The AI Revolution in Chess

En bok om hvordan kunstig intelligenns har påvirket sjakken etter at Alpha Zero kom i 2018, og fram til nå. Forfatteren diskuterer nytt i tre åpninger og ellers temaer som bondeofre, lukkede stillinger og materielle ubalanser.

De tre AI-inspirerte åpningene han går ganske grundig inn på er Grünfeld-indisk, Katalansk og Najdorf-siciliansk. Her er en rekke partier av Magnus Carlsen, og også et viktig fjernsjakkparti fra 2021 i Najdorf med fjernsjakk-stormester Arild Haugen fra Stavanger i spill.

Forlagets egen omtale:

In 2018 DeepMind published the shocking results of their chess-playing artificial intelligence software, AlphaZero. Chess players looked in disbelief and immediately wondered how AI would affect the future of chess. Less than a year later, a whole new wave of chess engines emerged that were based on using neural networks to evaluate positions in a completely new way. This book is about the extraordinary impact that AI has had on modern chess.

The games of top chess players since the end of 2018 have reflected the use of these new engines in home analysis. They have significantly developed opening theory as well as the general understanding of middlegame concepts. By analysing these games with the help of neural network engines, FIDE Master Joshua Doknjas discusses numerous exciting ideas and examines areas of chess that had previously been overlooked. With thorough explanations, questions, and exercises, this book provides fascinating material for masters and less experienced players alike.

Joshua Doknjas is a FIDE Master from Canada who has enjoyed success competing internationally. He has won seven national titles for his age and tied for 1st in the 2019 U18 North American Youth Chess Championship.

Fra forordet:

This book is about the impact AlphaZero, and subsequent neural network and hybrid engines, have had on modern chess. The world’s best chess players spend most of their study time on opening preparation, working with the newest and strongest engines to prepare a robust opening repertoire and find new ideas which can be used to create problems for their opponents. Neural network engines have provided a fresh perspective on these tasks with their creativity and remarkable strategic understanding. My goal with this book is to provide readers with an understanding of how the recent AI revolution in chess has influenced preparation, opening theory, and middlegame understanding at the highest levels. Therefore, my work is based primarily on the analysis of top-level human games from 2018 to 2021. These games explore areas of chess that have developed significantly in recent years because of advancements in chess engines. Some correspondence games (where both players analyze with engines) and computer versus computer games are also examined to help illustrate a concept.

... Part One discusses some of the latest developments in opening theory that neural network engines have had a major influence on. I selected three openings: the Grünfeld, the Catalan, and the Najdorf. The innovative ideas in these openings often carry over to other areas of the game in view of their deep strategic nature. In Chapter 4, we will explore some new opening systems, which are classified as AI-inspired openings because the AI engines have played an instrumental role in popularizing them.