The humans redeemed themselves in the second game of the man vs. machine "Jeopardy" tournament, after the previous game's debacle, but it wasn't enough. The best "Jeopardy" player is now a computer named Watson.
Watson didn't dominate the Feb. 16 game as thoroughly as it had on the previous night, with Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter repeatedly beating Watson on the buzzer. Although Watson started out strong, Jennings rallied and got some momentum, taking the lead away from Watson. At the end of the first round, Jennings led the game with $8,600 to Watson's $4,800 and Rutter's $2,400. Jennings continued to perform in Double Jeopardy, with $17,000 to Watson's $15,073 late in the game.
And then Watson found both Daily Doubles to close the gap and finish the round with a $5,240 lead over Jennings. After Final Jeopardy, which they all answered correctly, the final score was $44,131 for Watson, $19,200 for Jennings and $11,200 for Rutter.
Game one wasn't even close, with Watson finding both Daily Doubles and running away with $35,734, while Rutter had $10,400 and Jennings $4,800. The total score for the tournament cemented Watson's victory: Watson ended up with $77,147, Jennings with $24,000 and Rutter $21,600.
