News image50 Things That Made the Modern Economy, 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy, Chess algorithms

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

Chess algorithms

22 February 2020

10 minutes

Available for over a year

In 1997, Garry Kasparov, widely regarded as the world's greatest chess player, was defeated by Deep Blue, a computer. But how much did that reveal about the 'brainpower' of machines? Tim Harford explains by delving into the history of algorithms. They've been used by mathematicians and scientists for millennia, but have acquired a new level of power and importance in the digital age.