and the one Kasparov easily beat in the first match. As a computer engineer myself, it is easy to imagine having a chess master inside the other Deep Blue with a terminal receiving strategic recommendations from the true Deep Blue computer. The human player inside the other Deep Blue would have a clear advantage from the sheer computing capacity of the other computer, consistent with Kasparov's suspicion. The true Deep Blue Computer would be the one in the Smithsonian museum, and the fake Deep Blue is the one in Poughkeepsie, NY, which they failed to open at the end of the movie. Notice that the man from IBM could easy fit inside Deep Blue. This man-computer double team strategy could have been employed starting with game number 2, where Kasparov surrendered. The idea of having somebody inside the Deep Blue computer is more romantic, but unnecessary for this conspiracy theory to work. It is interesting that the dimensions of deep blue could easily conceal a tall man standing. If you've ever played tic-tac-toe with a computer, you will soon learn that the best you can do is tie the game. A match with a player of Kasparov's stature playing against a pure computer opponent, would be expected to end in a draw or at least be more balanced in terms of how many games each wins.

Karpov Conspiracy Theory

If you have a large screen where you can watch the movie, notice that during the match between Kasparov and Karpov at the end of the movie, somebody was flashing a laser pointer on Kasparov's left side of the nose. This happens in one of the earlier close-ups of Kasparov's face after a close up of his feet. Was someone deliberately trying to distract Kasparov with a laser pointer?

WAS KASPAROV A PAWN IN IBM's GAME?.......2006-09-08

Did GARRY KASPAROV, the world's greatest chess player, get rooked when he lost a six-game match to IBM's supercomputer, DEEP BLUE, in 1997? That's the question that this padded, but nonetheless interesting documentary asks you to consider.

I wasn't even aware of GAME OVER: KASPAROV AND THE MACHINE until I stumbled over it while Amazon surfing last week. When I was unable to locate a VHS rental copy, I actually bought my first DVD player (NOT made in China, India, or Indonesia) just so I could view this.

If you have little or no interest in chess (the world's greatest game!) then there is no chance you'll find watching the 85 minutes of GAME OVER well spent. On the other hand, if chess fascinates, or even interests you, you'll find the movie flawed but somewhat intriguing.

I got into chess as a result of the high profile 1972, Fischer versus Spassky match. Later in 1972, I joined the chess club at my junior high school and won the club championship in a three-game match. (But interestingly, the player who most intimidated me was blind. He was a "Chess Game Wizard.") Back then, I wanted to be ranked a Master by the age of 16, but other interests began vying for my time and attention: art, girls, and sports and/or the art of watching girls in shorts play sports! I never became more than mediocre at best in chess, but I never lost all interest in it either. Nor in watching girls play beach volleyball. : )

Of this movie's hour and a half running time, likely 50% of it is unnecessary filler. We get shots of Kasparov revisiting the locales less than 10 years later; the same footage over and over of an old chess-playing contraption; shots of New York City ad nauseam, etc. As Christopher Lloyd said repeatedly in the movie, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, "Cut the B.S.; play the game!" A little atmosphere is fine, but too much of it slows down an already slow contest.

The crux of Kasparov's argument follows: After beating DEEP BLUE handily in Game One, in which the computer played a very mathematical, machine-like style, it made a "creative judgment" in Game Two which the man, Kasparov, was certain could only be made by a "man." Subsequently, he became so unnerved - convinced that a human mind was responsible for that move (i.e., he was playing against not just a machine, but also one or more unseen Grand Masters) - that he prematurely conceded Game Two, which possibly cost him a draw and ultimately the match.

If chess was purely mathematical, I - the most mathematically-challenged person on the planet - would have never won a game. There are rich, creative and psychological elements to chess - it is NOT strictly mechanical, not just "black and white", despite the colors of the pieces. It is closer to music than it is to algebra. I have no math skills whatsoever, but I'm extremely analytical and I discern patterns in things. And I can be quite a fearsome psych warrior! As a novice playing against novices, I frequently swapped queens when the only advantage to me was psychological: beginners - and even some half decent players - mentally surrender once they've lost their queen. But I KNEW I could win without her, and it only made me bear down and concentrate more. I've always been at my best under pressure. But does a computer "got game" when it comes to those additional chess factors?

When in Game Two, KASPAROV offered up a pawn (or two?) in order to gain a positional advantage in another sector of the board, and DEEP BLUE declined to take the piece, Kasparov became suspicious and lost his composure. It was as if a dog passed up ground beef because it "speculated" that there might be filet mignon three blocks away. Is a dog (or computer) capable of that kind of "thought"? Or will it immediately take the first gift offered? How can it sniff out a stratagem from a mistake? Well, Deep Blue saying, "Thanks, but no thanks" made Kasparov deeply blue. The rest is history.

I really wish that the filmmaker had dispensed with 15 minutes of superfluous "atmosphere" shots and spent it really analyzing that key move in Game Two. (One of the DVD's Special Features replays all of the games with very basic commentary on each move, but no mention is made of the questionable moment in Game Two or of the importance it held.) What was Kasparov really attempting to accomplish by sacrificing a pawn or two? How obvious was the advantage in position that he would have gained? How much "creative thinking" did Deep Blue have to perform in order to "see through the ground beef"? How did the computer go from mechanical playing to "humanistic" playing overnight? Was IBM playing chess games with Kasparov, or playing mind games with him? You'll never know until you check, mate!

Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

A Missed Opportunity
Rage Against the Machine
A lot of flash, but no real substance.
Conspiracy theory
WAS KASPAROV A PAWN IN IBM's GAME?

Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine [Region 2]
Starring: Garry Kasparov , Jeff Kisselhof , Terry Wogan , Michael Greengard , and Joel Benjamin
Director: Vikram Jayanti
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Searching for Bobby Fischer
The Luzhin Defence
Garry Kasparov Teaches Chess 1: Opening Strategies, The Queen's Gambit (DVD)
Garry Kasparov on Fischer: Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 4 (My Great Predecessors)
Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 5 (My Great Predecessors)

ASIN: B0001P1BM0

Customer Reviews:

A Missed Opportunity.......2007-03-12

Rage Against the Machine.......2007-02-28

A lot of flash, but no real substance. .......2006-12-10

Conspiracy theory.......2006-11-12

WAS KASPAROV A PAWN IN IBM's GAME?.......2006-09-08

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