The story of AlphaZero has a wider impact. Both professionals and club players will improve their game by studying AlphaZero’s stunning discoveries in every field that matters: opening preparation, piece mobility, initiative, attacking techniques, long-term sacrifices and much more. Game Changer also presents a collection of lucidly explained chess games of astonishing quality. Sadler and Regan reveal its thinking process and tell the story of the human motivation and the techniques that created AlphaZero. They also had unparalleled access to its team of developers and were offered a unique look ‘under the bonnet’ to grasp the depth and breadth of AlphaZero’s search. The selection of ten games published in December 2017 created a worldwide sensation: how was it possible to play in such a brilliant and risky style and not lose a single game against an opponent of superhuman strength?įor Game Changer, Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan investigated more than two thousand previously unpublished games by AlphaZero. The artificial intelligence system, created by DeepMind, had been fed nothing but the rules of the Royal Game when it beat the world’s strongest chess engine in a prolonged match. It took AlphaZero only a few hours of self-learning to become the chess player that shocked the world. Beginners: Chess Computers to Help You Learn.The Silicon Road YouTube channel, the Game Changer YouTube channel and my blog and website on feature more original analysis and instructional articles based around engine games and classic games.

A previous book - Game Changer, co-authored with WIM Natasha Regan - won the ECF Book of the Year prize and the FIDE Book of the Year prize. I've reviewed books for New in Chess for many years, recorded a series of chess videos for and Chessable, and written 9 books, the most recent of which - Re-Engineering the Chess Classics, co-authored with my childhood coach Steve Giddins - appeared in May 2023. Throughout my career I've loved writing about chess. From that point on, my spare time just hasn't been safe from chess!

In 2010, I got the urge to start playing chess again, and my very first tournament back - a strong rapid tournament in Wageningen - ended in victory with a 100% score. I became an International Master at the age of 14, a Grandmaster at the age of 19 and won the British Championship twice, establishing myself as the England No.3 behind Michael Adams and Nigel Short.Īfter retiring in 1999, normal life began as I moved to Holland and started work as an IT Consultant. Chess has been part of my life since my grandfather taught me the moves at the age of 7.

Game changer matthew sadler