Rating: 
Summary: The best first book about chess and computers
Review: A really fascinating history about all the process behind the construction of the best chess computer in the world. I recommend it to have fun and a good knwoledge about the topic.
Rating:
Summary: The best first book about chess and computers
Review: A really fascinating history about all the process behind the construction of the best chess computer in the world. I recommend it to have fun and a good knwoledge about the topic.
Rating:
Summary: A (surprisingly) good page-turner!
Review: Amazon says it is published in November, but I picked up a copy in September. Anyway, this is an excellent book. The story intrigued me but I was a litlle nervous that the computing and chess would be way over my head (I know little about either). However, the author does a great job of telling a story and the few more technical paragraphs can be skipped without losing anything. In addition to describing big leaps in technology, the book is full of tales of professional rivalries, backbiting, prima donna behaviour and lots of battling male egos. Great stuff. Couldn't put it down, particularly when the book got to the matches with Kasparov - although I knew the result the re-telling made it seem like you were there. The author won't win prizes for literature, but he certainly knows how to tell a good story. You'll love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Informative Book on Deep Blue
Review: Being a computer chess afficionado, I have followed the progress of Hsu's project since 1988 or so. This book was a blast to read and really perked my interest in the subject again. Hsu's behind the scenes recollections were facinating. It is unfortunate that this project did not continue. I really would have loved to have seen more of Deep Blue's potential.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Read - You're a Fool Not to Buy it Now
Review: Feng-Hsiung's group was a pleasure to work on the
periphery of. They were not afraid to challenge
established "standards".The book is highly readable on what could have
otherwise been very dry. This is not an easy thing
to write about. Feng-Hsiung's style bubbles with
his natural excitement over the project. His command
of the facts and memory of events is remarkable. I knew DT/DB would be special when, as operator,
I saw DT announce a very long mate against FIDE
Master David Glicksman. After a lengthy analysis, Glicksman
laughed after he saw the mate in a deep analysis after
being told it was there. Hey, Davie, he likey! Stuart Cracraft
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing story told with lots of heart
Review: For a book on the arcane and technical worlds of computer science and chess, this story is highly readable and entertaining, and often quite funny and deeply poignant. The development of a history-making machine was, in the end, a very human adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing story told with lots of heart
Review: For a book on the arcane and technical worlds of computer science and chess, this story is highly readable and entertaining, and often quite funny and deeply poignant. The development of a history-making machine was, in the end, a very human adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but could have been better
Review: Hsu makes it clear that he doesn't like software. His focus in "CS" (Computer Science) is actually Electrical Engineering. Thus, almost
nothing is mentioned about the Chess software itself. What does the
evaluation function do? How does Deep Blue/Deep Thought, etc. work?
We aren't told much. So if you want details about Deep Blue, look
elsewhere. If you want to learn about chip design, then this book
will interest you. Mostly, it is a narrative about Hsu and his team
and there adventures. It is about Hsu's career and the competition.
But not really so much about what went into Deep Blue. Try J.
Schaffer's book, One Jump Ahead. Although it is about checkers, not chess, it is much more interesting from a software development point of view.
Rating:
Summary: Best computer chess book since that second match
Review: I am also a hardware engineer. Since 1984 studied chess programs like: Sargon, GNU, and Phalanx; didn't know how to make hardware for chess playing machine. Then Hsu's book gave very good lead, simplified it to 3 keys functions: move generator, position evaluation, and program comtrol, that's all. Some reviewer wanted more details like how the evaluation works; some said it was too technical. I think the book is excellent, maybe a little more in the author's specialty: chip design. Anyway the book is for general readers, like a PG-13 movie; he keeps the technical parts enough both spectrum of audience (even though I like too read more about the technical part, I want the author to win more audience.) After that match in 1997, I could not find more good computer chess books besides Newborn's Kasparov versus Deep Blue. I guessed the researchers began to lose interests in it because Mission Accomplished.
By the way, if you want to know more about how chess program works (for example: position evaluation); please study "FREE" GNUChess. I learn very much from it. It's worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Best computer chess book since that second match
Review: I am also a hardware engineer. Since 1984 studied chess programs like: Sargon, GNU, and Phalanx; didn't know how to make hardware for chess playing machine. Then Hsu's book gave very good lead, simplified it to 3 keys functions: move generator, position evaluation, and program comtrol, that's all. Some reviewer wanted more details like how the evaluation works; some said it was too technical. I think the book is excellent, maybe a little more in the author's specialty: chip design. Anyway the book is for general readers, like a PG-13 movie; he keeps the technical parts enough both spectrum of audience (even though I like too read more about the technical part, I want the author to win more audience.) After that match in 1997, I could not find more good computer chess books besides Newborn's Kasparov versus Deep Blue. I guessed the researchers began to lose interests in it because Mission Accomplished.
By the way, if you want to know more about how chess program works (for example: position evaluation); please study "FREE" GNUChess. I learn very much from it. It's worth the effort.
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