Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before?
Teachers, not yet a subscriber?
Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine.
You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page...
Announcements & Tutorials
Renew Now, Pay Later
Sharing Google Activities
2 min.
Setting Up Student View
Exploring Your Issue
Using Text to Speech
Join Our Facebook Group!
1 min.
Subscriber Only Resources
Access this article and hundreds more like it with a subscription to Scholastic Math magazine.
STANDARDS
CCSS: 6.NS.C.6.C, MP3, MP5, MP8
TEKS: 6.11A
Article Options
Presentation View
Man vs. Machine: Chess Showdown
BACKGROUND: As you read the panels, use chess coordinates to learn about the matches between a human and an early artificial intelligence (AI). In 1989, IBM made a supercomputer called Deep Blue, which was programmed to play chess. To test Deep Blue, IBM challenged the best: World Chess Champion and Grandmaster Garry Kasparov. The world was captivated! News outlets kept them updated on the matches. Use the online answer sheet to record your answers.
Each square on a chessboard has coordinates, using letters on the x-axis and numbers on the y-axis. Players notate how they move their pieces using these coordinates.
Use the chessboards to answer the following questions. The symbol for each piece is shown below. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.
Pawns can move forward 1 space or diagonally 1 space to capture.* The pawn at which location can move to g4?A a4 B h8 C b7 D g3
*Pawns can move 2 space forward from their starting positions.
Bishops move diagonally. Which of these spaces can the black bishop move to?
A e4 B h7 C f4 D a6
Horse-shaped knights move in an L shape: either 2 spaces horizontally and 1 vertically or 1 space horizontally and 2 vertically. Which white piece can the black knight capture?
A knight B pawn C queen
A castle-shaped rook moves in a line horizontally or vertically. Which of these spaces can the black rook move to?A d2 B h5 C f8 D a7
The powerful queen can move any number of spaces in a line. Which of these spaces can the white queen not move to?
A b5 B g4 C a5 D f1
You win when you trap your opponent’s king. The king can move only 1 space in any direction. Which piece currently has the black king in “check,” forcing it to move out of danger?
In the first game, Kasparov was playing white and Deep Blue was playing black. At the end of Game 1, the chessboard looked like the board above. What are the coordinates of: Kasparov’s king?Deep Blue’s king?
In the second game, Kasparov was playing black and Deep Blue was playing white. At the end of Game 2, the chessboard looked like the one above. What are the coordinates of the remaining white pawns? The remaining black ones?White pawnBlack pawn
A. In Game 5, Kasparov was playing black. For his third move Kasparov moved a bishop to the space above the pawn at g3. What was the bishop’s starting place? How many spaces did it travel diagonally?
B. On his next turn, could Kasparov move a black knight into row 7? (Knights can “hop” over other pieces during their move.) Explain your reasoning.
When Game 6 ended, pawns were at these locations: Black: a7, g7, h6, b5 White: f5, c4, d4, b2, f2, g2, h2. Mark the pawns on the board.
CAN COMPUTERS THINK? Engineers, philosophers, and others have tried to answer this question for decades . . . and the answer is still unclear. But today, AI is everywhere. Modern AI uses machine learning, where the AI learns from input and constantly improves itself. Machines with AI can make decisions and respond to prompts in a humanlike way. Here’s where you can find AI today!
Driverless Cars
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
When a self-driving car changes lanes or stops for a red light, it’s using AI. The AI is trained to recognize obstacles and rules of the road, so it can make the best decisions about how to safely get passengers to their destinations.
Video Games
Alistair Berg/Getty Images
There are often non-player characters (NPCs) in video games that are powered by AI to react to your inputs. Developers program NPCs with decision trees, which the AI uses to pick the best reaction based on what the player is doing.
Social Media
Shutterstock.com
As you scroll through your feeds on TikTok and YouTube, new creators appear. How are the apps so good at finding ones you’ll like? AI! Social media platforms collect data on what you interact with and use it to suggest new posts and videos. So if you watch a few videos on the same topic—like slime-making or cute animals—you’ll see more recommended in your feed!
Virtual Assistants
If you’ve ever said, “Hey, Siri” or “OK, Google,” you’ve talked to an AI! These virtual assistants recognize and act on voice commands—from quick internet searches to setting a timer. Virtual assistants can also control electronics they’re connected to.
Chat Programs
JYPIX/Alamy Stock Photo
ChatGPT is making waves as a super-realistic language learning program. You can have a conversation with it on various topics. Many companies use simpler customer service chatbots powered by AI to answer shoppers’ questions. But don’t ask ChatGPT to do your homework—it’s not very good at math!