Board games have long fascinated as mirrors of intelligence, skill, cunning, and wisdom. While board games have been the topic of many scientific studies, and have been studied for more than a century by psychologists, there was until now no single volume summarizing psychological research into board games. This book, which is the first systematic study of psychology and board games, covers topics such as perception, memory, problem solving and decision making, development, intelligence, emotions, motivation, education, and neuroscience. It also briefly summarizes current research in artificial intelligence aiming at developing computers playing board games, and critically discusses how current theories of expertise fare with board games. Finally, it shows that the information provided by board game research, both data and theories, have a wider relevance for the understanding of human psychology in general.

____ *THE STRATEGIES BEHIND A SUCCESSFUL LIFE FROM THE LEGENDARY GRANDMASTER AND ADVISOR TO NETFLIX'S THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT, NOW WITH A NEW FOREWORD* 'In this book, chess is a teacher, and I aim to show it is a great one.' For over twenty years, Garry Kasparov dominated the world of chess. As the youngest ever undisputed World Champion, known for confounding his opponents at every move and breaking record after record, Kasparov was asked the same question time and time again: what makes a champion? Drawing on a wealth of revealing and instructive stories, from the most intense moments of his greatest games to the world-changing decisions of history's greatest strategists such as Winston Churchill and Steve Jobs, Kasparov reveals the strategic ways of thinking that always give a player - in the game of life as well as chess - the edge. PRAISE FOR GARRY KASPAROV 'I've never seen someone with such a feel for dynamics in complex positions' - Magnus Carlsen, World Chess Champion 'There is nothing in chess he has been unable to deal with' - Vladimir Kramnik, Chess Grandmaster 'Mr. Kasparov is not only one of the world's smartest men, he is also among its bravest.' - Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch

Two great books by Neil McDonald from the Everyman Chess Library, Starting Out the Reti and Starting Out: The English, brought together in one volume. ----- The Reti is a popular opening at all levels of chess. The great advantage it possesses over other openings is that it's a thematic system which can be adopted against many different defences, and because of this it's a firm favourite amongst those who prefer the understanding of ideas over dry memorization of moves. ----- In this book, Grandmaster Neil McDonald examines the Reti by going back to basics, introducing the key moves and ideas, and taking care to explain the reasoning behind them - something that has often been neglected or taken for granted in other works. ----- The English is a sophisticated and popular opening system that is suitable for all types of players and can lead to both positional and tactical middlegames. Many of the world's top players, including Kasparov and Kramnik, include the English in their openings weaponry. ----- In this groundbreaking book, Grandmaster Neil McDonald revisits the basic principles behind the English and its many variations. Throughout this easy-to-read guide the reader is aided by a wealth of notes, tips and warnings from the author, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated. This book is ideal for the improving player.

The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation (FIDE, from the French acronym for Federation Internationale des Echecs) was founded on July 20, 1924 in Paris but only from 1950 began to award the first international titles. This work lists over 18,000 players who received international titles from 1950 up until December 2016. Information for each entry includes when available last name, first name, middle name, federation, date of birth, place of birth, date of death, place of death, title and year of award and, peak rating (month and year). A list of sources is included.

A Real Simple gift guide pick for 2017 A fun board game based on the best-selling Listography journal series: Listography: The Game invites players to create and share lists based on fun and thought-provoking topics - from geography and pop culture to toothpaste and constellations! With the goal of being the first around the game board, players score points according to the number of similar or unique answers. Every round in the game results in creative thinking, surprise outcomes, and lots of laughs. May the best list win! * Small and compact for travel and to take to dinner parties * Game makes a fun and unique housewarming gift * Lisa Nola is the creator of the Listography book series and the popular list-making website, listography.com. With over one million copies sold, her books inspire creative auto-biography and reinvention through list-making Listography: The Game will appeal to list-lovers who want to have a good time laughing with friends. * For 3-6 players, ages 12 and up * Includes: 300 cards (300 list topics), game board, 6 player tokens, sand timer, 6 list pads * Great ice-breaking game and for groups to get to know each other

Test your vocabulary with Wordwise! Dice Game from Wexler Studios. Roll the dice to create as many words as you can in 1-minute. * Tin Size: 7.67 x 3.74 x 1.22", 195 x 95 x 31 mm * Score-pad with perforated sheets * Mini Pencil * Sand Timer * 16 Lettered + 2 Numbered Die * Instruction Sheet

The Modern Defence is not a solid opening. In fact, on some level maybe it's not an opening at all. It's the Wild West of chess opening theory, a safe haven for true chess lovers who are just spoiling for a fight. The structures that can result are almost unlimited in their variety and the potential for dynamic piece play is also huge. You need real passion to play it, and also the ability to work hard at the board. But it's also played at the very top: even the names Carlsen and Kramnik occur sometimes in these pages! This book is primarily intended for players who want to play the position after 1.e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 for Black. However, and inevitably for the computer age, there is also a strong focus on chess truth. That means there are also some recommendations for White that are not yet well-known in mainstream opening theory, and that the book has something to offer everyone.

Three hundred ancient Egyptians - from gods and goddesses to pharaohs and sphynxes - populate the board of this game. Pull a counter from the box featuring one of the 300 characters in this game and be the first to spot that character on the board! Coming in a triangular box with a hexagonal board (designed to prevent players from being able to remember where certain characters are) this game features charming illustrations by Caroline Selmes. Simple to understand but addictive to play, this fun and challenging game will delight adults and children alike.

This comprehensive reference work presents detailed bibliographical information about worldwide chess periodicals past to present. It contains 3,163 entries and many cross-references. Information for each entry includes year and country of publication, frequency, sponsors, publisher, editors, subject, language, alternate titles, mergers, continuations, and holdings in chess libraries. Includes an index of periodicals by country and a general index of periodical titles.

Play with structure board games is developmentally appropriate for latency-age children but is seldom discussed in the child therapy literature or seen as therapeutically useful. This book describes ways that structured board games can reveal the internal psychodynamic working of the child and can be understood as projective material. Clinical examples of children's play reveal parallels between their dramatic and their board-game play. Both show unconscious content, defensive needs, and interpersonal and transferential relationships. As therapists, we can search for the same underlying dynamics we would look for in these other symbolic expressions."This book also discusses a child's developmental changes and how the dramatic, magical play of childhood is replaced by the structured, rule-oriented play of the middle years. Therapists must sensitively follow hem in this development, rather than force them to continue the more regressed play of childhood or push them prematurely into the verbal world of adolescents and adults. Children's Use Of Board Games in Psychotherapy demonstrates ways to work with the material which children give us at this stage, even when expressed in the form of structured games.

Mikhail Tal is a true legend of chess. He was the World Champion and also holds the world record for the longest unbeaten run in competitive chess. Tal is widely regarded to be the greatest attacking player of all time. Nicknamed 'the magician from Riga', Tal was a creative genius who made it look as though absolutely anything was possible over the chessboard. He excelled in confusing his opponents in chaotic positions, and even the best defenders of his time were unable to withstand his blistering attacks. Tal's many brilliant games have inspired generations of chess players who admire his play without ever being able to convincingly reproduce it. In this book, former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala selects and examines his favourite Tal games, from the beginning to the end of his exceptional career. Lakdawala shows how we can all improve our chess by learning from Tal's masterpieces. Cyrus Lakdawala examines his favourite games of the chess legend Mikhail Tal, a World Champion who is widely regarded to be the greatest attacking player of all time. Move by Move provides an ideal platform to study chess. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to improve your chess skills and knowledge. * Learn from the games of a World Champion * Important ideas absorbed by continued practice * Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Most chess openings have been around for centuries; the first book on the Ruy Lopez was written in 1561. Not so the Jobava System. This is a thoroughly modern opening that has only achieved prominence in the last decade or so. It is named after the Georgian chess visionary Baadur Jobava, a highly imaginative and creative grandmaster. The Jobava System is based around the opening moves 1 d4 d5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bf4. For many years this was considered to be a quiet and unassuming backwater of chess theory. No longer!Thanks to the efforts of Jobava and others this system has been honed into a fierce attacking weapon. As this opening is so new the correct defensive methods are not well understood. This makes the system extremely dynamic and dangerous.In this book, Simon Williams (the Ginger GM) delves deep into the Jobava and offers up a complete repertoire based on this exciting new system. The advantages are clear: - There is very little existing theory- Black cannot play safely on "auto-pilot"- It is fresh and it's fun!Williams is well known for his swashbuckling, attacking play and his entertaining and instructive commentary. He is your ideal guide to the Jobava System.

In this stimulating book for players of all ages, Garry Kasparov selects the best chess combination from recent grandmaster play and presents them in a test-yourself format that everyone will enjoy. Whether you are a beginner discovering chess tactics for the first time or a master seeking to brush up on your skills, this book is sure to be a useful addition to your chess armoury. The cream of recent chess combinations . Dozens of fascinating chess positions . Suitable for novice and master alike. Written by the world's finest attacking player Since defeatingAnatoly Karpov for the world championship in 1985 Garry Kasparov has successfully defended his title on no less than five occasions, thereby establishing himself as the greatest player of all his generation, if not of all time.

Chess is 99% tactics! This well-known maxim may sound strange but is really just an exaggerated basic truth: if you want to win more games, nothing works better than training combinations. Solving many tactical puzzles is what makes the difference for beginners and casual players.

There are two types of books on tactics, those that introduce the concepts followed by a some examples, and workbooks that contain numerous exercises. Chess masters Franco Masetti and Roberto Messa have done both: they explain the basic tactical ideas AND provide an enormous amount of exercises for each different theme.

1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners is a great first tactics book. It helps you in identifying weak spots in the position of your opponent, in recognizing patterns of combinations, and in visualizing tricks.