130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery πŸš€ Auckland Bookstore β€’ Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Mind vs. Machine

By Steve Sheinkin and Maurice Ashley
0.0 (0 reviews)
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
Pre-order
Releases 1st December 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Mind vs. Machine" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

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

Also by Maurice Ashley

View all
  • Chess Box of Tips
    Discover twenty-five chess strategies with this boxed deck of cards that's perfect for budding chess players. Written by the inspirational Maurice Ashley, the world's first African American Grandmaster, this fully sustainable card box is the perfect gift for any child, whether they're just learning to play or wanting to improve their skills. Use this deck of cards to discover: How...
    By Maurice Ashley
    Cards
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Life Changing Magic of Chess
    Chess is a bit like doing magic.The pieces come alive and you're the magician.You get to move them where you like, within the rules of the game.Cool, huh? So let me take you back to the very beginning and show you how it's done...Discover why the world's first Black Grandmaster Maurice Ashley thinks that chess is one of the best...
    By Maurice Ashley
    Hardback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Also by Steve Sheinkin

View all
  • The Bletchley Riddle
    Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act… Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amidst one of the greatest secrets of World War IIβ€”Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top...
    By Steve Sheinkin and Ruta Sepetys
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Diamond Fever!
    Diamond Fever!
    In 1872, a pair of scheming prospectors sold a non-existent American diamond deposit to prominent businessmen with the promise of fame, fortune, and riches beyond their wildest dreams. From Arizona to Wyoming, thousands of miners and prospectors flocked to the western United States in search of diamond deposits, triggering one of the biggestβ€”and briefestβ€”diamond prospecting crazes in United States history....
    By Steve Sheinkin
    Hardback
    $5300
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

More from Children's Books

View all
  • New Release
    Fight or Flight: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (21)
    When the going gets tough, what’s a wimpy kid to do? InΒ Fight or Flight, Greg Heffley faces his biggest challenge yet as he becomes a target for the school bully. Luckily for Greg, his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, takes karate, so at least Greg’s got someone in his corner. But an unexpected twist makes Greg realize he’s facing an uphill...
    By Jeff Kinney
    Paperback
    $1699
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Gruffalo Granny
    The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...
    By Julia Donaldson
    Hardback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Sixth Faction
    Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives. She has a plan: she's going to make the bravest choice, and leave Abnegation behind to join Dauntless, even though it means leaving her family behind. But when tragedy strikes at her Choosing Ceremony, everything changesβ€”her world, her...
    By Veronica Roth
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Detective Beans Colouring Club
    New Release
    Detective Beans Colouring Club
    Help Detective Beans solve the case of the missing colours! Join the Colouring Club now! Join the Detective Beans Colouring Club! Inside you'll find 40 removable colouring pages featuring scenes from all over Cat Town. Filled with all the characters you know and love from the Detective Beans graphic novels like Biscuits, Beans' mum, Mr Brickle, Bear, Detective Baby Bird...
    By Li Chen
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wahine
    New Release
    Wahine
    From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....
    By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas
    From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! But this time... it's not about Lottie! From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! And it's CHRISTMAS! In The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks we spent the holiday season with...
    By Katie Kirby
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Matihe! Achoo! Matihe! Achoo!
    On Sale
    21% off
    New Release
    Matihe! Achoo!
    What happens when a grumpy tupua has to sneeze? Matihe! Achoo! is a bilingual story about the tupua Mataoho and his connection to the volcanoes of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. It comes with an action song to engage young readers! He pūrākau e pā ana ki a Mataoho me ngā puia o Takamaki Makaurau. He tupua pukukino a Mataoho e noho...
    By Qiane Matata-Sipu
    Paperback
    $1500
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Sweet As Looky Book
    The Sweet As Looky Book
    Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...
    By Donovan Bixley
    Hardback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Backorder
    Ships Unknown - Contact Us
  • Pocket Observology
    New Release
    Pocket Observology
    Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...
    By Giselle Clarkson
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster
    Angry anacondas, blizzarding blobs, carnivorous cactuses ... what kind of twisted curse will Glam-Evil think up this time?!Only it's not just Glam-Evil's curse the gang needs to worry about; they've got a few other problems, too. Swooping Pteranodons, a hungry T-Rex, a missing mother, and ... is that ... an ASTEROID?!Join MILES AND JONES as they face their biggest challenge...
    By Sam Smith
    Paperback
    $1400
    Elsewhere:
    $1499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    15% off
    New Release
    The Neverfear
    A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...
    By Katherine Rundell
    Paperback
    $1700
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Mari the Unwonderful Witch
    A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about a wonderfully unconventional little witch, by bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki. Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and THE HATMAKERS series by Tamzin Merchant - and anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief. Mari the Unwonderful Witch introduces us to Mari, an eleven-year-old witch who...
    By Asako Yuzuki
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Children's Books lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all