Chess Champion Vs. Terminator Robot Round One!

Chess-playing computers are not a new idea. The holy grail of programmers ever since computers were invented, they first made headlines in 1997, when IBM's Big Blue defeated the then world champion, Garry Kasparov. However, there have been none that actually sit across their opponents and make their moves just like humans, until now - Introducing Chess Terminator the first robot chess player that thinks and acts like a human (almost).

Conceived by Konstantin Kosteniuk, father of the current women's world champion, Chess Terminator is a robotic arm with enough dexterity to not only grasp the chess pieces and make a move, but also, press the chess timer once it's done.

It's chess prowess was recently put to test against former world champion Vladimir Kramnik in a blitz match that lasted just under three hours. While the Terminator appears to be seeing all its moves, in reality, it is merely connected to the chessboard. Each of the chess pieces is fitted with sensors, so that the robot can detect the movement and plan its counter move.

According to its inventor, the quick thinking robot is so energy efficient that it can keep playing non-stop for upto three years, something it seemed to want to do during his match against Kramnik.

For after about 2 hours and 45 minutes, Kramnik decided to call the game a draw, but the unseeing robot obviously did not take the cue, almost snatching off his opponent's outstretched arm, as it tried to continue making its moves. While the 'Chess Terminator' is the first of its kind, Konstantin plans to introduce more updated versions - hopefully ones that know when the game has ended!

source:Gizmag.com