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Seven Games - A Human History (Hardcover) Loot Price: R629
Discovery Miles 6 290
Seven Games - A Human History (Hardcover): Oliver Roeder

Seven Games - A Human History (Hardcover)

Oliver Roeder

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Loot Price R629 Discovery Miles 6 290 | Repayment Terms: R59 pm x 12*

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Checkers, backgammon, chess and Go. Poker, Scrabble and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across fourty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against "modern rationalism" and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon programme so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt; the Indian origins of chess; how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programmes better than any human player and what that means for the games-and for us. Funny, fascinating and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history and how play makes us human.

General

Imprint: W W Norton & Co Inc
Country of origin: United States
Release date: 2022
Authors: Oliver Roeder
Dimensions: 236 x 160 x 25mm (L x W x T)
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
ISBN-13: 978-1-324-00377-9
Categories: Books > Humanities > History > World history > General
Books > Sport & Leisure > Hobbies, quizzes & games > Indoor games > Card games > Bridge
Books > Sport & Leisure > Hobbies, quizzes & games > Indoor games > Board games > General
Books > History > World history > General
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LSN: 1-324-00377-4
Barcode: 9781324003779

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