The 64-Square Madhouse

Sandra Lea Grayling knows nothing about chess, and she has just talked her paper into sending her to the first grandmaster tournament with a computer in the field. The hall is packed with Russian champions, the brash American boy wonder Willie Angler, the thunderous Igor Jandorf, and a cheerful little old man she nicknames Doc, who seems to know every grudge in the room.

The Machine, built by World Business Machines and programmed by former title contender Simon Great, never tires and never blunders. As the rounds go by and the scores tighten, Sandra hunts for her human-interest story among players who are anything but humble, and starts to wonder whether the sharpest game in the hall is being played on any board at all.