Master (software)
Edition of the Go software AlphaGo
Master is a version of DeepMind's Go software AlphaGo, named after the account name (originally Magister/Magist) used online, which won 60 straight online games against human professional Go players from 29 December 2016 to 4 January 2017. This version was also used in the Future of Go Summit in May 2017. It used four TPUs on a single machine with Elo rating 4,858. DeepMind claimed that AlphaGo Master was 3-stone stronger than the version used in AlphaGo v. Lee Sedol.
DeepMind released a version of AlphaGo Master in December 2017 that serves as a teaching tool analyzing the win rates of 6,000 Go openings from 230,000 human games.
01Matches
Online games
The software was first used to play games against professional players on 29 December 2016 on the Tygem Go server, under the account name 'Magister' (shown as 'Magist' at the server's Chinese version). The account name was changed to 'Master' on 30 December. After playing 30 games on Tygem, it was moved to the FoxGo server on 1 January 2017.
Master played at the pace of 10 games per day. Many quickly suspected it to be an AI player due to little or no resting between games. After winning its 59th game it was revealed in the chatroom that Master was controlled by Aja Huang of the DeepMind team. On 4 January 2017, after these games were completed, Demis Hassabis, the co-founder of DeepMind, confirmed that Magister and Master both played using an updated version of AlphaGo and said, "We're looking forward to playing some official, full-length games later [in 2017] in collaboration with Go organizations and experts".
Gu Li, a 9-dan player and co-founder of FoxGo, offered a bounty of 100,000 RMB (14,400 USD) to the first human player who could defeat Master. However, no one took the bounty since Master's final online record was 60 wins and 0 losses, including three victories over Go's top ranked player, Ke Jie, who had been quietly briefed in advance that Master was a version of AlphaGo.
Master's adversaries included many world champions such as Ke Jie, Park Jeong-hwan, Yuta Iyama, Tuo Jiaxi, Mi Yuting, Shi Yue, Chen Yaoye, Li Qincheng, Gu Li, Chang Hao, Tang Weixing, Fan Tingyu, Zhou Ruiyang, Jiang Weijie, Chou Chun-hsun, Kim Ji-seok, Kang Dong-yun, Park Yeong-hun, and Won Seong-jin, and also included national champions or world championship runners-up such as Lian Xiao, Tan Xiao, Meng Tailing, Dang Yifei, Huang Yunsong, Yang Dingxin, Gu Zihao, Shin Jinseo, Cho Han-seung, and An Sungjoon. All 60 games except one were fast-paced games with three 20 or 30 seconds byo-yomi. Master offered to extend the byo-yomi to one minute when playing with Nie Weiping due to his old age.
| No. | Date | Player (dan during the game) | Time control | Moves | Master color and result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 December 2016 | Pan Tingyu (1 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 146 | White won by resignation |
| 2 | 29 December 2016 | Zhang Ziliang (1 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 174 | White won by resignation |
| 3 | 29 December 2016 | Ding Shixiong (3 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 151 | Black won by resignation |
| 4 | 29 December 2016 | Xie Erhao (4 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 222 | White won by resignation |
| 5 | 29 December 2016 | Yu Zhiying (5 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 113 | Black won by resignation |
| 6 | 29 December 2016 | Li Xiangyu (3 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 131 | Black won by resignation |
| 7 | 29 December 2016 | Qiao Zhijian (4 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 163 | Black won by resignation |
| 8 | 29 December 2016 | Han Yizhou (5 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 104 | White won by resignation |
| 9 | 29 December 2016 | Meng Tailing (6 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 275 | Black won by 4.5 points |
| 10 | 29 December 2016 | Meng Tailing (6 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 148 | White won by resignation |
| 11 | 30 December 2016 | Chen Hao (5 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 170 | White won by resignation |
| 12 | 30 December 2016 | Ryu Suhang (5 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 144 | White won by resignation |
| 13 | 30 December 2016 | Wang Haoyang (6 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 136 | White won by resignation |
| 14 | 30 December 2016 | Yan Zaiming (3 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 129 | Black won by resignation |
| 15 | 30 December 2016 | Park Junghwan (9 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 150 | White won by time |
| 16 | 30 December 2016 | Lian Xiao (7 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 122 | White won by resignation |
| 17 | 30 December 2016 | Lian Xiao (7 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 164 | White won by resignation |
| 18 | 30 December 2016 | Ke Jie (9 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 228 | Black won by 5.5 points |
| 19 | 30 December 2016 | Ke Jie (9 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 128 | White won by resignation |
| 20 | 30 December 2016 | Park Junghwan (9 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 255 | Black won by 5.5 points |
| 21 | 31 December 2016 | Chen Yaoye (9 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 270 | White won by 5.5 points |
| 22 | 31 December 2016 | Chen Yaoye (9 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 277 | White won by 4.5 points |
| 23 | 31 December 2016 | Kim Jung-hyun (6 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 135 | Black won by resignation |
| 24 | 31 December 2016 | Park Junghwan (9 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 223 | Black won by resignation |
| 25 | 31 December 2016 | Park Junghwan (9 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 261 | White won by 0.5 points |
| 26 | 31 December 2016 | Yun Chanhee (6 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 217 | Black won by resignation |
| 27 | 31 December 2016 | Fan Tingyu (9 dan) | three 30-second byo-yomi | 215 | Black won by resignation |
| 28 | 31 December 2016 | Meng Tailing (6 dan) | three 20-second byo-yomi | 163 | Black won by resignation |
| 29 | 31 December 2016 | Mi Yuting (9 dan) | three 30-second byo-yomi | 311 | White won by 0.5 points |
| 30 | 31 December 2016 | Tang Weixing (9 dan) | three 30-second byo-yomi | 186 | White won by resignation |
| 31 | 1 January 2017 | Li Qincheng (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 20-second byo-yomi | 179 | Black won by resignation |
| 32 | 2 January 2017 | Gu Li (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 154 | White won by resignation |
| 33 | 2 January 2017 | Gu Li (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 191 | Black won by resignation |
| 34 | 2 January 2017 | Dang Yifei (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 149 | Black won by resignation |
| 35 | 2 January 2017 | Jiang Weijie (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 280 | White won by 1.5 points |
| 36 | 2 January 2017 | Gu Zihao (5 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 209 | Black won by resignation |
| 37 | 2 January 2017 | Park Yeong-hun (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 173 | Black won by resignation |
| 38 | 2 January 2017 | Tuo Jiaxi (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 239 | Black won by resignation |
| 39 | 2 January 2017 | Yuta Iyama (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 135 | Black won by resignation |
| 40 | 2 January 2017 | Meng Tailing (6 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 274 | White won by 2.5 points |
| 41 | 2 January 2017 | Kim Ji-seok (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 170 | White won by resignation |
| 42 | 3 January 2017 | Yang Dingxin (4 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 125 | Black won by resignation |
| 43 | 3 January 2017 | Kang Dong-yun (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 165 | Black won by resignation |
| 44 | 3 January 2017 | An Sung-joon (7 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 260 | White won by 2.5 points |
| 45 | 3 January 2017 | Shi Yue (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 167 | Black won by resignation |
| 46 | 3 January 2017 | Lian Xiao (7 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 144 | White won by resignation |
| 47 | 3 January 2017 | Tan Xiao (7 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 191 | Black won by resignation |
| 48 | 3 January 2017 | Park Junghwan (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 270 | White won by 1.5 points |
| 49 | 3 January 2017 | Won Seong-jin (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 222 | White won by resignation |
| 50 | 3 January 2017 | Ke Jie (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 178 | White won by resignation |
| 51 | 4 January 2017 | Chou Chun-hsun (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 118 | White won by resignation |
| 52 | 4 January 2017 | Fan Tingyu (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 202 | White won by resignation |
| 53 | 4 January 2017 | Huang Yunsong (5 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 133 | Black won by resignation |
| 54 | 4 January 2017 | Nie Weiping (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 60-second byo-yomi | 254 | Black won by 7.5 points |
| 55 | 4 January 2017 | Chen Yaoye (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 267 | White won by 1.5 points |
| 56 | 4 January 2017 | Cho Han-seung (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 171 | Black won by resignation |
| 57 | 4 January 2017 | Shin Jin-seo (6 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 139 | Black won by resignation |
| 58 | 4 January 2017 | Chang Hao (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 178 | White won by resignation |
| 59 | 4 January 2017 | Zhou Ruiyang (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 161 | Black won by resignation |
| 60 | 4 January 2017 | Gu Li (9 dan) | 1 minute + three 30-second byo-yomi | 235 | White won by 2.5 points |
Future of Go Summit
The Master version also participated in the Future of Go summit in May 2017. It defeated Ke Jie in a three-game match by three to zero and beat a human team with five top Go professionals.
02Innovative moves
Go experts were extremely impressed by Master's performance and by its non-human play style in its online games. Ke Jie stated, "After humanity spent thousands of years improving our tactics, computers tell us that humans are completely wrong... I would go as far as to say not a single human has touched the edge of the truth of Go".
Master played many innovative moves and inspired professional players.
In the 23rd online game Master invaded the 3-3 point at a very early stage.
| Go board, 19 by 19. Black stones: R17, L16, O16, Q16, C14, P13, Q12, O4, R4. White stones: F17, D16, S16, Q15, O14, P14, R14, S12, D4. Moves: 19 black C3.19 |
| Online game 23, Master (black) v. Kim Jung-hyun |
In the 24th online game Master played six stones along the second line.
| Go board, 19 by 19. Black stones: O17, Q16, O15, Q15, R15, S15, Q14, R13, C8, C5, G5, R4, G3, O3. White stones: L17, Q17, R17, D16, S16, T15, P14, R14, S14, Q13, R12, E6, E4, D3. Moves: 29 black S13; 30 white T14; 31 black S12; 32 white R11; 33 black S11; 34 white R10; 35 black S10; 36 white R9; 37 black S9; 38 white R8; 39 black S8; 40 white R7; 41 black P17.41302931323334353637383940 |
| Online game 24 Master (black) v. Park Junghwan |
03Operator errors
On 20 January 2017, DeepMind team members Fan Hui and Aja Huang disclosed that Master's operator accidentally entered a move other than AlphaGo's choice in two situations during the online games.
In the 9th online game, Master recommended point a for Move 107.
| Go board, 19 by 19. Black stones: O18, E17, F17, H17, O17, S17, G16, K16, O16, Q16, R16, B15, D15, M15, N15, P15, C14, E14, N14, O14, P14, Q14, E13, C12, Q12, R12, S12, C11, O11, Q11, F9, H9, E8, F8, G8, H7, R7, E6, F6, H6, C5, E5, H5, D4, F4, G4, H4, J4, P4, R4, B3, C3, O3. White stones: D17, N17, D16, E16, F16, N16, P16, S16, F15, Q15, R15, S15, D14, F14, M14, R14, F13, N13, O13, P13, Q13, R13, D11, E11, R11, F10, G10, P10, Q10, R10, C9, E9, G9, H8, J8, G7, J7, P7, G6, J6, F5, G5, O5, E4, K4, D3, E3, F3, G3, H3, J3, C2. Moves: 7 black L14. Marks: letter A at F7.07A |
| Online game 9, Master (black) v. Meng Tailing. |
In the 39th online game, Master recommended point a for Move 99.
| Go board, 19 by 19. Black stones: O17, G16, R16, C15, R14, C11, D10, D9, F9, G9, H9, J9, D8, F8, G8, H8, K8, L8, C7, E7, F7, G7, H7, K7, M7, S7, G6, K6, M6, S6, B5, G5, H5, J5, M5, R5, B4, C4, F4, M4, R4, S4, D3, F3, N3, R3, B2, F2, S2. White stones: D17, G17, J17, E16, C9, K9, L9, M9, C8, M8, B7, D7, L7, N7, B6, D6, E6, F6, L6, N6, R6, C5, D5, F5, K5, L5, Q5, S5, E4, G4, H4, J4, L4, Q4, G3, K3, M3, Q3, C2, G2, Q2, R2. Moves: 99 black O14. Marks: letter A at P8.99A |
| Online game 39, Master (black) v. Yuta Iyama |
04Example game
Online game 30: Master (white) v. Tang Weixing (31 December 2016), Master won by resignation. White 36 was widely praised.
| Go board, 19 by 19. Moves: 1 black Q16; 2 white D16; 3 black Q3; 4 white D4; 5 black F3; 6 white R5; 7 black C6; 8 white D6; 9 black D7; 10 white E6; 11 black C4; 12 white C3; 13 black C5; 14 white D3; 15 black C10; 16 white J3; 17 black H4; 18 white J4; 19 black H5; 20 white H3; 21 black F4; 22 white D5; 23 black N3; 24 white J5; 25 black H6; 26 white K7; 27 black D8; 28 white F5; 29 black G5; 30 white O4; 31 black O3; 32 white R3; 33 black R2; 34 white Q4; 35 black P3; 36 white D9; 37 black E9; 38 white C7; 39 black C8; 40 white H8; 41 black G8; 42 white B7; 43 black B6; 44 white G7; 45 black H7; 46 white F8; 47 black G9; 48 white B8; 49 black B3; 50 white B2; 51 black J8; 52 white B9; 53 black C9; 54 white B10; 55 black A2; 56 white C11; 57 black D11; 58 white C12; 59 black C2; 60 white B1; 61 black C1; 62 white B4; 63 black A1; 64 white A6; 65 black F2; 66 white M5; 67 black R10; 68 white O17; 69 black P18; 70 white R14; 71 black R15; 72 white Q14; 73 black O15; 74 white Q11; 75 black R11; 76 white Q12; 77 black Q10; 78 white O11; 79 black O10; 80 white N10; 81 black O9; 82 white N11; 83 black N17; 84 white R8; 85 black O6; 86 white O5; 87 black Q6; 88 white Q5; 89 black M6; 90 white L6; 91 black M7; 92 white K8; 93 black S7; 94 white S2; 95 black S3; 96 white S4; 97 black R4; 98 white R7; 99 black S5.698368217371727058765657827874755415807977675253363747814839274641405192844238944452691989364437810259089858713222829192466868869962114211718303497964912145201623313533295555059653394636061 |
| First 99 moves |
| Go board, 19 by 19. Black stones: P18, N17, Q16, O15, R15, D11, R11, C10, O10, Q10, R10, C9, E9, G9, O9, C8, D8, G8, J8, D7, H7, M7, S7, B6, C6, H6, M6, O6, Q6, C5, G5, H5, S5, C4, F4, H4, R4, B3, F3, N3, O3, P3, Q3, S3, A2, C2, F2, R2, A1, C1. White stones: O17, D16, Q14, R14, C12, Q12, C11, N11, O11, Q11, B10, N10, B9, D9, B8, F8, H8, K8, R8, B7, C7, G7, K7, R7, A6, D6, E6, L6, D5, F5, J5, M5, O5, Q5, R5, B4, D4, J4, O4, Q4, S4, C3, D3, H3, J3, S2. Moves: 0 white R6; 1 black T4; 2 white S9; 3 black S10; 4 white N9; 5 black N8; 6 white L9; 7 black S8; 8 white F17; 9 black K17; 10 white N16; 11 black O16; 12 white M17; 13 black N18; 14 white M18; 15 black M16; 16 white N15; 17 black O18; 18 white L16; 19 black M15; 20 white N14; 21 black L15; 22 white K16; 23 black L17; 24 white K15; 25 black M13; 26 white J17; 27 black L18; 28 white D12; 29 black C17; 30 white C16; 31 black B16; 32 white B15; 33 black D17; 34 white B17; 35 black E17; 36 white F18; 37 black E16; 38 white G15; 39 black F14; 40 white F15; 41 black C15; 42 white A16; 43 black D15; 44 white E14; 45 black B14; 46 white C18; 47 black D18; 48 white B18; 51 black J18; 52 white H17; 53 black H18; 54 white G18; 55 black K10; 56 white M8; 57 black O8; 58 white M4; 59 black L3; 60 white L4; 61 black K3; 62 white K9; 63 black H14; 64 white G14; 65 black F13; 66 white G13; 67 black F12; 68 white E15; 69 black K14; 70 white H15; 71 black O14; 72 white N13; 73 black O13; 74 white N12; 75 black L13; 76 white J10; 77 black H9; 78 white S14; 79 black R9; 80 white S16; 81 black S15; 82 white T15; 83 black R17; 84 white S17; 85 black R18; 86 white K11.48464736545351271413178534293335852269231283844231303722181510118032414368403870242119168182454439646369207178656675257273286774867655377626479256557700605816159 |
| Moves 100-186 (149 at 131, 150 at 130) |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Master (software)”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.