Google’s machine wins 2nd Go match against a top human player

Google’s Go-playing machine has scored a second victory against one of the best human players.

The victory Thursday by AlphaGo over South Korea’s Lee Sedol, the winner of 18 world championships, puts the AlphaGo team one victory away from claiming a $1-million prize.

If AlphaGo wins, the prize money is to be donated to UNICEF, Go organizations and charities.

AlphaGo’s first win against Lee, on Wednesday, shook the Go-playing world, marking a milestone in the development of artificial intelligence.

Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans, even those who do not play the popular board game, are following the games on live TV and on YouTube. All major local newspapers reported Lee’s loss on their front pages.

“2-year-old artificial intelligence masters 5,000-year-old human Go,” said a headline in the Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s most circulated daily newspaper.

Many had believed it would take an additional decade for computers to conquer the ancient Chinese board game, one of the most creative games ever devised and the only board game left to conquer after chess was mastered by computers in 1997. Go is much more complex than chess.

After his first loss, Lee said he was in shock as he never expected to lose. But he said he looked forward to future games and had no regret about accepting the challenge.

Google’s team compared AlphaGo’s win to landing on the moon.

The three remaining games run until Tuesday. Even if Lee loses the third game, he will play all five games.

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