The deciding game Friday between chess legend Garry Kasparov and computer Deep Junior ended in a draw.

The result meant the six-game series pitting man against machine ended in a 3-3 deadlock.

The result was a step up for Kasparov, who was edged by a machine called Deep Blue in a similar showdown in 1997.

Kasparov played himself into a superior position but offered a draw on the 23rd move, surprising chess experts. Deep Junior turned down the offer but offered its own draw five moves later and Kasparov accepted.

The crowd booed at the New York Athletic Club, where the six games were played.

Kasparov, rated No. 1 by the World Chess Federation, announced last month he would take on Deep Junior.

"I'm here representing the human race," Kasparov said at the time.

"I promise I'll do my utmost."

Kasparov was paid $500,000 US by the WCF, the sport's governing body, for playing Deep Junior and would have received another $300,000 had he won.

Kasparov, 39, has held the world's No. 1 point-system ranking since 1984, despite occasional losses to humans and has achieved almost mythic status in the chess world.

Deep Junior is a three-time computer world champion and won the last official world chess championship for computers in July.

The players had been tied at 2½ games apiece going into the final contest.

Kasparov also was tied going into the last game of his match with IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997. After losing the game and the match, he griped the computer may have been given hints by humans, allegations IBM denied.

Kasparov's loss was seen by some as a watershed moment in technological advancement.