Wetware

Modern chess computers, like the program ‘Stockfish’, are treated as oracles. Plug in a position, start the engine, and within a fraction of a second it will identify the best move and its numerical evaluation (+1.27 pawns!).

So it is a natural misconception that an ambitious player must commit to endless clicking and memorising. On that theory, grandmasters are simply the ones who have set upon this treadmill with unusual fervour.

I have done my share of gawping at the screen, but in wiser moments, I remember that when Stockfish is running, my brain goes to sleep. The firehose of answers is unmemorable if you don’t articulate any questions.

The 17-year-old Andrew Hong is already a grandmaster, and he got the balance just right while preparing for a game at the US Junior Championships earlier this month. I’m sure he put in hours of computer time on this sharp line of the Sicilian Najdorf, but the deciding factor was the question he asked himself while ‘unplugged’. The critical moment arose after 17 Bd3 (see diagram). For tactical reasons, the e5 pawn can’t be taken, and White’s main threat is Nc3-e4. Hong knew that the silicon oracle recommended 17…d6-d5, but his analysis showed 18 Rg1 maintains a dangerous attack. Mulling this over in the shower, he wondered how to respond if Black plays 17…f5 instead.

To humans, this is very plausible, but a computer won’t flag it up. It loses by force, but the refutation is wildly complex. After his shower, Hong went back to the computer to fill in the gaps. As luck would have it, that was exactly the move chosen by his opponent, after more than 30 minutes thought.

Andrew Hong-David Brodsky,

US Junior Championship, July 2022

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Be7 8 Qf3 Qc7 9 O-O-O Nbd7 10 g4 h6 11 Bxf6 Bxf6 12 h4 Nb6 13 g5 Bxd4 14 Rxd4 Qc5 15 Qf2 This is the first new move of the game.