Born on May 11
Deep Blue Beats the Chess Champion
The day a computer won at chess.
Next: May 11, 2027
Where it comes from
On 11 May 1997, at the Equitable Center in New York, IBM's Deep Blue won the sixth and final game of its rematch with the world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, and took the match 3½–2½. It was the first time a computer had beaten a reigning world champion in a match under standard tournament time controls.
How it's celebrated
There is no organised observance, but it is a good day to play a game of chess, with a friend, a child or a computer, or to replay that sixth game, which Kasparov resigned after just 19 moves.
Did you know
Deep Blue used 32 processors working in parallel and could evaluate 200 million chess positions a second.
Read the full story of Deep Blue Beats the Chess Champion
Star sign
Taurus · April 20 – May 20 · Earth sign
Steady and loyal, with a weakness for good food and comfortable things.