The Chess Match That Changed the World
Steve Sheinkin,
Maurice Ashley,
Thien Pham (Illustrated by)
Sep 8, 2026
Hardcover Paper over boards
Juvenile Nonfiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / History / Board Games / Computers
Ages 10 to 14
A high-stakes middle grade nonfiction graphic novel about the legendary chess match between World Champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue computer, co-authored by Steve Sheinkin and Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley and illustrated by Thien Pham
The hopes of humanity rest on the shoulders of one chess player.
It’s May, 1997, in Manhattan, New York. World champion Garry Kasparov is about to begin a six-game match against Deep Blue, the cutting-edge super computer developed by IBM, led by Feng-Hsiung Hsu. No machine has ever defeated a chess champion in a multi-game match.
If it happens, it will be a major turning point in human history. This is, as Newsweek declares on its cover, “The Brain’s Last Stand.” Will the human mind prevail? Or is this checkmate for humankind?
Told through the three-time National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin's searingly propulsive storytelling and first-hand accounts from chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, with riveting illustrations by Eisner winner Thien Pham (Family Style: A Memoir), this nail-biting narrative captures the excitement and suspense of a classic sports showdown, along with thought-provoking themes about where humanity stands at the rise of AI.
If it happens, it will be a major turning point in human history. This is, as Newsweek declares on its cover, “The Brain’s Last Stand.” Will the human mind prevail? Or is this checkmate for humankind?
Told through the three-time National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin's searingly propulsive storytelling and first-hand accounts from chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, with riveting illustrations by Eisner winner Thien Pham (Family Style: A Memoir), this nail-biting narrative captures the excitement and suspense of a classic sports showdown, along with thought-provoking themes about where humanity stands at the rise of AI.
