Fritz Leiber's "The 64-Square Madhouse"

[IanO]

I ran across a funny golden era science fiction story, concerning the first computer appearance in a GM tournament. It is "The 64-Square Madhouse" by Fritz Leiber, first published in 1962. Although more well known for his sword and sorcery fiction, Fritz was a chess expert himself, and this story gets a lot of details spot-on. Many famous chess players are caricatured: the tournament lineup is William Angler, Bela Grabo, Ivan Jal, Igor Jandorf, Dr. S. Krakatower, Vassily Lysmov, Maxim Serek, Moses Sherevsky, and Mikhael Votbinnik. (Most are obvious plays on words, but I haven't figured out who the nervous Hungarian Bela Grabo is based on.)

There are some amazing details about "The Machine". In reference to the best computer of the era, IBM's Alex Bernstein's program which could look 4 moves ahead, the Machine reached GM level by looking twice as deep, a full 8 moves ahead! The Machine itself was from WBM (World Business Machines, IBM's competitor), who sponsored the tournament. It won most games due to novelty and playing to the opponents' weaknesses, but it also lost in ways we would all relate to: once due to a bug and crash so that it moved three pieces simultaneously (losing to the weakest entrant, naturally), once due to horizon effect (combo was ten moves long), and once due to book cooking (Angler's fan club found a mistake in MCO leading to immediate mate in 3).

I found the story in "IF reader of science fiction", 1967. It is probably also in one of Fritz Leiber's story collections. I wonder if this story's programmer-psychologist, Simon Great, inspired any of the early computer chess greats?

[Albert Silver]

I ran across a funny golden era science fiction story, concerning the first computer appearance in a GM tournament. It is "The 64-Square Madhouse" by Fritz Leiber, first published in 1962. Although more well known for his sword and sorcery fiction, Fritz was a chess expert himself, and this story gets a lot of details spot-on. Many famous chess players are caricatured: the tournament lineup is William Angler, Bela Grabo, Ivan Jal, Igor Jandorf, Dr. S. Krakatower, Vassily Lysmov, Maxim Serek, Moses Sherevsky, and Mikhael Votbinnik. (Most are obvious plays on words, but I haven't figured out who the nervous Hungarian Bela Grabo is based on.)

My guess is Laszlo Szabo.

[Eelco de Groot]

Szabo, that's what I thought too. Oh, William Angler must be Bobby Fisher, I realize now. He was still very young in 1962. 'Votbinnik' would be a wonderful name for a chessprogram. In Dutch that sounds like "Wat ben ik?" spoken with a foreign accent. An existential name! Simon Great, programmer and psychologist is I think inspired by our own prof. Adrian de Groot

Eelco

[syzygy]

'Votbinnik' would be a wonderful name for a chessprogram. In Dutch that sounds like "Wat ben ik?" spoken with a foreign accent. An existential name!

Wonderful indeed!

[IanO]

(Most are obvious plays on words, but I haven't figured out who the nervous Hungarian Bela Grabo is based on.)

My guess is Laszlo Szabo.

Ah, that must be it, thanks! In the story, Grabo got first draw against The Machine and took on the stereotype of the picky diva, constantly complaining about the blinkenlights on the computer, but then needing to see them again when they were covered up. Eventually, he made a mistake in a winning position due to time pressure.