Man vs. machine rematch

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Man. Machine. Why can't we all just get along? In yet another rematch with a silicon foe, former world champion Garry Kasparov is taking on an upgraded version of the German program Fritz in a four-game match that got under way this week in New York.

Kasparov, still the highest-rated player in the world, took the fight to the computer in the first game, winning an exchange and building up a dangerous initiative. But some poky play by the human and the computer's accurate counterattacking defense forced Kasparov to permit a draw by perpetual check after 37 moves.

Thursday's Game 2 proved a complete disaster for Kasparov, who overlooked a simple pin in a level position, dropped a pawn and had to concede after 39 moves. Thus the human finds himself in big hole with two games to go. The winner of the match, which winds up Tuesday, gets $200,000.

As if the pressure of upholding humanity's pride were not enough, Kasparov is being forced to don oversized "virtual reality" sunglasses and do his calculations on a floating 3-D image of a chessboard as a nod to match sponsor X3D Technologies Corp. The Russian admitted that adjusting to the technology, which required him to call out moves, was a bit of a struggle.

On the local scene, Maryland-based GM Alex Wojtkiewicz took a clear first place in the 35th Virginia Open, held last weekend in Quantico. FM Rodion Rubenchik (who drew with the winner) and NM Stan Fink (who nearly beat the winner in a hard-fought game) tied for second a half-point back at 4-1.

In the Under-1900 Amateur section, Richard Frazer, William Carroll and Santy Wong all finished at 41/2-1/2, with Frazer taking the title on tie-breaks. Some 110 players competed in the two sections. We'll have more details and a game or two from the Open next week.

Maryland native Mark Diesen was one of the brightest young American stars to emerge in the wake of Bobby Fischer's 1972 world title match in Reykjavik, Iceland. One of the area's strongest players, Diesen stunned the chess world in 1976 by winning both the U.S. junior and the world junior crowns.

Those proved to be the highlights of his early career, however, and soon he was surpassed by a crop of younger U.S. stars and largely dropped from the scene.