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Mind vs. Machine

By Steve Sheinkin and Maurice Ashley
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Brief Description
The hopes of humanity rest on the shoulders of one chess player. It's May, 1997, in Manhattan, New York. World champion Garry Kasparov is about to begin a six-game match against Deep Blue, the cutting-edge supercomputer developed by IBM, led by Feng-Hsiung Hsu. No machine has... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$4500
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Releases 1st December 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Mind vs. Machine" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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The hopes of humanity rest on the shoulders of one chess player in this true graphic novel about the epic chess match between a human and a super computer.

It's May 1997 in New York City. A chess world champion is about to face off against Deep Blue, a cutting-edge super computer. Will a machine triumph over the human mind?

A high-stakes middle grade nonfiction graphic novel about the legendary chess match between World Champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue computer, co-authored by Steve Sheinkin and Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley and illustrated by Thien Pham

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The hopes of humanity rest on the shoulders of one chess player.

It's May, 1997, in Manhattan, New York. World champion Garry Kasparov is about to begin a six-game match against Deep Blue, the cutting-edge supercomputer developed by IBM, led by Feng-Hsiung Hsu. No machine has ever defeated a chess champion in a multi-game match.

If it happens, it will be a major turning point in human history. This is, as Newsweek declares on its cover, "The Brain's Last Stand." Will the human mind prevail? Or is this checkmate for humankind?

Told through the three-time National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin's searingly propulsive storytelling and first-hand accounts from chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, with riveting illustrations by Eisner winner Thien Pham (Family Style: A Memoir), this nail-biting narrative captures the excitement and suspense of a classic sports showdown, along with thought-provoking themes about where humanity stands at the rise of AI.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781250334763

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 October 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Roaring Brook Press

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Thien Pham

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 350g

Pages: 240

Collections

Children's Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Education & Reference Graphic Novels Kids & YA Pre-orders Maurice Ashley Pre-order Books Pre-Order Children's Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Science & Nature Steve Sheinkin

About the Author

Maurice Ashley is a renowned chess commentator who calls the biggest chess matches and tournaments in the world, most recently the 2021 World Chess Championship in Dubai. He combines a dynamic trash-talking style with insightful analysis from three decades of experience. He made history as the first African-American Grandmaster in chess in 1997 and was inducted in the US Chess Hall of Fame in 2016. mauriceashley.com Steve Sheinkin is an acclaimed author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and honor, and three National Book Award finalist honors. His fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction histories include Impossible Escape, Fallout, Undefeated, Born to Fly, The Port Chicago 50, and Bomb. Sheinkin lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two children. stevesheinkin.com Thien Pham is a graphic novelist and educator based in Oakland, CA. He is the author and illustrator of the graphic novel Sumo and the illustrator for the middle-grade graphic novel Level Up, written by Gene Luen Yang. His graphic novel, Family Style, a memoir about his family's immigration to America told through the lens of food, has been on numerous best-of lists including the Washington Post's "Top Ten Graphic Novels of 2023" and Publishers Weekly's "20 Books We Love." Family Style was a finalist for the ALA YALSA Excellence in Non-Fiction and won an Eisner award for Best Memoir Graphic Novel. Currently, Pham is working on his next graphic novel, teaching, and eating. A lot. Follow Thien on Instagram at @thiendog

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