Seven Games: A Human History

This book presents a biography of seven enduring games—checkers, backgammon, chess, Go, poker, Scrabble, and bridge—explores their origins, historical importance, rules, and design.

Author Oliver Roeder introduces fascinating competitors like Marion Tinsley, Shusai, and an IBM engineer who created a self-learning backgammon program used by NASA. He delves into the history and lore of each game. Beyond cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games resonate deeply with the human soul. He introduces Bernard Suits, an early philosopher of games, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has developed a computer capable of playing bridge, a game as complex as human language. Throughout, Roeder tells the story of how humans have invented AI programs surpassing human players, and its implications for games and humanity.

(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)