So the computer wins by default. Doctor Marion Tinsley, 67, decided at the last minute against putting his reputation on the line as the US checkers – draughts – champion by playing a two week, 30-game match at the Boston Computer Centre against Chinook, a program that runs on a 16-processor Silicon Graphics Inc machine, the Wall Street Journal reported. Doctor Tinsley succeeded in beating the program in 1992, but it seems he found the new improved version a little daunting and decided to scratch, pleading ill health. The computer is four times faster than the one previously used and its database is five times bigger, holding 250,000m draughts positions and all the possible outcomes when there are eight or fewer pieces left on the board. It can also calculate up to 40 moves in the future by comparing moves with games played in the past. The new version is said to be close to the peak of its development and if the champion had been beaten, the match could mark a turning point in the peaceful world of draughts by leaving no goals to beat. The American Checker Federation and its counterpart in the UK have refused to accepted Chinook as a competitor in the world championships even though it is second only to Doctor Tinsley, and is therefore technically entitled to take part in the US National Open.
