Chess Reborn Beyond Computer Comprehension

Strategy game offering $10,000 prize is finally published

• Press Release
• Source: Arimaa.com
• On Wednesday September 23, 2009, 10:50 am EDT

DALLAS, Sep. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- In 1997, the chess computer from IBM called Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov and set the stage for computer domination of the ancient game of chess. Defeating the best human chess player was one of the major milestones of Artificial Intelligence research. However, in 2002, a new game called Arimaa was introduced which could be played with a chess set and once again returned the balance of power to the humans while presenting the AI community with a new challenge. Each year since 2004 the challenge has been attempted, but has not yet been claimed. The challenge prize is still available until the year 2020. Arimaa is perhaps the only chess-like strategy game in which the human players can still defeat computers.

Since 2002, the game has steadily gained popularity on the Internet, and has developed a devoted community of players and fans. By popular demand, Arimaa is finally being published by Z-Man Games, Inc. and is now available in specialty game stores and online game retailers. Within a few days of its release, Arimaa has already moved up to number three in the bestsellers list for abstract strategy games. With over 100,000 games played since 2002, Arimaa is perhaps the most play-tested modern game ever to be published.

"I've spent well over a year carefully designing and refining the game set to look just right," said Omar Syed, who co-invented Arimaa along with his son, Aamir. Syed is an Indian American computer engineer trained in Artificial Intelligence. "I designed the set to look beautiful sitting on a coffee table, so people will want to leave it out as a showpiece. I also listened to the comments from our fans and had Z-Man Games use weighted pieces for the set. I am extremely happy with how nice it has turned out," said Syed. Chess fans will be happy to see that the game also doubles as an animal-themed chess set.

The release of the Arimaa game sets is accompanied by the release of the first Arimaa book titled "Beginning Arimaa," which is now available at Amazon.com. Karl Juhnke, two-time Arimaa world champion and author of the book, says, "Arimaa is a modern abstract strategy game with potential to rival the majesty of classics such as chess and Go." On the other side of the Atlantic his arch-rival, Frenchman Jean Daligault, also two-time Arimaa world champion, is working on another Arimaa book focused on the finer points of Arimaa tactics and strategy. "Only the test of time can prove a game worthy," says Juhnke, but adds that as he recounts the brief history of Arimaa, "a compelling case emerges that something extraordinary is just beginning."

About Arimaa

Arimaa was developed by Omar Syed in response to his own interest in computer intelligence and the game of chess. Syed holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering and a M.S. in Electronic Engineering. Arimaa was introduced in 2002 on the http://www.arimaa.com web site along with a $10,000 challenge to the AI community. For more information, email arimaa_game@yahoo.com.

About Z-Man Games, Inc.

Z-Man Games, Inc. is a publisher of many popular board games and card games. The company was formed by New Yorker Zev Shlasinger in 1999 to bring back one of his favorite games. It now has a catalog of over 70 games that are sold around the world. For more information, visit http://www.zmangames.com.

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

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