To make it a fair fight, Simpson stages matches where the skill levels of both programs are set at comparable levels, using a long-standing chess metric called the ELO rating. “In theory, the Mac will slaughter the Amiga,” Simpson explained, “because it’s faster and its AI is smarter.” Riffing on the advantages of modernity, he points out that today “Even a Tesla can play you at chess while you wait at the traffic lights.”Īssisting Simpson in the video is “Lady Fractic,” sitting in front of the MacBook, and together they enter the responses from one chess program as their own moves into the other program. But what if he could pit a 1987 Amiga against a modern computer, say a MacBook?

“Unfortunately, Garry was unavailable for my little rematch video,” Simpson quips. In a pleasant voice with a slightly British accent, Simpson tells his viewers that the Amiga-versus-Mac competition was partly inspired by that epochal moment in 1997 when IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer beat the world’s human chess champion, Garry Kasparov. But mixed in with the competition and the nostalgia was a chance to look back over three decades of differences, considering changes in the way we view our software - and each other. And there was at least one big surprise, as YouTuber Christian Simpson staged four bouts (using six different chess-playing applications) for the 58,900 subscribers on his “ Retro Recipes” YouTube channel. The big showdown appeared on YouTube this month, offering a glimpse at what’s changed - and what hasn’t - as our technology hurtles into the future. What happens when a vintage computing enthusiast stages a chess-playing competition between a modern Mac and a 1980s-era Amiga Commodore computer?

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