“Five hours of watching two players sitting in chairs thinking deep thoughts ...” Um, not really. I’ve done it. What is happening is two people are intensely focused upon sixty-four squares where an assortment of chess pieces having different power factors are placed and maneuvered. It’s a game. It’s not deep thinking, it is intense thinking, unfolding the potential positions for an opponent’s pieces and how to counter and overcome them. It’s a game, albeit a game where the ability to focus intensely and for a long duration is essential. Some of what makes up a genius mind is present with really good chess players. But so far we do not call computers ‘geniuses’ and to have a computer making ‘deep thoughts’ will require that machine embrace issues of morality, survival, and love/hate relationships. Chess is not delving into those areas.
Who’s to say a professional chess player’s mind does not occasionally delve into the sublime. I know I could not sit there for hours at a time and think only about 64 squares, 32 chess pieces, and how to strategize with them. Of course that’s probably why I never won a game.