Deep Blue and Garry Kasparov in Philadelphia

Abstract

Garry Kasparov arrived in Philadelphia with his fiancée, Ioulia Vovk—Julia Wolk, when Anglicized—on a connecting flight from Miami around noon. As their host, I watched for them as the passengers left the airplane, but somehow they got by. A certain amount of panic briefly set in until they were found down by the luggage carousel. Kasparov was in good spirits and we discussed a number of things about chess, IBM, politics, Botvinnik, and his just-completed match in Brazil that he had no trouble winning. His fiancée was from Riga, Latvia, and a university student. She was bright, beautiful, and somewhat shy, understanding English quite well but hesitant to try it out. The drive from the airport to the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, where they would stay, went quickly. They checked into their suite and were very happy with it. There were three rooms, with the middle room serving as a place for interviews, training sessions, and dining. The ACM had arranged a large fruit dish for them as well as flowers and a bottle of champagne. Lunch followed in the hotel coffee shop, and although Kasparov suggested going to an early movie, he later decided not to go, opting for dinner at nine o’clock with his fiancee, Terrie Phoenix, and me. Phoenix, the ACM director of public relations, arrived late in the afternoon.