Forgotten History: The Ancient Past of Chess AI (Part 1)

  In this current day and age, the use of chess computers has become so trivial, many have taken it for granted to be able to play against a 3700-rated machine. People may not have realised this, but Chess AI has come a long way.

You may have noticed from the title that this will be a 2 parter since this story is so long, and I didn’t want to leave out any details. So, strap in as we are going to go through the history of Chess AI, from the ancient past to today.

THE TURK

The Turk is the first ever recorded Chess “robot”. This robot was showcased worldwide, defeating some of the greatest players. It played against many well-known figures, such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin. For a robot made in 1770, this was very impressive.

The Turk was incredible in another way. During its game against Napoleon Bonaparte, he tried to make illegal moves. The Turk was smart enough to be able to detect them and turn back the move, something NO chess AI can do TO THIS DAY!

This robot was amazing, as there was a small window into the robot, for the players to see inside! However, it had one BIG problem. It was a complete LIE. There was actually a small box, where a person could hide, and play the moves for the Turk.

THE FIRST REAL CHESS AI

The first engine that was able to play the game of Chess is the Los Alamos Bot. Created in 1956, it was the first bot to be able to play a simplified version of chess. In the 1980s however, the development of Chess-AI rose massively. Belle was the first bot to reach the Grandmaster level.

However, Deep Blue was a much bigger revolution than any of these bots are. Yes, the bots before it were at the Grandmaster level, but humanity was still better. After Deep Blue, Bots became objectively stronger than humans. Many do not know this however, there were actually 2 versions of Deep Blue.

The first, lesser-known version and game played by Deep Blue, was played in 1996, against Garry Kasparov. It’s less known as the results ended with Garry, 4, and Deep Blue, 2. However, one year later, history was written when AI became stronger than the strongest human.

CONCLUSION (PART 1)

This is where the story ends for most people. Ask a chess fan you know, and they will end at this point, the point where Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov. But this isn’t the end of the Story. Because something happened in 2008. And that thing… is called STOCKFISH.

The Dark Side of Chess: Cheating in chess and how to detect someone who does!

  With the recent Lawsuit and Scandal with Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann has brought insane attention to the chess community. Many people are wondering, How do you even cheat, or How can you know if you’re playing against a cheater?

Well, the definition of cheating in chess is being, having assistance from some third party, such as an engine, to have an unfair advantage over the other player. This problem has become super-relevant, especially in online chess. 

So whether you are a chess player, a tournament organizer, or just a fan of the game, read on to learn more about the dark side of chess!

HOW DOES CHEATING OCCUR (IN ONLINE AND OTB)

Before we discuss how, let’s have a quick history lesson about the rise of Chess Engines. In 1997, Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov, proving that a robot could defeat the best of the best in chess. However, the bot was limited to only the IBM team.

Nowadays, it takes 10 seconds to access a robot, stronger than Deep Blue, Or any chess player in the World. Because of this widespread accessibility, many players benefited from its insight, but also, many players used it to Win Every game.

Cheating, in online chess, is Very Simple, Very Easy, and Very difficult to detect! You just look at a screen next to you, and copy the moves the engine makes. As for OTB (over the board), it can be done via a vibrator. 

A partner of yours, standing in the audience, could then tell you the move on the phone, and the vibrator would tell you using something like Morse code. Another way would be going to the bathroom, hiding a phone in there and using that phone to access an engine.

HOW TO SPOT A CHEATER (IN ONLINE AND OTB)

In Online Chess, the only way to spot a cheater is through consistent cheating. If you look through their games, and the past 4-5 games are 95+ accuracy, it is most likely they’re a cheater. 

Another form is through time usage. Consistently playing moves within 7-15 seconds, especially simple or obvious moves would likely mean they’re cheating.

As for OTB Chess, things are much trickier. The best way to tell if someone is cheating, in OTB chess, is via the opponent’s concentration. If the opponent looks like they’re not concentrating, making difficult-to-find moves without paying any attention, it could be possible they are a cheater.

However, in OTB Chess, it’s much more difficult to prove anything and come to definitive conclusions. But also, Cheating in OTB chess is much more difficult to do, making it less likely. Magnus Carlsen vs Hans Niemann proves just how difficult this is to prove.

CONCLUSION

Cheating is definitely wrong, however, people on Social Media like to believe that it happens more than it actually does. Cheating in Chess is very rare, however, if you notice these types of behaviours, the best thing to do is to report them and let the organization's professional anti-cheat team deal with them.

Of course, these are the most common ways to detect if someone is cheating, however, please note that even though they may be playing like this, it doesn’t automatically make them a cheater. As I said, if you think you’re playing a cheater, the best thing to do is to report them.

So, to end this blog post, tell me, have you ever encountered a cheater in chess before?