Computer Olympiad 2020

In August 2019, I was proud to be appointed the President of the International Computer Games Association (ICGA). The ICGA started out in the late 1970s as the International Computer Chess Association (ICCA) to promote the development of AI in game-playing programs. The organization changed its name roughly 20 years ago to reflect the AI community's interest in a wide spectrum of games.

The ICCA/ICGA has three events to promote AI in games. Most are held annually.
1) The World Computer Chess Championship. First held in 1974, these events bring the strongest chess programs together to compete for the ultimate title. I co-organized the 1989 event in Edmonton -- Deep Thought (the predecessor of Deep Blue) was the winner.

2) The Computer Olympiad. Started in 1989, this event is the "Olympics" of computer games. In a given year there will be 10-20 tournaments in a wide variety of games. New games are continually added to the list, and some games drop off (once they are solved).

3) In alternating years, the Computers and Games and Advances in Computer Games conferences are held. The ICGA has been holding conferences/workshops for over 30 years.

In addition, the ICGA produces the quarterly ICGA Journal, containing refereed articles as well as tournament reports and news stories relating to games (over 35 years and counting).

For me, personally, the ICCA/ICGA has been tremendous for my career. Some of my earliest academic papers appeared in the ICCA Journal. Starting in 1980, I began competing in computer chess championships, including tying for first place in the 1986 World Championship. The checkers program Chinook's first tournament was in the 1989 Computer Olympiad (1st place and the gold medal). The success in this event was pivotal to the future of this important project.

Along the way, I have met many talented people in the computer games and AI world through my association with the ICCA and ICGA. Some of my fondest academic memories occurred at ICCA/ICGA events.

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The pandemic disrupted this year's ICGA events. Our conference and the World Computer Chess Championship were cancelled. However, the Computer Olympiad is a go! November 23 is the deadline for registration. Here's your chance to compete for a gold medal. Check here for more information. Good luck!