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    Game ChangerMatthew Sadler

    Game Changer

    Matthew Sadler, Natasha Regan, Garry Kasparov · 2019

    "It took AlphaZero only a few hours of self-learning to become the chess player that shocked the world. The artificial intelligence system, created by DeepMind, had been fed nothing but the rules of the Royal Game when it beat the world's strongest chess engine in a prolonged match. The selection of ten games published in December 2017 created a worldwide sensation: how was it possible to play in such a brilliant and risky style and not lose a single game against an opponent of superhuman strength? For Game Changer, Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan investigated more than two thousand previously unpublished games by AlphaZero. They also had unparalleled access to its team of developers and were offered a unique look 'under the bonnet' to grasp the depth and breadth of AlphaZero's search. Sadler and Regan reveal its thinking process and tell the story of the human motivation and the techniques that created AlphaZero. Game Changer also presents a collection of lucidly explained chess games of astonishing quality. Both professionals and club players will improve their game by studying AlphaZero's stunning discoveries in every field that matters: opening preparation, piece mobility, initiative, attacking techniques, long-term sacrifices and much more. The story of AlphaZero has a wider impact. Game Changer offers intriguing insights into the opportunities and horizons of Artificial Intelligence.

    AI & Machine LearningArts, Games & Media
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    1recommend
    2mentions
    2people
    2022–2025years
    50% recommend50% neutral

    Mentions per year

    2022202320242025

    What Hacker News says

    1. mquanderNov 2025
      I recommend Matthew Sadler's Game Changer and The Silicon Road To Chess Improvement.
      thread
    2. JoshColeJun 2022
      Another counterpoint is that the same technology applied to chess rediscovered human opening theory - then extended it in some openings. In chess, you don't have to write a research paper to make a notable contribution. If people find your move beautiful, they put a little exclamation point next to it in the notation. AlphaZero gets plenty of those - enough for a book about its play [1].

      This took multiple human generations for us to accomplish, with literal geniuses applied to the task and spending their whole lives on it. Rediscovery and expansion happened in a wall clock time that is better measured in minutes than generations.

      [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Game-Changer-AlphaZeros-Groundbreakin...

      thread

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