AI Magazine Volume 9 Number 2 (1988) (© AAAI)

TOURNAMENT REPORT New Hitech Computer Chess Success Hans Berliner

arnegie-Mellon University's 2460. Over this span it has scored 18- Carnegie-Mellon University's Hitech C Hitech chess computer scored 1 against players rated below it, and 3- chess computer scored 5-1 in the Nation- 5-1 in the National Open Chess 8 against players rated above it. Of the al Open Chess Championships held in Championships held in Chicago eight points it lost against players Chicago March 18-20. The Championship March 18-20. The Championship Sec- rated above it, three were losses to Section in which Hitech competed, had tion in which Hitech competed, had International Grandmaster's, three 380 entries. 380 entries. There was a six-way tie were losses to International Master's, for first with 5.5 points between: and there were two draws against International Grandmaster Mikhail players rated over 2500, (one an Inter- Tal (a former world champion), Inter- national Master). national Grandmaster Sergey Kudrin, From previous tournaments rated FIDE Master Michael Brooks, Interna- by FIDE, the international chess fed- tional Master James Rizzitano, Inter- eration, Hitech has achieved a perfor- national Master Calvin Blocker, and mance worthy of a FIDE rating. How- International Grandmaster Leonid ever, at present FIDE is declining to Shamkovich. Tied for seventh with 5 rate computers. Hitech has met every points were: National Master Hitech, qualification but one for achieving a International Grandmaster Maxim rating—it is not a human. If Hitech Dlugy, International Grandmaster were eligible for a rating, its FIDE rat- Walter Browne, International Grand- ing would be 2350, which would qual- master Arthur Bisguier, and nine oth- ify it for the FIDE Master title. ers. Hitech also finished ahead of one International Grandmaster. All the above named humans are among the Postage Surcharge top 30 players in the US No computer Increase for has ever finished this high in such elite company. Its score was achieved Foreign Members by beating four Experts, one Master, and losing to International Grandmas- Due to rising postage costs and ter Kudrin. fluxuating currency exchanges, Hitech's US Chess Federation (USCF) performance rating for this AAAI must reluctantly raise the tournament was 2476, and its rating cost of the AI Magazine for foreign should rise to USCF 2396, a new high subscribers. Thus, effective imme- water mark for computer chess. This diately, the postage surcharge for places it within four rating points of all foreign memberships has been becoming a USCF Senior Master, the raised $3.00— from $15.00 to highest title awarded nationally in chess. It also means that Hitech is $18.00. now ranked about 150th among regis- New foreign membership rates tered US chess players. This tourna- are now: ment is Hitech's best performance $43.00 (Foreign Regular Individual); since finishing first in the Pennsylva- nia State Championship in August, $68.00 (Foreign Library); and 1987. Over its last five tournaments $33.00 (Foreign Student—fulltime). since August 1987, Hitech has achieved a performance rating of

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