AIster · Prologue · Events

Deep Blue beats Kasparov

The first time a computer beat a reigning world chess champion in a match

Key facts

Date

11 May 1997

Era

Prologue

Interest

Events

Threads

Compute, Labs & people

Who

IBM Deep Blue v Garry Kasparov

Score

3½–2½ to Deep Blue (1996 match: 4–2 to Kasparov)

Where

Equitable Center, New York City, May 1997

Speed

200 million positions per second

IBM's chess computer Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov 3½–2½ in a six-game rematch in New York, clinching it in a 19-move final game on 11 May 1997. Kasparov had won their first match in 1996. The machine searched about 200 million positions a second.

Sources

1. IBM, Deep Blue, 2026-10-01
2. The New York Times, Swift and Slashing, Computer Topples Kasparov, 1997-05-12