Commentary for white move 24:

YASSER SEIRAWAN: Well, I mean I'd be happy to beat the pants off of you, too. But, no, I'm very impressed that -- (both players smiling and raising eyebrows.) (Audience laughter.) Sorry about that, Joel. Actually that's very impressive that the computer could defeat you so well in these positions. Because these are difficult positions for computers to play, and you've demonstrated to your own satisfaction that Deep Blue can play them quite well.

MIKE VALVO: I have an interesting question for you, Joel. Yesterday the computer did not do so well in a positional situation, yet today it's doing very well in a positional situation. What's the difference between yesterday and today? JOEL BENJAMIN: Well, people often talk about positional chess vs. strategical chess, strategical positions. We have a move here.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: We do indeed. Re8-c8. JOEL BENJAMIN: When we talk about positional chess, that encompasses a very wide spectrum of positions. You know, certain types of strategical positions require certain knowledge, and other positions require different knowledge. And I'd say that there are, of course, positions where Deep Blue does not handle the strategy very well. Obviously that's the case. But there are positions that we would think of as positional or strategical that it can handle very well. And I think it can handle this kind of position pretty well. It can see what it wants to accomplish. It wants to try to open some lines for its pieces and try to attack some weak pawns on the queen-side, if it can, and so, so far, the strategy hasn't been that complicated.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: I just put on the board the moves Rc1-a1 for white, Qc7-d8 for black, dropping back to defend the a8 rook. axb5. Do we have a move? Indeed, Deep Blue has played Rc1-a1. We got some moves. I'm two-for-two today. And now axb5? JOEL BENJAMIN: I'm guessing that the idea is that -- do we actually have -- has axb5 actually been played? It has not been played, okay. I was going to attempt to guess what Deep Blue was thinking with that move, but it hasn't actually played it. But if it does play t one of the ideas could be to put a rook on a5 and --

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