Commentary for white move 4:

YASSER SEIRAWAN: Strangely enough the game has transposed into a normal English opening, an English opening, /TPHO*UFR, is normally derived from white's initial first move, 1 c2-c4. So we're going to see a transposition. GK MOVE: 4 a3

MAURICE ASHLEY: Are there any drawbacks to the set up Kasparov has chosen, an early A 1920 an early d3, without bringing the knights out? I know that normally the knights go to c3 and the g2 pan is advanced to g3.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: Well, one of the ideal things that I relish about the English opening is its flexibility, as well as the opportunity to counterattack. The move a2-a3 234 combination with the move d2-d3 is inviting an open Sicilian style game. An open Sicilian reversed where white has an extra tell me positive. If we were to see the move d7-d5 by the computer at this moment, we would be transposing directly into a Najdorf Sicilian, a Najdorf Defense Sicilian by white where he would have the black pieces with an extra tempo. The Najdorf is an absolute favorite defense of Garry Kasparov. So Garry seems to be inviting Deep Blue the opportunity to play white but that he, Garry, would have an extra tell me positive in his favorite defense.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Mike, continuing that point. Is this the wise thing, though? Is this the wise policy? We've seen Kasparov switch back and forth with strategies against the computer. And it hasn't seemed to frazzle Deep Blue at all.

MIKE VALVO: Yeah, here's the strategy. Computers are not very good in the openings. You want to get them out of book as soon as possible, and by playing these weird, unusual lines, they'll get out of book early. They won't have very long lines and they'll be on their own. That's the idea, get them on their own. Now, whether getting them on their own is a good idea or not, we'll see. I have seen computers start the game with a3 as the first move trying to get their opponents out of mark.

MAURICE ASHLEY: We've seen Kasparov play this sort of cagey style chess, sort of back style chess. Just like the comment on his /KPHAOERPB at the moment it seems like he's exactly where he wants to be, since he's already gotten up from the board which is somewhat unusual at this very early stage. Game, he's walking around, photographers taking pictures, the press in the room for the first few minutes -- few minutes so they're taking pictures of the goes on as Deep Blue thinks of the next move. Clearly we're out of Deep Blue's book because it's thinking this earlier, would have responded instantaneously as it has for the first three moves.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: We could almost describe this as the Kasparov pace, huh, because he just walks around. I have played Garry a number of times in international competitions all over the world, and I have been in this position as the Deep Blue operator watching the Garry Kasparov pace back and forth as he circles the board almost like a lion ready to jump in there and relish his piece of meat.

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