How Chess Reinvented itself in the Age of AI
When Garry Kasparov lost to IBM’s Deep Blue in 1997, the world witnessed more than a sporting upset. It was the symbolic clash of human intuition with computational brute force — and for the first time, the machine won. To many, it felt like the end of chess as we knew it. If even the sharpest human mind couldn’t outthink silicon, what future did the game have? Yet what followed was not decline but reinvention. Chess didn’t collapse; it transformed, expanded, and in many ways became even more alive.
In this episode, Kedar Kulkarni, who teaches economics at Azim Premji University, takes us through that unlikely journey of adaptation. He explains how the game moved from the raw calculation power of Deep Blue to the sophisticated engines of today — engines that don’t just count moves but recognize patterns, refine strategies, and sometimes play in ways no human would dare. He shows how grandmasters across the world now train differently: running positions through engines, preparing openings against lines discovered by machines, and even using AI to spot the invisible mistakes in their games. Training has shifted from human-to-human sparring to a hybrid of memory, intuition, and algorithmic insight.
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Just as importantly, chess itself has changed form. With the rise of online platforms, shorter formats like blitz and bullet have exploded in popularity, turbocharged by streaming culture and AI-enabled matchmaking. The game that was once thought too slow for mass audiences is now consumed in quick, adrenaline-filled bursts — without losing its depth. AI hasn’t killed the romance of the game; it has forced chess to reimagine itself for new generations.
But this story isn’t just about sixty-four squares. Chess is a test case for how other sports might face the AI revolution. From cricket using predictive analytics to football teams running simulations and esports relying on algorithmic matchmaking, the lessons of chess are clear: resistance is futile, adaptation is survival. The challenge for every sport is to strike the balance between technological advantage and human creativity.
This conversation is not only about technology but also about culture: how players, fans, and entire sporting ecosystems respond when the rules of the game are rewritten by machines.
Credits
Akshay Ramuhalli, Bruce Lee Mani, Gorveck Thokchom, Kishor Mandal, Kruthika Rao, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Ram Sheshadri, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar.
Special thanks to Kedar Kulkarni for being part of this episode.