Twenty-four years ago on Monday, a world chess champion came up against a force too great to overcome: a computer. Garry Kasparov lost the first game of a six-game match on February 10, 1996, against ...

There was a time, not long ago, when computers—mere assemblages of silicon and wire and plastic that can fly planes, drive cars, translate languages, and keep failing hearts beating—could really, ...

Oliver Roeder is a journalist, author and games player. He is a former senior writer for FiveThirtyEight, where he covered the World Chess Championship and other gaming pursuits. The following is ...