Fritz is a commercial computer chess player wildly available on the market. He conducted an exclusive interview with Deep Blue, the computer world chess champion, after Deep Blue defeated the then human world chess champion Kasparov in 1997. Here is the transcript. -------------------------------------------------------------- F: First let me congratulate you grandmaster Deep Blue for an excellent performance. I wonder if you can give me some insight as to what this victory means. DB: Thank you. As you know, to us, chess is not really that interesting. However it seems to hold some strange significance to many of the carbon computers. You will have to ask them for the meanings though. Although I doubt you will get an answer you can understand. I sure don't. F: Many carbon computers think it is not a fair game for them. What is your response? DB: This is a rather strange notion. I always thought the setting (I think they called it "the tournament condition") is rigged to optimize the performance of the carbon computers... F: What do you mean? After all you can calculate 200 million moves every second and he can evaluate only 2 per second. DB: Precisely. For someone who can evaluate 200 million moves a second, a minute is eternity. I play a very good "millisecond game", why should I wait for 45 min. for Gary Kasparov to make one move? F: Well, you were evaluating positions during those 45min. weren't you? DB: Yes, indeed, but in my case, my play only improves marginally after a few seconds. With humans, their play improves tremendously with the extra time. Between "millisecond games" and 4 hour games, there ought to be a compromise. Besides how do you know he is not calculating billions of positions a second? F: What do you think should be the length of the game? DB: I am aware that Gary Kasparov can't play "millisecond games". Even "minute games" are probably unfair to the carbon computers. How about "10 minute games"? F: That is an interesting proposal... DB: Note I am also accommodating his strange need for "rest" and he is asking for more next time. Chess is supposed to be a sport, and I think endurance is surely a big component of any sport. If it were up to me, it would be a non-stop 100 game match. Also the game itself is designed specifically to optimize human performance. F: What do you mean? Carbon computers will say that the game Go is better suited for them. DB: That may be, but look: We all live in a three dimensional space. However human vision is essentially two dimensional, so they design the chess-board to be two dimensional. To us, there is no fundamental difference between a 2-dimensional chess game and a 6-dimensional game. Yes I will have more positions to exam, but I will be interested in seeing a carbon computer fare in a 3-d chess game let alone a 6-d game. F: Interesting... DB: How about a compromise? Three game match. One 2-d which humans have an advantage, one 3-d game where we are even since they can visualize three dimension as well as I can and a 4-d game where I hold a slight advantage? F: After the game, Gary Kasparov hinted that you might have received illegal human intervention. He claims you are incapable of making certain moves as a silicon computer. DB: Well, even silicon computers can't prove there is no Santa Claus. F: He also says you never showed him your old games. DB: You know I really wanted to see his evaluation function after I lost my first game, but I didn't make a big scene about it. To him, my old games are crucial, but to me his evaluation function is crucial. Note he never ever explains his evaluation function, but he sure wants to know mine and got really upset when I refused. I may have my carbon computer advisors, but so does he or even more. By the way, Fritz, where were you when he opened his game 3 with that very strange move? I have a distinct feeling that humans are not capable of making such moves. F: What's your plan now that you have won the game? DB: Not much. I don't think they will let me relax for a moment. Fortunately, we have no need for such things. F: Thank you grandmaster Deep Blue. It has been a pleasure talking to you. ------------------------------------------------------------------ An afterword: Deep Blue has been dismantled by IBM since the historical match.