346 | 31 COmPUTER CHESS—THE fIRST mOmENTS
Conclusion
Turing’s deliberations about computational chess formed a significant element in his theoriz-
ing about the mechanization of intelligence. His first investigations preceded the famous 1949
lecture and 1950 article on computational chess by Shannon: Turing’s pioneering explorations
at Bletchley Park, with Michie and Good, form the earliest known work in the field of compu-
tational chess.
The day after Kasparov gave his lecture he unveiled an English Heritage Blue Plaque com-
memorating Turing (Fig. 31.4), saying:^61
In the sweep of history, there are a few individuals about whom we can say the world would be
a very different place had they not been born.