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One Jump Ahead

Computer Perfection at Checkers

  • Book
  • © 2009

Overview

Authors:
  1. Jonathan Schaeffer

    1. Dept. Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    View author publications

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  • An account of Chinook--the computer program that perfected checkers--updated and in softcover
  • A must-read for those interested in artificial intelligence, software development and the design of computer games
  • Author is a world-renowned expert at the University of Alberta's GAMES Group
  • New edition features accounts from key players in this unique software project, offering varying perspectives on the events
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (37 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages 1-15
    Download chapter PDF

  2. The Opening Game

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
      Download chapter PDF

    2. I Feel I Can’t Lose

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-2

    3. ThisWas Going To Be Easy

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-19

    4. BottomlessWell

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-9

  3. The Middle Game

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Valuable Lessons

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-18

    3. The Illusion of Intelligence

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-17

    4. A Nobel Turing Trio

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-13

    5. Didn’t Samuel Solve That Game?

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-11

    6. The Case for the Prosecution

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-23

    7. As Close to Perfection As Humanly Possible

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-7

    8. You Look Like a Checkers Player

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-12

    9. The Fudge Factor

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-26

    10. I Feel Like a Teenager Again

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-28

    11. Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-25

    12. Trust Me

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-8

    13. A Wake-Up Call

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-15

    14. Prelude to Disaster

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-28

    15. Programmed by God

      • Jonathan Schaeffer
      Pages 1-23
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Keywords

About this book

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a decade since One Jump Ahead: Challenging Human Supremacy at Checkers was published. I’m delighted to have the oppor- nity to update and expand the book. The ?rst edition ended on a sad note and that was re?ected in the writing. It is now eleven years later and the project has come to a satisfying conclusion. Since its inception, the checkers project has consumed eighteen years of my life— twenty if you count the pre-CHINOOK and post-solving work. It’s hard for me to believe that I actually stuck with it for that long. My wife, Steph, would probably have something witty to say about my obsessive behavior. Rereading the book after a decade was dif?cult for me. When I originally wrote One Jump Ahead, I vowed to be candid in my telling of the story. That meant being honest about what went right and what went wrong. I have been criticized for being hard on some of the characters. That may be so, but I hope everyone will agree that the person receiving the most criticism was, justi?ably, me. I tried to be balanced in the storytelling, re?ecting things as they really happened and not as some sanitized everyone-lived-happily-ever-after tale.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Dept. Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Jonathan Schaeffer

About the author

The scientists who developed Chinook rigorously proved that Chinook can never lose, i.e. computer checkers has been solved.  Author Schaeffer detailed the process on the web site of the journal Science in July 2007, and the story has since been reported in the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, USA Today, Discover Magazine, as well as on MSNBC and CNN, among others.

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