Unorthodox Brilliance: Fischer and AlphaZero

All experiments that are related to the games when you have humans versus machines in the games - whether it's chess or 'Go' or any other game - machines will prevail not because they can solve the game. Chess is mathematically unsolvable. But at the end of the day, the machine doesn't have to solve the game. The machine has to win the game. And to win the game, it just has to make fewer mistakes than humans. Which is not that difficult since humans are humans and vulnerable, and we don't have the same steady hand as the computer. - Garry Kasparov

The world of chess has been shaped by two gargantuan forces: Bobby Fischer, the legendary American grand master, and AlphaZero, a revolutionary artificial intelligence program developed by DeepMind.

AlphaZero's advanced learning capabilities showcase the significant impact of the emergence of artificial intelligence on our world.

Bobby Fischer's unconventional style and triumph over other top players captivated the chess world, while AlphaZero, created by DeepMind, demonstrates the cutting-edge abilities of artificial intelligence. Their stories highlight the intersection of human genius and technological innovation, and the profound effects they have on our understanding of intellectual pursuits.

In December of 2017, DeepMind introduced AlphaZero, software which quickly achieved superhuman performance in the games of chess, shogi and go. It defeating world-champion programs without relying on opening books or endgame tables. DeepMind later published a paper on MuZero, an algorithm that builds upon AlphaZero's work and can play various games without prior knowledge of rules or representations.

Bobby Fischer, the sole American world chess champion, is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most renowned chess players in history. His achievements inspired a generation of chess enthusiasts, particularly in the United States and Iceland. Fischer's remarkable victories against the dominant Russian chess players of his time stand as an extraordinary individual accomplishment. Hiis statement, "Chess demands total concentration," encapsulates the essential and fundamental essence of the game.

Bobby Fischer had a narrow opening repertoire, primarily playing 1.e4 as White and rarely deviating from the Najdorf Sicilian and King's Indian Defense as Black. Despite this, he was considered unpredictable and challenging to prepare against and he excelled in the Ruy Lopez's Exchange Variation.

As Black, Fischer showcased expertise in the Najdorf Sicilian, King's Indian Defense, Grünfeld Defense, and Neo-Grünfeld Defense. He made significant contributions to opening theory, including the "Fischer Variation" in the Ruy Lopez.

Fischer's impact on opening theory is evident in the recognition and naming of certain lines after him, such as the Fischer Defense.

During Bobby Fischer's time, chess players heavily relied on printed materials such as books, magazines, and tournament bulletins for study. These resources were limited and required considerable effort to acquire. Players meticulously analyzed games, recorded moves, and annotated variations using pen and paper. Additionally, they engaged in face-to-face training sessions with fellow players and coaches, exchanging ideas and discussing strategic concepts. Practical games played over-the-board in chess clubs and tournaments were also crucial for skill development and testing strategies.

AlphaZero, on the other hand, learned the game from scratch and developed its own opening strategies through self-play and reinforcement learning.

The engine's remarkable approach to learning chess differs from traditional engines that rely on human knowledge and databases.

With minimal initial knowledge, AlphaZero learns through self-play and reinforcement learning. It plays millions of games against itself, using a neural network to evaluate positions and refine its understanding. Through reinforcement learning, it assigns values to positions, adjusting its network through backpropagation. This combination has led to groundbreaking results, showcasing AlphaZero's strategic understanding, creativity, and ability to develop its own strategies.

While Bobby Fischer was one of the most formidable players of chess to ever play, AlphaZero's self-play and reinforcement learning approach would still provide it with a significant advantage in a match against him. Fischer's expertise relied on human knowledge and preparation, whereas AlphaZero autonomously explores the game.

Yet, even with its seemingly unstoppable mechanical efficiency, AlphaZero shares a unique strategy with Bobby Fischer.

Fischer remarked that he trained himself to "stop and look even if there seems to be only 'one move', unless it's a forced recapture. You never know!"

While AlphaZero's uses raw computational power to strategically plan and evaluate future positions, being untethered to human created theory and established mainlines, AlphaZero is able to find unorthodox moves, mirroring Bobby Fischer's brilliance in diverging from established mainlines, and creating complex positions where he could capitalize on his opponent's unfamiliarity.

Fischer is often cited as sacrificing pieces to gain an advantage in tempo and create an imbalance in material, such as his brilliant use of the Queen's gambit. Similarly, AlphaZero sacrifices pawns and other pieces in support of it's long-term initiative.

They both demonstrated a propensity for diverging from commonly known variations, opting for strategies that allowed them to introduce fresh challenges and exploit the resulting imbalances. Their shared ability to sacrifice material strategically and disrupt opponents' plans showcases their innovative and dynamic approach to the game, leaving a lasting impact on the chess world.