Commentary for white move 5:

MAURICE ASHLEY: Deep Blue has responded instantly by playing Nxe4, and now Kasparov -- GK MOVE: 4...Nd7

MAURICE ASHLEY: That's a move that aze arch-rival Anatoly Karpov often plays. Mike, Kasparov has not played one opening that we would call a real opening, a dip cal Kasparov opening.

DB MOVE: 5 Ng5

MIKE VALVO: By the way, Garry has played the Caro-Kann before. I have seen some games that he has played. So it's not totally new to him. It's very interesting that he is playing this line because this could be a very complicated line, very topical. So the computer is going to have a lot of what we call book moves, a lot of storeed positions. This is the most topical thing in the Caro-Kann today, this particular line. So the computer could play quickly for the next 15 moves.

MAURICE ASHLEY: Well, Yaz, this last move, Ne4-g5, to many beginners' eyes, we know the principle don't move a piece twice in the opening if you don't have to. And here this knight has moved from e4 to g5 it seems without any provocation. Why don't you explain to us why this is.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: Do I have to? (Audience laughter.)

MAURICE ASHLEY: You're the Grandmaster.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: I don't want to reveal any of my secrets now. No, chess theory has evolved over a long, long, long period of time. And this move Ne4-g5 has been played after thousands and thousands of previous games where they played Nf3, Bc4, Qe2, and other such moves. But the idea of the move knight g5, in principle, is to create an early attack against the f7 square, forcing black to play e7-e6, and then the knight usually tries to gain control of the e5 square. It's become a favorite weapon, and especially in the mid-eighties it was played almost constantly for white. As you mentioned, Anatoly Karpov is a great defender of the Caro-Kann position, a very illustrious career with the black pieces, and I think it very likely that we will see one of those openings that are analyzed out for 15 or 20 moves, because it's going to be now very hard for Kasparov to avoid those lines. In these types of positions, you don't want to play anything original, because you could get into a lot of trouble early. I think that he's going to play one of the main lines and be satisfied with the resulting position.

MAURICE ASHLEY: But isn't this the kind of position that often tends to a draw? A lot of people say the Caro-Kann is a drawish opening. If you want to win, you've got to play something sharp like the Sicilian. Does he want to draw today, Mike? Is Kasparov happy with a draw today and result in a drawn match?

MIKE VALVO: Obviously he's not going to be happy, but he doesn't want to lose, either! (Audience laughter.) So he's going to play a nice, solid opening. He's noticed by now that he's doing the best in the endgame against this machine, although the machine seems to be getting away at the last moment every time. He still is doing better in the endgame than any other phase of the game. Yesterday he did well in the beginning, then the computer really fought back hard and, gosh, it looked like the computer was getting an edge, and we went into an endgame, and it looked like Garry was just creaming the computer, going to queen a pawn, and all of the sudden they agreed to a draw right in front of our eyes. Nonetheless the endgame offers the best chances for Garry and that's where he's heading. He's hoping to steer through a middle game, beat back the attack that Deep Thought -- Deep Blue -- used to be Deep Thought -- that Deep Blue is presenting in front of it, and hoping for the endgame. So we may have a very clear-cut, easy-to-follow kind of game, and that's what the audience seems to appreciate. There was one game, I think it was game four, where everybody followed from beginning toned the whole game and I suspect this will be an easy game to follow, very strategic in nature, simple. It will be Yasser's kind of game, he likes this kind of game, he's going to enjoy it, he's going to say yes, the Caro-Kann is vindicated, but the rest of us know it can't be true.

YASSER SEIRAWAN: Thanks for that set up. Let me just say on behalf of myself and other Caro-Kann players, yes, in general we take the perspective that white with the opening move has the opportunity of building up an advantage. So the Caro-Kann really is an equalizing weapon. But it doesn't necessarily mean that just because I play the Caro-Kann I'm playing for a draw. The Caro-Kann is a very solid setup for black and if white overpresses, he easily ends up a victim.

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