The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-28
MACHINE BESTS MEN
IN GAMES OF CHESS
Senior TOrres's Automatic APP
paratus Protests When q
Human Opponent Cheats.
1T HAS SENSITIVE ORGANS
Knows Rules Perfectly and
Warns Competitor When
They Are Violated.
1T HAS SENSITIVE ORGANS

PARIS. June ISIS the day near At
hand when science will be able to create
a human being? This question may we'll
be asked when one considers the latest
invention Of that king of automat inven-
tors Senior Torres Quevcdo. member of
.he Spanish Academy of Sciences. Senior
Torres caused sensation some thirty
years ago by inventing a machine which
would solve algebraic EQUATIONS Then he
invented balloon which would direct
itself and could attain speed as great
as the fastest Zeppelins.
The latest product OF this wonderful
laboratory Is a machine which plays chess
and which seems actually to accomplish
the work of a human brain. Senior Torres
thus describes his own invention:
at Is true that the game which the
automat plays Is not very complicated,
but nevertheless for Its opponent to win
he must know how TO play. The automat
uses the white king against the castle and
the black king. It's game Is wen In adj
vance, but 1t must follow certain course
which leads II up TO the finish.
NV hen the automats opponent moves
the black king the automat begins by
examining II the movement conforms with
the rules OF the game. IF not II protests
by lighting "a lamp II the move is ac-
cording to the rules the autoinat, taking
into account the position of tho three
pieces, decides what Is the best move and
then makes it. Thus the game continues
until the automat has checkindted the
black king.
III the automats opponent should
make a mistake. as 7 said before. the au-
tonat protests by lighting lamp. But
| il will tolerate only three mistakes, Then
all its lights 30 out ana you may move
| your pieces as much as you Want--the
/ automat has finished. II you wish TO
/ begin a new game you invite the automat
| by u special movement to play another
game. Ii 1t accepts It will turn out
| all lis lights place Its pieces on the
board In their original positions, then
wait for YOU To make the first move.
THE old automats. the most celebrated
| OF which were those OF Naucanson im!-
tated the appearance and the movements
| of man. To-day this idea has been aban-
doned and Intricate machines which look
| like nothing but machines have taken
their places. The self-directng torpedo
! IL good example of an Hutomat. The
difficulty does not lie In the work OF Its
| helmsman. but In the determination OF
| the movement TO be executed. The ma
chine deduces this movement from mdi-
! Gators by purely mechanical means
| This. as in the calculating machines, Is
the braiuwork of the man that the ma
chine accomplishes.
1T Is not to be denied that automats
can have sensitive Organs tmononleters
thermometers compasses, &c.) permlttinp
them to recognize the circums tances whc'
determine their movements, but science
refuses to admit that they can possess
the analogue of brain. But ] believe
have shown th't this possibility theo-
retcally does not offer the least doubt
| Automats can he made as complicated
| as one may wish.
1.-THE general adoption OF automatlt
processes. the substitution. which Is In
creasng every day, of machines for man
ual labor, constitutes one of the essen
I tial forms of progress In modern industry
I believe th7t there Is no limit In this do
main and that theoretically at least the
time will come when all factory opera
tions. even those which demand the ia
terven,lon of engineers. can be executed
automatically