Seven Games : : a Human History

Locations
Call Number: 794 Ro, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Sports & Recreation / Games / Roeder, Oliver
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	794 Ro	4-week checkout	Downtown 1st Fl. Display
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Sports & Recreation / Games / Roeder, Oliver	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Sports & Recreation / Games / Roeder, Oliver	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Prologue -- Introduction -- Checkers -- Chess -- Go -- Backgammon -- Poker -- Scrabble -- Bridge -- Epilogue.
"A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games, and the story of why-and how-we play them. 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 behavioral design that make them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty 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 program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the Space Shuttle. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs 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"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Table of Contents
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Fascinating book submitted by eisbruchs on July 1, 2023, 8:13pm I greatly enjoyed this review of bridge, chess, Go, checkers, scrabble and other games. Each chapter has interesting information on the game's history and culture, and the personalities involved. I appreciated the analysis of how computers can and can't triumph.