The New Chess Computer Book is a revised edition of The Chess Computer Book that contains more than 50 percent new material about chess-playing microcomputers. Since the first edition of the book was written there have been large numbers of machines launched, some of which the author has been able to test over a long period. Inevitably there are new chess-playing, microcomputers machines, and updated modules for older ones, coming out all the time, with launch dates for machines in different countries often being different, due to commercial considerations. However, an attempt has been made to discuss in detail every top-of-the-range machine available on the British market. The book begins with a brief survey of the origins of chess computing and the development of chess-playing machines. This is followed by separate chapters on topics such as the types of machines that play chess; modular chess computers; computer hardware and software; and developments in chess microcomputers in the latter half of 1984.

Ten years of intensive effort on computer chess have produced notable progress. Although the background information and technical details that were written in 1975 for the first edition of this book are still valid in most essential points, hardware and software refinements have had a major impact on the effectiveness of these ideas. The current crop of chess machines are performing at unexpectedly high levels. The approach epitomized by the series of programs developed by David Slate and Larry Atkin at Northwestern in the middle 1970s (i. e. , a sophisticated search algorithm using very little chess knowledge) was expected to reach an asymptbtic level of performance no higher than that of a class A player (USCF rating between 1800 and 2000). This perspective was argued quite vigorously by Eliot Hearst in Chapter 8 of the first edition and was held at that time by many chess experts. Subsequent events have clearly demonstrated that the asymptotic performance level for this type of pro gram it at least as high as the master level (USCF rating between 2200 and 2400). Current discussions now focus upon whether the earlier reser vations were wrong in principle or simply underestimated the asymptote. If there is a real barrier which will prevent this type of program from attaining a world championship level of performance, it is not evident from the steady progress which has been observed during the last decade.

With a foreword by Dr John Nunn, Grandmaster and four times Olypic gold medallist 'The Mammoth Book of Chess is a cracker . . . nobody will fail to find something new here' British Chess Magazine WINNER OF THE BRITISH CHESS FEDERATION BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD, 1997 Comprehensive, up to date and clear, this latest edition of Graham Burgess's chess classic is an invaluable guide to help even less experienced players to progress to good club level and better. It offers a complete guide to the main opening gambits along with hundreds of test positions for players at every level. Graham Burgess, FIDE Master, shows you all you need to know, from entering the world of chess, through Internet games, to major international tournaments. Expanded sections on online chess, computers and openings. A complete guide to all the main opening gambits. Hundreds of test positions for players of all standards. Courses in tactics and attacking strategy. Analysis of some of the greatest games ever played. Information and advice on club, national, and international tournaments. Glossary of terminology. Practical advice and information for further study.

For many years I have been interested in computer chess and have collected almost every learned paper and article on the subject that I could find. My files are now quite large, and a considerable amount of time, effort and expense has been required to build up this collection. I have often thought how difficult it must be for many computer chess enthusiasts to acquire copies of articles that they see referenced in some other work. Unless one has access to a good reference library, the task is almost impossible. I therefore decided to try to make available, in one volume, as many as possible of the most interesting and important articles and papers ever written on the subject. Such a selection is naturally somewhat subjective, and I hope that I will not offend authors whose works have been excluded. In particular I have decided to exclude any material which has appeared in the Journal of the International Computer Chess Association (ICCA), or in its precursor, the ICCA Newsletter. The reason is simply that the ICCA itself is in the process of compiling a compendium containing the most important material published in those sources. For further information on ICCA membership and publications the reader is invited to contact: Professor H. 1. van den Herik, or Dr Jonathan Schaeffer University of Limburg, Computing Science Dcpaitment, Department of Computer Science University of Alberta, 6200 MD Maastricht Edmonton Netherlands Alberta, Canada T6G 2HI.

Advances in Computer Chess 3 focuses on the mechanics involved in playing chess on computer. This book features an extensive discussion of the game wherein it is played in a different setting. The selection, which is composed of 13 chapters, features the extensive contributions of researchers who continuously search for ways to improve playing chess on computer. This book starts with the discussion of the basic principles and concepts that can impose changes on how the game is played. A discussion is devoted to the Belle chess hardware. What is clearly pointed out in this section is the speed of the program relative to responses made while playing. A comparison is made between the performance of human and computer in playing chess. The complexity of various computer moves are then elaborated by highlighting how these moves can alter the pace as well as the result of the game. The development of a program that is aimed at solving problems on how chess is played is also noted. This book is a sure hit for those who are fond of playing chess in any playing field.

Computer Chess deals with the history of computer chess games and the programming of computer chess. Topics covered include chess programs such as the one initiated by Richard Greenblatt and those launched by the United States and the USSR in 1966-1967. The United States Computer Chess Championships from 1970 to 1973 are also discussed. Comprised of 10 chapters, this book begins with a historical overview of the basic ideas underlying computer chess and several of the earliest computer games. The next chapter deals with the chess match held in 1966 pitting the Kotok-McCarthy Chess Program of the United States and the ITEP (Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics) Chess Program of the Soviet Union. The reader is then introduced to Greenblatt's program, named Mac Hack Six, the first chess program to compete respectably against humans in tournament play. Subsequent chapters focus on the U.S. Computer Chess Championships, from its first edition in New York in 1970 to the fourth, held in Atlanta in 1973. Russia's chess program called KAISSA, an improved version of the ITEP Chess Program, is also described. The final chapter is devoted to OSTRICH, a chess-playing program written by George Arnold in the Digital Computer Laboratory of Columbia University's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 1971. This monograph will be of value to computer science and those interested in computer chess programs and in the broader field of artificial intelligence.

A record of symposium proceedings organized jointly by the Atlas Computer Laboratory of the Science Research Council and the Artificial Intelligence & Simulation of Behavior Group.