Another chapter in the man versus machine battle is about to be written later this month when Vladimir Kramnik takes on the ultra-powerful software program Deep Fritz in a much anticipated matchup. The official announcement was displayed on Mr. Kramniks site and reads as follows:

Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik vs. the world’s leading chess computer, Deep Fritz: The much-anticipated WORLD CHESS CHALLEGE (WCC) 2006 will be held from November 25 to December 5, 2006 in the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn.

The first game in the match is scheduled for Saturday, November 25, and I’ll be posting updates throughout the proceedings. For his part, Kramnik is apparently quite humble when estimating his chances against the silicon opponent.

“The machine is the clear favorite, but don’t discount me just yet. I know
some top players would be very nervous about playing the computer – they might even avoid this kind of match. That’s understandable since a cut-and-dried defeat can affect your future game.”

When the human player makes a mistake in these types of matches, it is typically brought on due to tiredness or loss of concentration (not one of mis-understanding). In any case, it’s only a few weeks until we’ll know the results of how this one will turn out!