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IA AND ROBOTS DONEONCE UPON A TIME: AI / STORY 006

In 1997, a computer beats the world chess champion.

Did you know that the chess world champion lost a match to a computer long before the chatbots? In May nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, Deep Blue, developed by IBM, defeated Garry Kasparov.

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In 1997, a computer beats the world chess champion.
Contextual photography; does not represent protocol or match — James the photographer · Original · CC BY 2.0 WebP conversion and resizing, whole image preserved. The change in size does not create any historical detail.

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Did you know that the chess world champion lost a match to a computer long before the chatbots? In May nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, Deep Blue, developed by IBM, defeated Garry Kasparov. A result that has become a landmark in the history of artificial intelligence. The machine did not argue with its opponent. It was specialized in the search for chess hits, with adapted equipment and evaluation rules. The real challenge was in the variations of the set, not in a conversation or an imitation of human emotions.

The game ended with three and a half points against two and a half points. We must look at all the parties, not invent a victory over each encounter. The photograph shows material on display at the museum, not an image of the match room.

Our chessboard explains the context without reproducing a historical part. This success did not turn the computer into a person or a universal expert. He showed that a system designed for a specific task could beat the best human of that discipline in an organized match.

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What we know

The 3.5–2.5 score is the result of the 1997 match. Deep Blue is a specialised chess system, not a general intelligence.

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References consulted on October 12, 2026.

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