This document discusses game playing as an area of artificial intelligence research. It provides examples of how search algorithms like minimax and alpha-beta pruning have been used to develop computer programs that can play games like chess at a grandmaster level. Specifically, it mentions how IBM's Deep Blue program was able to defeat world chess champion Garry Kasparov through brute force search methods combined with these algorithms. The document then provides details on minimax search and how static board evaluation functions allow searches to estimate values beyond search depths.