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Chess has finally been solved to the point that there's now unbeatable AIs available to the average user (assuming it gets to move first)...

No, checkers has been solved to that point. The solution is available online. Perfect play leads to a draw.

Computer chess is merely at the point that if you haven't been on the cover of Chess Life, you're going to get trounced. Even if you have, you're going to lose more than you win. The current situation is that Deep Rybka 2010 has an ELO rating around 3150. That's running on a 4-core AMD-64 desktop machine. The all-time human record is 2851, which Garry Kasparov had in 1999-2000.

It never ceases to amaze me how the "gamer crowd" completely discards the idea that maybe, just maybe, children shouldn't have access to all video game content

Actually, that's not correct - and is really a superficial symptom of what is being compained about. There is no problem with 'M' being on the cardboard box and retailers asking that people should be over 17+ (or at least make it appear plausible enough if there's no ID available.)

What we have seen, and object to:
- Outright banning of violent games, while movies and hockey don't receive the same treatment. While obscenities are not protected by First Amendment, Violence != Obscene unless you count 80+% of all literature to be just as obscene (including Little Red Riding Hood.)
- Banning excessivly violent game sales to minors, with criteria using traditional definitions of excessive violence. In that list provided (treating as is as opposed to the actual legislation), the list is poorly formed - identical offences are listed twice (decapitation, amputation, dismemberment and mutilation are subsets of aggrivated assault).
- Banning violent games sales, with absurd definitions of excessive violence. These absurd restrictions state that games should not allow assaulting cops - thus a criminal mastermind will gain an invulnerablity device as soon as he enters the police acadamy (and appears to otherwise keep his nose clean.) Some others restrict violence against women, which is one of the most sexist things I've seen since similirly treated males have no protection - at this rate, we might as well undo Sufferage and go back to the 1800s.
- Banning sales to minors based on ESRB rating. This does not work, since the ESRB is not infallible - they rated Oblivion as 'T' in spite of the maximum amount of Gore.
- Violence-as-porn bills. While this may be acceptable, it is completely moot since it provides an entirely inconsistant basis that varies from place to place. If children are allowed to watch cockfighting, why can't they play Command & Conquer? As a side note, these violence-as-porn must treat the work as a whole and the game must not have artistic, scienfic, or literary merit - most games already meet these criteria.
- And lastly, I am offended that these legislative bills don't attempt to ban the game of Chess. This game involves the equivalent of kidnapping high-ranking government officials by the players, and killing off their supporters - there is absolutly no reason why abstracted violence should be treated any differently than graphic violence.

In Ontario, I heard that there is legislation being introduced that restricts 'M' games to minors. While the one of the above argument applies, it's not as important since it does not carry as much weight in Canada. However, 'M' is a "soft" rating meaning that it may be worked around in some special circumstances.

And do the opponents of video game ratings apply their logic consistently? Do they also oppose movie ratings, and age limits on the purchase of porn, cigarettes, alcohol and firearms?

Video game ratings and movie ratings are not the same as age limits for porn, cigarettes, alcohol and firearms. The former are done by the industry, and the latter is done by the government.

If you are talking about opponents to video game legislation, then it's still something different. What is currently being signed into law is a hard restriction that makes no exceptions and keeps smacking head first into first-amendment challenges. Cigarettes, alcohol, firearms and automobiles are unsafe in a person too young - these are restricted as a public safety issue.

The only thing that really counts is the bit about porn - perhaps it is a double standard

Buy Deep Fritz 8 now for only $96.95! Get trounced. Runs on 1 to 8 CPU IA-32 machines. It beat Gary Kasparov running on a 4-CPU 2.8GHz Xeon machine. The machine used for that game was in rackmount packaging, but it fit on a tabletop. You can buy workstations with an equivalent configuration.

Here's a free ebook on Maelzel's Chess Player, written by Edgar Allan Poe. It looks pretty good.

Here's a free ebook on Maelzel's Chess Player, written by Edgar Allan Poe. It looks pretty good.