Lee Sedol v AlphaGo: Human beats computer in Chinese board game for the first time

South Korean grandmaster Lee Sedol is battling computer programme AlphaGo to test whether robots have advanced enough to out-smart humans at the board game

Lee Sedol is battling against the computer software in a contest which is gripping South Korea (AP)

A champion Go player has scored a surprise victory over his robotic rival, as part of a competition which is gripping South Korea. Lee Sedol is competing against computer software machine AlphaGo, which has been designed by Google to be an unbeatable board game player. The pair have been battling it out in a series of games to prove whether robotics are yet advanced enough to out-smart a human. The unlikely competitors are fighting for a $1 million prize pot which will be donated to charity.

AlphaGo won the first three rounds, to the fascination of thousands of viewers watching the game unfold live online. However, Mr Sedol has now succeeded in winning his first game, bringing the pair to a new score of 3-1.

The 33-year-old, who has 18 international championships to his name, furrows his brow as he plots his next move against the Google software (AP)

The 33-year-old South Korean Go grandmaster, is among the best in the world at Go, an ancient Chinese board game. He has 18 international championships to his name. After winning today he says he has finally identified a flaw in the software. He said he discovered it when he made an unexpected move and found that the artificial intelligence system struggled to process it. He now believes that the system is unable to cope with surprises.

Mr Sedol said of his success today: “This one win is so valuable and I will not trade it for anything in the world.”

Twenty years ago, a software system was designed which enable computers to win at chess. However, as Go has a near-infinite number of board positions, it has so far proved too difficult for programmers to capture in an artificial intelligence format. Experts have dubbed it ‘the holy grail’ of computer design because the board game is so complex.

With additional reporting by AP