mclure%sri-unix@sri-unix.UUCP (07/09/84)
David Welsh's COMPUTER CHESS (1984, Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 309
pp) is a goldmine of information for computer chess devotees. It is
slickly published with a beautiful cover and good paper stock. Welsh
is chairman of the USCF computer chess committee and has been a
long-time proponent of computer chess. Unfortunately, the title is
identical to Monty Newborn's fine book of a few years ago so there
is likely to be some confusion.
The book addresses a number of issues: the history of computers in
chess, inside a chess computer, various programs of the early 1980's,
how computers play chess, the computer style of play, the Fredkin
Incentive Match of 1982, computer games from the 1982 U.S. Open, the
1983 U.S. Open Speed Championship, the 1982 North American Computer
Chess Championship, USCF rules and regulations, USCF rating system, and
a complete list of the ACM computer chess games from 1970 to 1981 as
supplied by Thompson's database
The book analyzes more computer chess games than any chess book
thus far. Much of the analysis is very revealing. Many of the games
have not been previously analyzed. There are also a number of photos
of computer programmers who have been involved in computer chess.
The book is less technically oriented than Frey's CHESS SKILL IN
MAN AND MACHINE, 2nd ed.
Stuart