Mind vs Machine is a nonfiction graphic novel about a series of chess matches between a grandmaster and a computer. Steve Sheinkin continues to be a grandmaster of middle grade nonfiction. I am not a chess person, but I found the narrative easy to follow with my very rudimentary chess knowledge. The book covers the history of machine learning to set the stage, as well as the basics of competitive chess. The book does a great job of building suspense and action in a not-so-action packed competition. Really masterfully crafted.
My students are very into chess, so I can see this being a huge hit with my 4th and 5th grade readers.

Steve Sheinkin has written about many high interest non-fiction titles for younger readers, this time tackling the 1997 chess matchup between a human grandmaster, Garry Kasparov, and the machine Deep Blue. Illustrator Thien Pham assists in turning this cerebral matchup into a tense competitive display with close up illustrations and some creative liberties to symbolize the tactics that went on the chessboard. And Maurice Ashley provides the real person framing as a chess master and commentator of the match when it happened.

The strongest merits come from the realism of the situation. Readers will appreciate that Sheinkin and Pham don't feel the need to sensationalize it more than what was going on at the time. Having first person accounts and detailed records mean that Sheinkin can use verbatim dialogue from the players which makes them feel like real people. He takes time to go into the background of the two teams, Kasparov obviously more in depth, but also devotes some time to the members of the Deep Blue team and how they became interested in building a chess computer. Like his other non-fiction pursuits, Sheinkin provides context for those who aren't already big history buffs or chess fans. The prologue introduces the interest of a "learned machine" was imagined hundreds of years ago, referencing the 18th century Mechanical who beat Benjamin Franklin (except it wasn't really a machine but a man stuck in a box). And the epilogue, a somewhat weaker finale, asks the reader to think what a learning machine is capable of now or will be in the future.

Despite being about chess, this book feels like a scripted sports event. You have the two fighters in their matchup and see their strengths and weaknesses play out. Kasparov was the one with audience support and creative strategies, while Deep Blue did not get exhausted or show whether or not a strategy was making it defensive. This does result in greater sympathy for Kasparov but that's to be expected, as that's exactly what happened during the match itself. Secondary Maurice Ashley puts his own spin on it provides some perspective, not only as a good way to introduce readers to the rules of chess, but explain its intrigue from a devoted player. The information about the game is interspersed between matches that doesn't feel like information dumping or ruin the tension. In fact, the only downside could be from the reality of how the games played out.

Overall, this is a wonderful book to give for history buffs. Readers who don't know anything about chess will still be caught up in the man vs machine nature of this battle.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
This graphic novel is a gift for any chess beginner, enthusiast and life lover of the game. From the very beginning with automatons to complex, computers and AI, we thank chess for this. This story is about the battle of a chess grandmaster Gary K versus IBM's Deep Blue. A recollection of a big event that took place on the 35th floor of.a building, where the whole world witnessed by the edge of their seat.
Awesome book!

Really interesting! Great art. So many kids and adults will love this. The World Champion chess player, Garry Kasparov, plays against Deep Blue, a computer that has learned chess. Garry represents humanity, with all its emotions and hope. Deep Blue is all our fears for the future. It makes us think about the terrors of AI, but also how chess is still played by people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

As someone who knows very little (okay, not really anything) about chess, I found this book to be very accessible. I have quite a few chess-mad students who will devour this; the kids who read nothing but graphic novels will also enjoy it, and I hope that those who refuse to read at all will get hooked by it.