[mitchi]

Remember that the computer chess AI is actually a snapshot of the intelligence of a human being. I don't see this distinction made enough. If you are struggling against a game, you are struggling against the one who made it.

[deutronium]

I'm not sure how true that is, the algorithm for the chess engine could be relatively simple but easily outweigh the abilities of the creator.

Or the engine could make use of techniques such as genetic algorithms to improve itself. Meaning its abilities wouldn't necessarily relate to its creator.

[lukeschlather]

Suppose you have a child who has been raised isolated from the world and only taught by a single person - is it fair to say the child is actually a snapshot of another person's intelligence?

The program has been taught and empowered to make decisions the person can't make. It's no more a snapshot of the person than a child is a snapshot of its parents.

[BurningFrog]

Would you also say the speed of a car is a snapshot of the running ability of the human beings that built it?