Levy versus Chess 1978

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David Levy against Chess 4.7

Current ICGA-President and International Master David Levy is also well known about his famous bet with John McCarthy in 1968, that within the next ten years no chess program would beat him in a tournament match. Levy won the bet in 1978, winning a match against Chess 4.7 in Toronto. He drew the first one, won game 2 and 3, lost game 4 and finally won game 5 and the match with 3½ - 1½.

Games

Game 1

[Event "Canadian National Exhibition, Levy-Chess 4.7 Match"]
[Site "Toronto"]
[Date "1978.08.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "David Levy"]
[Black "Chess 4.7"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 e5 3.d3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.0-0 Bd7 6.b3 Bc5 7.Bb2 Qe7 8.a3 e4 9.Ne1 0-0 10.d4 Bd6 11.e3
Ng4 12.h3 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Qg5 14.g4 Qxe3+ 15.Rf2 Bg3 16.Qe2 Qxf2+ 17.Qxf2 Bxf2+ 18.Kxf2 f5 19.gxf5 Ne7
20.c4 Rxf5+ 21.Kg1 c6 22.Nc3 Rh5 23.Kh2 Rf8 24.Nd1 Ng6 25.Rc1 Bxh3 26.Bxh3 Rf1 27.Ng2 Rf3 28.cxd5
Rhxh3+ 29.Kg1 cxd5 30.Rc8+ Nf8 31.Bc3 Rd3 32.Nde3 Rhxe3 33.Nxe3 Rxe3 34.Bb4 Rf3 35.Rd8 h6 36.Rxd5
Rxb3 37.Rd8 Rf3 38.Ra8 g5 39.d5 h5 40.d6 Kg7 41.Rxa7 Rf7 42.Ra5 Kf6 43.Bc3+ Kg6 44.Re5 Rf3 45.Bb4
Rf4 46.Re7 Rf7 47.Rxe4 Rd7 48.Re7 h4 49.Kg2 g4 50.Kh2 b6 51.Kg2 Rd8 52.a4 Nd7 53.a5 Nf6 54.axb6 Nd5
55.b7 Nxe7 56.dxe7 Rh8 57.Bd6 Kf6 58.b8=Q Rxb8 59.Bxb8 Kxe7 60.Bf4 Kf6 61.Bd2 Kg6 62.Be1 Kg5 63.Bf2
Kh5 64.Be1 1/2-1/2

First game on Lichess.org

Game 2

[Event "Canadian National Exhibition, Levy-Chess 4.7 Match"]
[Site "Toronto"]
[Date "1978.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Chess 4.7"]
[Black "David Levy"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.Nc3 c5 2.e4 Nc6 3.f4 a6 4.Nf3 g6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7 7.Be3 d6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Be2 Rb8 10.Qc1 Qa5
11.Bd2 Qb6 12.Na4 Qa7 13.Nc3 Bd4 14.Nd1 Nf6 15.c3 Bb6 16.Qc2 Ng4 17.Qa4 0-0 18.Bxg4 Bxg4 19.Qxc6
Bxd1 20.Kxd1 Be3 21.b3 Bxd2 22.Kxd2 Rbc8 23.Qa4 Qf2+ 24.Kd3 Qxg2 25.Qd4 Qf3+ 26.Kc2 Qe2+ 27.Kc1 e5
28.fxe5 dxe5 29.Qxe5 Rfe8 30.Qg3 Rxe4 31.Qh3 Rd8 32.Qf1 Qd2+ 33.Kb1 Re2 34.Qxe2 Qxe2 35.Re1 Qxe1+
36.Kb2 Rd2+ 37.Ka3 Qxa1
0-1

Game 3

[Event "Canadian National Exhibition, Levy-Chess 4.7 Match"]
[Site "Toronto"]
[Date "1978.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "David Levy"]
[Black "Chess 4.7"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.a3 Nc6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.d3 Nxc3 6.bxc3 e5 7.g3 Be7 8.Bg2 Qd6 9.Nf3 Be6 10.0-0 0-0
11.Qa4 Qc5 12.Bd2 b5 13.Qc2 f6 14.Rfb1 Rad8 15.Qb2 Rb8 16.Be3 Qd6 17.Nd2 Bd5 18.Bxd5+ Qxd5 19.Qb3
Qxb3 20.Nxb3 f5 21.Bc5 Bd6 22.Rb2 Kh8 23.Rab1 a6 24.Bxd6 cxd6 25.Nd2 f4 26.Kg2 fxg3 27.hxg3 Rbd8
28.a4 Na7 29.Ne4 bxa4 30.Rb6 d5 31.Nc5 Nb5 32.Nxa4 Ra8 33.c4 dxc4 34.dxc4 Nd4 35.e3 Nf3 36.c5 Ng5
37.c6 Ne4 38.c7 Rxf2+ 39.Kg1 Rff8 40.Rb8 h5 41.Rxa8 Rxa8 42.Rb8+
1-0

Game 4

[Event "Canadian National Exhibition, Levy-Chess 4.7 Match"]
[Site "Toronto"]
[Date "1978.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Chess 4.7"]
[Black "David Levy"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.exf5 e4 4.Ne5 Nf6 5.Ng4 d5 6.Nxf6+ Qxf6 7.Qh5+ Qf7 8.Qxf7+ Kxf7 9.Nc3 c6 10.d3
exd3 11.Bxd3 Nd7 12.Bf4 Nc5 13.g4 Nxd3+ 14.cxd3 Bc5 15.0-0 h5 16.Na4 Bd4 17.Be3 Be5 18.d4 Bd6 19.h3
b6 20.Rfe1 Bd7 21.Nc3 hxg4 22.hxg4 Rh4 23.f3 Rah8 24.Kf1 Bg3 25.Re2 Bc8 26.Kg2 Bd6 27.Bg1 Rh3
28.Rae1 Rg3+ 29.Kf2 Rhh3 30.Re3 Ba6 31.Ne2 Bxe2 32.R1xe2 c5 33.f4 Rxe3 34.Rxe3 Rh4 35.Kg3 Rh1 36.Bf2
Rd1 37.Ra3 cxd4 38.Rxa7+ Kf8 39.Rd7 Rd3+ 40.Kg2 Bc5 41.Rxd5 Rd2 42.b4 Bxb4 43.Rd8+ Kf7 44.Rd7+ Kf8
45.Rxd4 Rb2 46.Kf3 Bc5 47.Rd8+ Ke7 48.Bh4+ Kf7 49.g5 g6 50.Rd7+ Kf8 51.fxg6 Rxa2 52.f5 Ra3+ 53.Kg4
Ra4+ 54.Kh5 Rd4 55.Rc7 Be7
1-0

Game 5

[Event "Canadian National Exhibition, Levy-Chess 4.7 Match"]
[Site "Toronto"]
[Date "1978.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "David Levy"]
[Black "Chess 4.7"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.a3 c6 3.d3 d5 4.Qc2 dxc4 5.Qxc4 e5 6.Nf3 Bd6 7.g3 Be6 8.Qc2 Nbd7 9.Bg2 0-0 10.0-0 Qb6
11.Nbd2 Qc5 12.Qb1 h6 13.b4 Qb5 14.Qc2 Nb6 15.Bb2 a5 16.a4 Qa6 17.bxa5 Qxa5 18.Bc3 Qc5 19.Rfc1 Nbd7
20.a5 Qa7 21.Qb2 Ng4 22.Ne4 Bc7 23.h3 f5 24.hxg4 fxe4 25.dxe4 Bxg4 26.Be1 Nc5 27.Rcb1 Rae8 28.Bd2
Rf7 29.Be3 Bd6 30.Qc2 Bxf3 31.Bxf3 Ra8 32.Rc1 b6 33.Kg2 Qb7 34.axb6 Rxa1 35.Rxa1 Ne6 36.Ra7 Qc8
37.Qa2 Rf6 38.Ra8 Bb8 39.Bg4 Kf7 40.Qa7+ Bxa7 41.Rxc8 Bxb6 42.Bxe6+ Rxe6 43.Bxb6
1-0

Levy versus Chess 1979

The Levy versus Chess 4.8 match played in Hamburg, February 07, 1979, was introduced to a greater audience in the German television ZDF, featured by journalists Frederic Friedel and Volker Arzt .

David Levy and Chess 4.8 finally shake hands

[Event "ZDF"]
[Site "Hamburg"]
[Date "1979.02.07"]
[Round "1"]
[White "David Levy"]
[Black "Chess 4.8"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4 g4 5.Bxf4 gxf3 6.Qxf3 Nc6 7.d5 Qf6 8.dxc6 Qxb2
9.Bc4 Qxa1 10.Bxf7+ Kd8 11.O-O Qg7 12.Bd5 Bc5+ 13.Be3 Bxe3+ 14.Qxe3 dxc6 15.Rf7
Qh6 16.Qd4 cxd5 17.Qxh8 Qb6+ 18.Kf1 Qxb1+ 19.Kf2 Qxc2+ 20.Kg3 Qd3+ 21.Rf3 Qxe4
22.Qxg8+ Kd7 23.Qg7+ Kc6 24.Rc3+ Kb5 25.Rb3+ Ka4 26.Qc3 Qg4+ 27.Kf2 Qc4 28.Ra3+
Kb5 29.Qa5+ Kc6 30.Rc3 Be6 31.Qa4+ Kd6 32.Rxc4 dxc4 33.Qb4+ Kc6 34.Qa4+ b5 35.Qa6+
Kd7 36.Qxb5+ Kd6 37.Qb4+ c5 38.Qd2+ Kc7 39.Qh6 Bg8 40.Qg7+ Kc6 41.g4 a6 42.Qf6+
Kb5 43.Qd6 Kb4 44.Qb6+ Ka3 45.Qc6 Rf8+ 46.Ke3 Rb8 47.Qxa6+ Kb2 48.Qd6 Ra8 49.Qd2+
Ka3 50.h4 Ra6 51.g5 Ra8 52.h5 Re8+ 53.Kf4 Ra8 54.Ke5 Ra6 55.g6 hxg6 56.hxg6 Ra8
57.Kf6 Ra4 58.Kg7 Ra8 59.Qg2 Rd8 60.Qc6 Rd3 61.Qa6+ Kb4 62.Kxg8 Ra3 63.Qb6+ Kc3
64.g7 Rxa2 65.Kf7 Rf2+ 66.Ke7 Rg2 67.Qf6+ Kc2 68.Qf5+ Kb2 69.Kf7 c3 70.Qe5 c4
71.Qb5+ Kc1 72.Qxc4 Rxg7+ 73.Kxg7 c2 74.Kf6 Kd2 75.Qd4+ Kc1 76.Ke5 Kb1 77.Qb4+ Ka2
78.Qc3 Kb1 79.Qb3+ Ka1 80.Qa4+ Kb2 81.Qd4+ Kb1 82.Qd3 Kb2 83.Qb5+ Kc3 84.Qc5+ Kb2
85.Qb6+ Ka1 86.Qg1+ Kb2 87.Qb6+ Ka1 88.Qg1+ Kb2 89.Qb6+ Ka1 {3-fold repetition}

See also

• Levy versus Cray Blitz 1984
• Levy versus Deep Thought 1989
• The Levy Bet

Publications

• David Levy (1978). How I won. ICCA Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 2
• David Levy (1979). How I beat the monster. Elektor, January 1979

External Links

• Not Bad-for A Machine - David Levy won his 1968 bet that no computer would beat him in the next 10 years, but Chess 4.7 didn't roll over by Jim Kaplan, September 18, 1978, SI Vault
• Computer chess history – knowledge vs brute force by Frederic Friedel, ChessBase News, March 21, 2017

References

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