Around the World in Eighty Games From Tarot to Tic-Tac-Toe, Catan to Chutes and Ladders, a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games

by du Sautoy, Marcus

• ISBN13: 9781541606333
• ISBN10: 1541606337
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2025-04-08
• Publisher: Basic Books
• More Book Details

Summary

A “fun” and “unexpected” (The Economist) global tour of the world’s greatest games and the mathematics that underlies 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.  
 

Author Biography

Marcus du Sautoy is Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford. He is author of eight books and two plays. Du Sautoy is a Fellow of the Royal Society and recipient of many awards, including the Berwick Prize and an OBE. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Backgammon
Senet
Royal Game of Ur 
Knucklebones
Symmetrical Dice
Ludus Latrunculorum
Tafl
Nine Men's Morris
Mancala
Gulugufe
Fanorona
Achi
Bolotoudou
Agram
Chocolate Chilli Roulette
Nim
Tsyan shizi
The Ultimatum game
The Prisoner's Dilemma
Dobble
Set
Carrom
Chess
Ludo / Parcheesi
Chutes and Ladders
Hopscotch
Dungeons and Dragons
Cranium
Mah jong
Zi Pai, Khanhoo and The Origins of Playing Cards
Go
Pick Up Sticks
Chinese Chess
Dominoes
Hanafuda
Pokémon Cards
Whist
Bridge
Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs
The Game of Parliament
Tarot
Mu Torere
Azad and The Player of Games
Cluedo / Clue
Mexican Bingo, UK Bingo, and US Bingo
Jogo do Bicho
Adugo and Komikan
Sapo
Truco
Perudo or Dudo or Liar's dice
Pitz, the Mayan ballgame.
The Casino Roulette and other games
The Mansion of Happiness
Monopoly
Scrabble
Wordle
Rock Paper Scissors
Ticket to Ride
Prince of Persia
Spacewar!
Tetris
The Game of Life
Tic tac toe or noughts and crosses
Pipopipette or Dots and Boxes
Pandemic
Catan
L'Attaque
Mornington Crescent and Non games
Infinite games
Glass Bead Game