Written by Steve Sheinkin and Maurice Ashley
Illustrated by Thien Pham
Roaring Brook Press, 2026. Comic. 240 pgs.
It’s May 1997, and the hopes of humanity are resting on the shoulders of one man; the world chess champion named Garry Kasparov. In an epic 6-match showdown, Garry takes on IBM’s new chess supercomputer called Deep Blue. By 1997, computers had been playing chess for nearly 50 years. In 1988 a computer had even beat a grandmaster under tournament conditions. But this wasn’t any ordinary chess computer, and Garry Kasparov wasn’t just any chess player. In this true battle of human intelligence against artificial intelligence – who would come out on top? And could anyone blame people for hopig the humans would win?
Sheinkin partners with chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley to recount the story of an ultimate battle of man against creation. Sheinkin is predictably fantastic, telling this high-interest story with a strong narrative running throughout. Maurice Ashley, who was a commentator for the 1997 showdown, provides an interesting framing device for the story. He shows up as a character in the book, telling the story of the chess match to children in the park. His firsthand account, coupled with Sheinkin’s skill for detail results in a story even reluctant readers will want to read in a single sitting. The graphic novel format is incredibly successful here as well, with illustrations that add to the intensity of this epic chess battle. Readers might consider our own modern struggles of human versus artificial intelligence.
