Gambits and Game Theory

About This Episode

Gambits, game theory, and more – this episode of StarTalk Sports Edition is all about chess! Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice explore chess and a lot more with Jonathan Schaeffer, Professor at the University of Alberta and creator of Chinook, a world champion checkers A.I., and, Alexandra Botez, Woman FIDE Master and host of BotezLive on Twitch. This episode also features Neil’s interview with chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley. 

To start, Jonathan tells us about Chinook and how the advancements of artificial intelligence have influenced checkers, chess, and poker. We discuss IBM’s Deep Blue and how AI thinks differently than humans. Maurice and Neil investigate Bobby Fischer’s genius and whether it stemmed from Fischer being self-taught. You’ll find out the difference between playing “perfect information” games and “imperfect information” games.

Then, Alexandra drops by to help us explore chess in the 21^st century. Find out why, in order to be the best at chess, you have to live and breathe the game. Alexandra tells us why she shifted her focus to content creation and being an ambassador for the sport. You’ll hear about Alexandra’s Twitch channel, BotezLive, that she runs with her sister Andrea. 

We dive into The Queen’s Gambit and its impact on the current chess resurgence. Discover more about gambits in chess and what happens when one is played. Alexandra tells us about the “Botez Gambit.” You’ll hear about different types of speed chess including bullet chess and blitz chess. All that, plus, we investigate 5D chess and quantum chess. 

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.