In the world of chess, he’s more than a former grandmaster, he’s a living legend. World champion between 1985 and 2000Garry Kasparov also has the distinction of having lost his first match against an Artificial Intelligence, in 1997.
Two months ago, Blizzard offered the famous chess player to learn how to play Hearthstone. Challenge naturally accepted by Garry Kasparov, in a hurry to take his revenge against the computer on another eminently strategic game. We had the chance to talk with Nathan Lyons-Smith, Production Director on HS who was the player’s coach for the duration of the experience.
Why does the video on Garry Kasparov explain that “it’s harder for a machine to master Hearthstone than chess”?
Unlike chess, Hearthstone incorporates new mechanics, new systems and new cards regularly throughout the year. The play combinations are much bigger and change with each expansion or patch, which constantly refreshes the game and makes it more fun for our players.
What did Kasparov’s training consist of? Deckbuilding? Math? Explanations on the standard and the pool of playable cards?
We started by playing against the basic AI in order to learn the basic mechanics and sequences of the game. I taught Heartshtone to many people, and “Don’t forget your hero power” is an example of a leitmotiv with beginners. We then took it up a notch against the expert AI before practicing with different decks. Outside of our practices, Garry was playing against the AI and on the ladder. After he opted for the Druid Tokens deck, we focused on playing around the counters to this archetype, paying attention to the Brawl on turn 5 against Warriors, or the Mage’s Flamestrike on turn 7.
What decks did Garry feel comfortable with? Aggro, combo, OTK or control?
At the beginning, we only worked on the agro archetype, because in my opinion it is the easiest to understand in a short time.
Would it be possible to create the perfect Artificial Intelligence for Hearthstone? The AI that couldn’t lose against humans?
I believe it would be possible to train a machine to play Hearthstone as well as the best players. However, the randomness of Hearthstone means that the games are not deterministic, and involve some luck. It is this part of randomness which would prevent the AI from winning all the games.
It is often said that there is no RNG in chess. While Hearthstone often has a lot of randomness. How does Garry Kasparov view RNG?
You would have to ask him personally, but anticipating the variables from the RNG is essential to learning the game.
Garry Kasparov is kind of a genius. How did he transfer his talent to Hearthstone? Did that impress you?
I was very impressed by his great focus to learn and progress. This intensity and attitude is what makes him a great chess player, and fits well for learning Hearthstone.
Thanks to Nathan Lyons-Smith for taking the time to answer our questions.