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From Tarot to Tic-Tac-Toe, Catan to Chutes and Ladders, a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games
by Marcus du Sautoy
Book Reviewed by:An award-winning mathematician explores the math behind the games we love and why we love to play them.
Where should you move first in Connect 4? What is the best property in Monopoly? And how can pi help you win rock paper scissors?
Spanning millennia, oceans and continents, countries and cultures, Around the World in Eighty Games gleefully explores how mathematics and games have always been deeply intertwined. Renowned mathematician Marcus du Sautoy investigates how games provided the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the world, how understanding math can help us play games better, and how both math and games are integral to human psychology and culture.
For as long as there have been people, there have been games, and for nearly as long, we have been exploring and discovering mathematics. A grand adventure, Around the World in Eighty Games teaches us not just how games are won, but how they, and their math, shape who we are.
OPENING MOVES
SIX TO START. Knight to f3. Two no trumps. Black stone on komoku. Take a chance card. Climb the ladder to square 38. These are the opening lines of some of the most wonderful stories that humanity has created. Since ancient times, civilizations have been playing games—some with dice, some with cards, others with pieces that move about on a board or tabletop.
Some have argued that our species should be called homo ludens rather than homo sapiens because it is the ability to play, not think, that has been crucial in our development. Evolution seems to have gifted humanity a penchant for trying out strategies and exploring imaginary worlds in the safety of a game, which allows us to prepare ourselves for real encounters. Among some of the earliest civilizations, sophisticated games emerged alongside the burgeoning of societies. Play is free. It is not real. It has its own location and duration. It is distinct from our ordinary lives. And yet it impacts on the way we ...
In early sections on the Middle East and India, Du Sautoy explores the origins and rules of games that are popular globally, such as backgammon, chess, and hopscotch, as well as elements like dice that form the basis of countless others. Additional subjects such as senet or the royal game of Ur might be new discoveries for readers but are clearly revealed through straightforward explanations. Throughout, Du Sautoy, who is a professor at the University of Oxford, takes a mathematical approach to his investigation. He frequently includes sidebars that explain various elements of probability, or that show how mathematics can be employed to devise a winning (or at least comparatively competitive) strategy for a game like rock paper scissors. These sections are certainly not required reading, but will be accessible to interested readers, even those who aren't particularly mathematically minded...continued
Full Review
(598 words)
(Reviewed by Norah Piehl).
Arthur T. Benjamin, professor of mathematics and author of The Magic of Math
In this book, you will learn beautiful facts about games you have enjoyed all your life as well as games you have never played but can provide a lifetime of enjoyment. Written by mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, this book can be appreciated by game players of all mathematical backgrounds. Highly recommended! Ben Orlin, author of Math Games with Bad Drawings
A delightful global tour of how humans think and play, led by one of our finest mathematical storytellers. Reiner Knizia, award-winning game designer
The book encapsulates the very essence of human ingenuity and our intrinsic love for play and exploration. You do not need to be a seasoned player nor a skilled mathematician to relish in this enchanting read. However, this book may just encourage you to become the one or the other.
In his section on European games in Around the World in Eighty Games, Marcus du Sautoy discusses the Spiel des Jahres ("Game of the Year"), the most prestigious award in tabletop gaming, awarded annually since 1979 by a jury of journalists who write about games. The Spiel des Jahres carries no cash prize, but certainly the winners (which subsequently can feature the Spiel des Jahres logo on their box) see a huge bump in worldwide sales. The honor has been given in the past to such modern classics as The Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Rummikub, and Carcassonne.
2023's Spiel des Jahres was a game called Dorfromantik, designed by Lukas Zach and Michael Palm. The title, which might sound funny to English speakers, is an old German ...
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