So what's Garry Kasparov going to do after winning Game 1 against Big Blue?

"We're going to party," said his technical advisor, Frederic Friedel. But this is a chess champion and his entourage, so the definition of "party" is a bit more sedate than the usual Saturday night fare. "No, for us that means dinner, maybe Japanese, talk about the game, and then Garry has to get some sleep," says Friedel.

Fredel likened the match to Mike Tyson going 12 rounds with Evander Holyfield, "and then he has to fight him again the next day. Only Deep Blue isn't bruised and aching, he's as good as new."

While Kasparov appeared exuberant in his post game comments, he was anything but in the studio set where the match was played. Not a word was said during the match. Kasparov's associates could only read his face to get a sense of how he was feeling.

"At one point I could see him thinking, 'Are you serious?' when he was pleasantly surprised at one of Deep Blue's moves," Fredel said.

Other times, he was angry with himself when he saw a better move he could have made. "But," Fredel added, "He was saying to himself, 'I musn't worry about it. On to the next one.' "

Kasparov has spent the last year revamping his game play with the aid of computers. Fredel feels that their work with their program,"Fritz," has greatly improved Kasparov's game. It also sets up a fascinating dichotomy between the efforts of the two sides. "They're using human in order to improve Deep Blue's play," says Fredel, "while Garry is using computers to improve his."

And here's some surprising news for dieters who don't always have time to exercise: Kasparov's associates say he loses a couple of pounds during the game. While he played, he munched on chocolate and drank tea. But this was after a very light lunch with his mother, who kept urging him to eat more. Apparently when you're the greatest chess player in the world, you don't have to listen to your mother.

Chess pieces: Oddest question heard in the press room to Frederic Fredel: "Do you think Kasparov is a sexy man?" ... A reporter for a French newspaper reported after a pre-match interview with Kasparov that the champion's favorite person in history is Julius Caesar... A waiter from Bangladesh served Kasparov's breakfast. He said in his country, Kasparov is a bigger hero than the president.