MIMMS MUSEUMDIGITAL ARCHIVE
Home › Catalog › Mainframes & Supercomputers
Mainframes & Supercomputers

Deep Blue

An IBM chess computer that beat world champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match in 1997.

Deep Blue was a custom IBM RS/6000 SP supercomputer built for chess. Computer scientist Feng-hsiung Hsu designed it. The project was renamed Deep Blue in 1989 after Hsu and Murray Campbell joined IBM Research.

In 1996 it played Garry Kasparov in a six-game match. It won one game, drew two and lost three. After an upgrade, it won the 1997 rematch by winning two games and drawing three.

Why it matters

Deep Blue defeated world champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match in 1997, a milestone for machine play.

Key facts

  • Built on an IBM RS/6000 SP supercomputer.
  • Designed by Feng-hsiung Hsu.
  • Lost the 1996 match to Kasparov, one win, two draws, three losses.
  • Won the 1997 rematch, two wins and three draws.
  • Named as a play on IBM's nickname, Big Blue.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Deep Blue (chess computer)", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_(chess_computer), accessed October 14, 2026.
  2. Wikipedia, "Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_versus_Garry_Kasparov, background reading, accessed October 14, 2026.