Poole - HAL 9000
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In the movie , the astronaut Frank Poole is seen playing chess with the HAL 9000 supercomputer. As HAL is supposed to be an infallible supercomputer, no one is surprised when HAL soundly defeats Poole. Stanley Kubrick was a chess player, so unlike many chess scenes shown in other films, the position and analysis actually makes sense. The actual game seems to come from Roesch - Schlage, Hamburg 1910, a tournament game between two lesser-known masters.
Game score
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Opening: Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack, C86
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2 b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.c3 O-O 8.O-O d5?
This move loses a pawn.
9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nf4 11.Qe4 Nxe5 12.Qxa8?
This move deflects the queen, allowing Black to mount a kingside attack. The move 12.Qxf4 would have regained the Knight and held the position.
12... Qd3 13.Bd1?
White is lost anyway, but 13.Re1 would put up more resistance.
13... Bh3!
Black also has 13... Bg4, winning a piece.
14.Qxa6?
The movie picks up the game here — see the diagram to the right. White abandons the long diagonal and moves into a forced mate. Even after 14.Qb7 c6 15.Qxe7 Bxg2 16.Re1 Nf3+ 17.Bxf3 Qxf3, mate is not far off.
14... Bxg2 15.Re1 Qf3 16.0-1
HAL's analysis from the movie is 16.Bxf3 Nxf3#. While it is true that White has lost the game, it is not a mate in two, as HAL claims. This is a very subtle foreshadowing of either HAL's breakdown or of his deception of the crew. Poole resigns without questioning HAL's analysis.
See also
External links
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