"When people ask why chess is not as popular today, it's simple. These people are just wrong." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Who was [Leonardo Torres Quevedo]? Not exactly a household name, but as [IEEE Spectrum] points out, he invented a chess automaton in 1920 that would foreshadow the next century’s obsession with ...

Since the 18th century, people have been fascinated by the idea of machines that could play chess against humans. With the advent of the digital electronic computer in the mid-20th century, that dream ...