One Jump Ahead: Computer Perfection at Checkers 2nd ed. 2009 [Mīkstie vāki]

The new edition of this extraordinary book depicts the creation of the world champion checkers computer program, Chinook. Written by the originator and leader of the Chinook team, it also reveals the human factor behind the program’s design.

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.