In 1997, Garry Kasparov became the first world chess champion to lose a match to a computer, I.B.M.’s Deep Blue. Other than Mr. Kasparov and Joseph Hoane, the engineer running the computer, the only other person in the room, at the Equitable Center in Midtown Manhattan, was a woman named Carol Jarecki. Ms. Jarecki wasn’t there as a rich patron of the game; she was there as the match arbiter, or referee. In a game that is dominated by men, Ms. Jarecki was one of the world’s most respected arbiters because of her practical, no-nonsense approach. “One selected the right players, looked after them properly, invited Carol Jarecki to be the arbiter and did whatever she told you to do!”

Source: International New York Times June 14, 2021 22:30 UTC