Review by Booklist Review
At one time or another, most readers have played some, if not all, of the seven games Roeder talks about in this very interesting book. Chess, checkers, backgammon, poker, Scrabble, bridge, and Go--they are all games of varying complexity, united by one thing: they are old, a lot older than you might realize. Backgammon, for instance, is a modern-day version of the Royal Game of Ur, which was played in ancient Mesopotamia. Plato and Homer both wrote about a game that we know today as checkers. Why have games like these survived the upheaval of civilizations and the ravages of history? Fashions change, things that are popular one day are out the next, but these games have always been with us. Roeder traces the history of the seven games, always exploring why they are so important to us. Games, he says, are not only fun pastimes; they also stimulate the intellect and provide shared experiences, connecting us with our pasts and revealing things about ourselves (such as our deep fascination with rules and structured play). A lively, deeply fascinating examination of why we play.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With entertaining cultural profiles of the games of checkers, chess, go, Scrabble, backgammon, poker, and bridge, journalist Roeder (The Riddler) delivers a splashy narrative that successfully argues that games, more than just being forms of entertainment, help individuals develop strategies for navigating daily life. "Learning a game's intricacies and playing that game with others binds us with other humans, shaping our culture and, indeed, our perspective on the 'real' world," he asserts. Chess, for instance, offers players a chance to consider lengthy tactical combinations and resolve complex relationships among the pieces on the board. Legend has it, Roeder writes, that go was invented by a Chinese emperor 4,000 years ago to discipline his "unruly son." In poker, the player must surrender to not knowing what lies in their opponents' hands, much as they have to in real life, "where there is often a whole host of things we would like to know but that we do not: consider courtship, negotiations, warfare." To further enrich his exploration, he weaves in luminous sketches of other fierce competitors, such as one "technochratic Scrabble sage" who advises other nationally ranked players and helped Roeder prepare for the 2019 North American Scrabble Championship. This humanistic look at some of the most popular games in history will have readers hooked. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Roeder (The Riddler) writes an exploration of how games intersect with the foundation and growth of computer science, machine learning, and humanity in general, with the history of games intermixed. Seven popular games are covered: checkers, chess, go, poker, backgammon, scrabble and bridge with a bit of background along with general theory and strategy for each (a perfect amount to understand unfamiliar games). Dominating most sections is an account of gaming research by computer scientists, starting at the dawn of the computer age, with continued interest from IBM and the University of Calgary, among others. From the idea behind the programs, their development, man vs. machine showdowns (rarely including women), and how current elite game play has been elevated--and in many cases, forever altered--by the approach computers take. Roeder explores how this has made play more uniform and erased individual style and personality from tactics, as well as how it relates to societal changes and relationships with computers overall. VERDICT A surprisingly introspective look at the history of machine learning as it relates to games, and its impact on gameplay and society. This will have appeal across game enthusiasts, technologists, and those interested in the interplay of it all.--Zebulin Evelhoch, Deschutes P.L., OR
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's often man vs. machine in this beguiling foray into games and why we play them. New York City--based journalist Roeder, a former senior writer for FiveThirtyEight, traverses the globe and centuries in his lively quest to understand the appeal of a handful of sophisticated games that "offer simplified models of a dauntingly complicated world, with dynamics that we can grasp and master"--checkers, chess, Go, backgammon, poker, Scrabble, and bridge. An entertaining storyteller, the author provides numerous profiles of those who were especially proficient at these games as he explores the appeal, strategies, and intricacies of each--beginning with checkers, "whose reputation as a child's game belies its haunting depth." Over 40 years and more than 1,000 competitive matches, Marion Tinsley, "the Ernest Shackleton of the game," only lost three games. In 1963, blind Robert Nealey was the first to compete against an early computer, never losing. The "program itself was an achievement and a watershed," proving computers could learn via artificial intelligence. Chess was a skill every good knight should possess. From chess hustlers in Manhattan's Washington Square Park to the baffling Mechanical Turk, Alan Turing, chess-playing computer programs, and some of the great chess masters, Roeder describes what makes the game so complex, mesmerizing, and addictive. Go, which originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, is "often touted as the most complex board game played by humans." Played with simple black and white stones, its rules "are stark and elegant, as if they were discovered rather than invented." Backgammon, Roeder suggests, balances luck and skill, placing it somewhere between chess and poker, a "game of imperfectinformation," while bridge "requires memory and wisdom, prudence and risk, and empathy--for both friend and foe." Poker, meanwhile, is "the world's most popular card game in our capitalistic age." And then there's Scrabble, "turning a heap of letters into a beautiful spider web of words on the board." A smartly informative book that should inspire readers to try a new game. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
