Chinook Masters Checkers

Back in 1989, a team of scientists from the University of Alberta–lead by Dr Jonathan Schaeffer–enlisted the help of the world’s top checkers players to create an artificial intelligence that would really, really own at checkers. They named it Chinook.

Three years after its conception, Chinook advanced to the finals of a human world checkers championship and lost. Two years later, in 1994, it became the first computer program to win any kind of human world championship. Now, in 2007, Chinook stands invinicible–at checkers–having figured out how to respond to the game’s 500 billion-BILLION (500,000,000,000,000,000,000) possible moves.

Chinook now contains all the information needed to predict the best move to play in every situation of a game. Even making no mistakes, the best an opponent taking on the programme could achieve would be a draw. [source]

I would like to be the first to acknowledge our new machine masters and let them know I’d have no problem betraying my inferior species should the need arise. I’ve seen Battlestar Galactica. I know what’s up. If you’re into futile exercises, feel free to challenge Chinook.

Tags: artificial intelligence, Battlestar Galactica, Checkers, Chinook, University of Alberta