Previously a geeks-only proposition, distributed computing is coming to middle America. Chess players the world over will have a chance to play Garry Kasparov in a networked chess game that will allow players to band together and combat the champion chess master.
The collaborative competition, which will take place on MSN, is another example of the possible uses of distributed computing, a process scientists have used for years to break up complex calculations into smaller, more manageable jobs. These jobs can then be done simultaneously by several individuals on several different computers, rather than by one individual on a single machine.
Other distributed computing projects include the University of California at Berkeley's SETI@home program and the cracking of the DES code.
In the summer-long chess match that begins later this month, MSN and Kasparov hope the combined expertise of the World Team will make for a match even more exciting than Kasparov's famous series with IBM's chess-playing computer Deep Blue.
"Kasparov's depth of knowledge is absolutely unparalleled in chess history, but this match may cause Garry some problems," said Paul Hodges, agent and spokesman for Irina Krush, World Team coach.
"All over the world, players will be accessing their databases of chess games and working on their strategies. With so many players tackling the task of playing Kasparov, he may be in for some surprising competition," Hodges said.
The product manager of MSN Gaming Zone, Eddie Ranchigoda, agreed that the game won't be an easy ride for Kasparov.
"Deep Blue involved lots of microprocessors in one supercomputer, but here we have the accumulated brain power of the world," Ranchigoda said.
"[Kasparov] said he expected this to be a very difficult match simply because of the sheer number of players," he added. "He cannot predict what they'll do. He cannot understand the psychology of this huge group the way he could intimidate a single player."
The World Team will make its moves under the guidance of four young chess experts who will suggest countermoves to each of Kasparov's moves.
Once Kasparov makes a move, the World Team will have 18 hours to vote for a countermove after hashing out the proper strategy on MSN's bulletin boards and chat rooms. Players who wish to vote for a countermove will do so on MSN's virtual chessboard, with votes tabulated and posted 24 hours after each Kasparov move.
"This sort of chess-by-committee has interesting implications," said David McNett, co-founder of nonprofit distributed computing research foundation Distributed.net. "Not only can you tap into the knowledge banks of players, but you can use the chess information contained on each player's machine to help formulate the best move."
McNett insists that distributed computing is the next "killer app" online. "If you use the combined power of say, 15,000 or 20,000 machines -- a tiny fraction of the number of computers online -- you can accomplish what it took a multimillion-dollar mainframe machine to do five years ago," McNett said.
"This is just another example of the ways distributed computing can be used when each new AOL customer is a possible distributed computing node.... We don't know where distributed computing is going, exactly, but we do know it's well on its way," McNett said.
Even Kasparov agreed. "Since the birth of the Internet, which has significantly affected the game of chess, I have dreamed of this type of match," the chess master said in a prepared statement. "No matter who you are or where you live, whether you're a grandmaster or a casual player, technology gives you the opportunity to take part in the biggest chess event in history."
Kasparov makes his first move on 21 June and each of his subsequent moves 48 hours thereafter until the conclusion of the match.
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