Author: Gioachino Greco
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chess
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Author: David Shenk
Publisher: Anchor Canada
ISBN: 0385673787
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
A surprising, charming, and ever-fascinating history of the seemingly simple game that has had a profound effect on societies the world over. Why has one game, alone among the thousands of games invented and played throughout human history, not only survived but thrived within every culture it has touched? What is it about its thirty-two figurative pieces, moving about its sixty-four black and white squares according to very simple rules, that has captivated people for nearly 1,500 years? Why has it driven some of its greatest players into paranoia and madness, and yet is hailed as a remarkably powerful intellectual tool? Nearly everyone has played chess at some point in their lives. Its rules and pieces have served as a metaphor for society, influencing military strategy, mathematics, artificial intelligence, and literature and the arts. It has been condemned as the devil’s game by popes, rabbis, and imams, and lauded as a guide to proper living by other popes, rabbis, and imams. Marcel Duchamp was so absorbed in the game that he ignored his wife on their honeymoon. Caliph Muhammad al-Amin lost his throne (and his head) trying to checkmate a courtier. Ben Franklin used the game as a cover for secret diplomacy.In his wide-ranging and ever-fascinating examination of chess, David Shenk gleefully unearths the hidden history of a game that seems so simple yet contains infinity. From its invention somewhere in India around 500 A.D., to its enthusiastic adoption by the Persians and its spread by Islamic warriors, to its remarkable use as a moral guide in the Middle Ages and its political utility in the Enlightenment, to its crucial importance in the birth of cognitive science and its key role in the aesthetic of modernism in twentieth-century art, to its twenty-first-century importance in the development of artificial intelligence and use as a teaching tool in inner-city America, chess has been a remarkably omnipresent factor in the development of civilization. Indeed, as Shenk shows, some neuroscientists believe that playing chess may actually alter the structure of the brain, that it may be for individuals what it has been for civilization: a virus that makes us smarter.

Author: Gioachino Greco
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chess
Languages : en
Pages : 512

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Author: Gioachino Greco
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chess
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description

Author: Gioachino Greco
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description

Author: Andrea Domanski
Publisher: Andrea Domanski
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Book Description
When Greco’s long-estranged mother vanishes, he must face more than just his own personal demons. Ruthless mercenaries, inept crooks, and deeply buried secrets abound while Greco and Mirissa push their relationship to the brink in a search for answers. In this novella sequel to Crossfire, the mysteries of Greco’s past are revealed and his biggest mistake threatens to destroy his future.

Author: Frank Hoffmeister
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 147664456X
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 491

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Book Description
Most chess biographies present the games of famous players--but not their writings. Filling that gap, this book begins with Syrian master and author of chess studies Philip Stamma, and finishes with the first world champion William Steinitz. The main novelties in opening, middlegame and endgame theory in the 160 year period are examined and biographical sketches put the contributions of more than 30 masters into context. The author presents many new insights--for example, regarding the origins of the Ponziani Opening, the Dutch Defense and the Petroff Defense. French star La Bourdonnais used other sources for almost every part of his Nouveau Traite. Morphy's analysis of the Philidor Defense was faulty and Anderssen's play included many positional ideas. Harrwitz and Neumann published modern treatises long before Steinitz came out with his Modern Chess Instructor. Many ending themes belong to less well-known authors, such as Cozio, Chapais, van Zuylen van Nyevelt, Sarratt, Kling and Horwitz, Berger and Salvio.

Author: Charles Tomlinson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Author: Andrea Domanski
Publisher: Andrea Domanski
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
The Omega Group has one purpose: to protect mankind from preternatural and supernatural threats. After all, it takes one to know one, right? Crossfire (Book 1) For her eighteenth birthday, Mirissa Colson receives a package from the mother who abandoned her over a decade ago. The family secret it reveals transforms her life from trying on prom dresses to battling an ancient race of demons. Thanks, Mom. Her nineteenth brings forth an even more treacherous foe--one maniacal demi-god bent on ruling the world. So much for dating. Thankfully, the years of martial arts and sharpshooter training her ex-Navy SEAL dad put her through gives her the perfect skill-set to build upon.When she's called on to save the world--literally--Mirissa finds she has a lot more in her arsenal than just a mean roundhouse kick. Burgeoning powers she previously thought impossible, like controlling the elements and sensory expansion, give her some confidence. But when she's thrust into a world teeming with preternatural beings, Mirissa finds herself outmatched and outgunned. Greco (Book 1.5) When Greco's long-estranged mother vanishes, he must face more than just his own personal demons. Ruthless mercenaries, inept crooks, and deeply buried secrets abound while Greco and Mirissa push their relationship to the brink in a search for answers. In this novella sequel to Crossfire, the mysteries of Greco's past are revealed and his biggest mistake threatens to destroy his future. Rogue (Book 2) Being sent home to investigate a rash of unusual events at the Grand Canyon is a mission Carter Mockta would really like to avoid. He's worked long and hard to forget his past and the reasons why he first joined the Omega Group. Unfortunately, missing people, tourists losing time, and unexplained auras are problems that can't be ignored Thrust into the middle of a tribal war that began over a thousand years ago when a God granted a single wish, Carter and his team must put an end to the vicious feud and scramble to survive as the ancient past, troubled present, and not-so-distant future collide. Get the first three installments of the Omega Group series now!

Author: Harold James Ruthven Murray
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chess
Languages : en
Pages : 966

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