An in depth look at games from someone with a deep enthusiasm for the topic. The book goes game by game, provided profiles of the players who mastered and adored each. It is rich with detail and unpacks the dynamics and mathematics of the games. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in probability and games

I'm of two minds about this book & that's because the book is of at least two minds about itself. The first half of the book concentrates on computer programs that play these games & the powerful ways they have transformed them through AI. The next two chapters of the book (on poker and Scrabble) focus less on computers and far more on the author playing these games in tournaments. in the poker chapter, a nod is made towards computers and AI but not with the depth of the other chapters.

The final chapter covers bridge and, although I love the game, I can't really see why it's here. The game has not succumbed to AI, it has only been around since the mid-nineteenth century, it has been popular for only about 100 years and it is not popular now. The chapter is about people and isn't very interesting.

With all its flaws, it does bring up some important questions about games, computers and our interaction with them, and AI.

This a look at a handful of games with some that you probably remember from childhood unless you still play them now like checkers and chess and poker, scrabble along with backgammon and at least you have heard about contract bridge and a popular game across the world call Go. Beside looking at some of the history of these games and how they are played. Along with this there is a deep look into all these games and the effects on these games with those developing computers to play these games and to the consternation of mankind make them successful in beating human players. How can a person compete against a machine that can process up to 70 million moves a second? Concerning the game of Go it is thought that this maybe the oldest board game that is played present day and considered by many to be the most complex. Thought it was interesting to read about those playing scrabble and those high-level players who could win a scrabble tournament in a language they do not even speak. This book gets a little deep when it is discussing the various computer machines develop to play most of these games but overall, a good read. Thank you to Netgalley and W.W. Norton for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

What is a game?

Seems like a simple question, right? But when you really sit down and think about it – what’s the answer? Is there a universal definition? Or is it more a case of knowing it when you see it? And furthermore, there’s an even more fundamental query – why is a game?

It’s that last inquiry that seems to be at the center of Oliver Roeder’s new book “Seven Games: A Human History.” It’s an exploration of, well, seven games – checkers, backgammon, chess, Go, poker, Scrabble and bridge – and our connection to them.

With each entry, Roeder offers us a look at the game’s origins – its place of birth, its precursors, its evolution – as well as introducing us to a formidable practitioner. And perhaps most fascinating, he also takes us into the realm of artificial intelligence as we meet the people who have devoted their lives to teaching machines to play these games.

It’s a fascinating treatise on the importance of games and how they influence the people who play them, as well as a wonderful glimpse at some of the eccentric and idiosyncratic folks who have devoted their lives to achieving a kind of granular greatness. To Roeder and the people to whom he speaks, games are far more than mere entertainment – they are an opportunity to better understand the world, both around us and within us.

Part of what makes “Seven Games” such an engaging read is the presence of fascinating figures, some of whom you may have heard of and many others of whom you almost certainly haven’t. Take Marion Tinsley, a math professor and lay preacher who is quite probably the greatest checkers player who ever lived. He won several world championships in the ‘50s, then left the game for two decades, only to come back and win more titles. By some accounts, he lost fewer than 10 matches of the thousands he played from 1950 on (and a couple of those were to the Chinook computer program, the first-ever program to win any game’s world championship against humans).

Did you know that backgammon is one of the world’s oldest gambling games? Boards have been uncovered that date back to ancient Egypt, dice and all. It’s such a complex game that the AIs created to solve it wound up working for NASA. Or that Go was considered by many to be impossible for a computer to solve … right up until a group called AlphaGo did just that a few years ago? Or that chess engines and poker programs have fundamentally changed the way that the top-tier players approach their games?

So many stories, both about the human champions and the men and women building the AIs intended to surpass them. The idea of a person devoting themselves fully to mastery of a game. The idea of someone seeking to literally solve a game through algorithmic and self-learning means. And both are in search of excellence, albeit via very different paths.

Roeder has more than done his due diligence here, penning compelling portraits of the various people and programs at play here. And here’s the thing – we’re all familiar with these games, even if we don’t play them at the elite levels reached by those in discussion here. We have that familiarity, that frame of reference; the context that we as game players have rendered the stories being related here all the more interesting. Add to that the historical aspect of things – the games’ origins, for instance, or the titans who stood head and shoulder above their competitors within their admittedly niche sphere of influence – and you’re left with one heck of a read.

It doesn’t hurt that Roeder has gifts of his own, both as a writer – he’s got an ear for narrative and a prose style that suits his subject beautifully – and as a player. Oh, did I not mention that? Roeder also devotes time to sharing his efforts to compete with the elites – he plays in the World Series of Poker and enters the National Scrabble Championship and so on – adding a level of Plimptonian participation into the mix.

As someone with a general affinity for games, there was little doubt that I would find “Seven Games” to be of interest. What I didn’t anticipate was just how fun a book this was going to be, a clever and thoughtful mélange of histories and personalities and ambitions, all rolled into an extremely readable work of nonfiction. Drawing tiles or drawing cards, kinging or checkmating or simply rolling the dice – these “Seven Games” are worth playing.

The title and book description intrigued me. After all, I had played most of the games described (chess, checkers, backgammon, poker, and Scrabble) and knew about the others (Go, Bridge) and was curious where author Oliver Roeder would take the readers.

I first learned that chess was not the child’s game I thought it was. There are plenty of strategies that go far beyond my rudimentary play that I considered to be of high quality. Mr. Roeder offers a history of the game and delves extensively into the recent contests between man and artificial intelligence (which is similar to the chapters on most of the other six games). Note that this does not turn “Seven Games” into a “man vs. machine” book. The author also details how artificial intelligence has helped to improve the human players as they are exposed to moves that previous have not been considered.

I had never played bridge as I had never had a chance as a child and was unable to decipher what seemed to be coded messages in the games sections of newspapers, and I was faintly aware of Go but had never met anyone (that I knew of) who played the game. Mr. Roeder does a great job of explaining enough of the rules of all seven games, and a beginner could potentially get started with the information provided in the individual chapters.

In short, this book reintroduced me to checkers and reenergized my enthusiasm for chess and backgammon. Poker is definitely on the horizon and the book provides books for study. Scrabble is occasionally played in the house and I may seek out bridge players if they are willing to take on a complete newbie. As for Go, I have a brand new 19x19 board (magnetic was an option that I decided was a plus) and am itching for my first game. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

Seven Games: A Human History is an engaging history of human development through our (probably) unique ability to enjoy games (not just play) capably examined by Dr. Oliver Roeder. Due out 25th Jan 2022 from W. W. Norton, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

I've long been interested in games, gaming, history, psychology, and I'm a professional bionerd in my day job. This book really does represent the confluence of all those interests and is like some sort of Venn diagram bullseye for me. I was fascinated from the first chapter. That being said, the author writes very accessibly and well and this is a book for laypeople interested in games and how they have shaped and sometimes defined human history.

There are plenty of anecdotal stories relayed here: a devoutly religious mathematician who dominated at checkers for decades (with a mysterious Fisher-esque abrupt hiatus in the middle), computer programs and the theorists behind them, a Kiwi ascetic hermit who lives in Malaysia and who, after memorizing the French dictionary, won the French national scrabble championship without the benefit of speaking French. Dr. Roeder relays these stories (and more) with wit and warmth and I really enjoyed reading this book.

The unabridged audiobook version has a run time of 9 hours and 11 minutes and is capably narrated by William Sarris. He has a warm and nuanced voice with a non-intrusive (midwestern?) accent which is perfect for this nonfiction selection. The sound and recording quality and production values are high throughout the recording.

This is an interesting book, full of fun and engaging trivia and actual history and would be a good selection for public or school library acquisition, gift giving, or for games-interested general readers. No previous mathematics knowledge required and no "heavy lifting" involved.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Interesting book, would recommend to lovers of games and AI - or just anyone really, I am not huge on neither of those subjects and quite enjoyed it!

Got admit it was a little different then what I was expecting - not so much focus on the history of the game but instead on the AI developments to optimize them and the story of its developers. It also goes in the author's own experience on tournaments, sometimes - scrabble one is coming to mind here - in a bit too much detail. But overall the writing is quite pleasant and I feel like I learned a lot about these subjects, which I have very little knowledge about (unless you count watching the Queen's Gambit lol)

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

A wonderful delve into the history of seven popular games, why we play them and their relationship with AI. I hadn’t heard of ‘go’ before so was keen to learn more about it. Being a fan of word games, I was particularly interested to read about Scrabble. A fascinating read and really well researched. Thank you to Oliver Roeder, Net Galley and WWNorton & Co for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for an ARC of this title.

I've deeply enjoyed FiveThirtyEight's coverage of puzzles and games, and this new book from Oliver Roeder (creator of their Riddler column) is exactly the kind of cultural history book I like to read. Each of the seven games covered is well researched and reported, and has a fantastic story "hook" connecting all the info and Oliver's exploration into notable names in each game's field. I found myself slowing my reading pace so I could spend just a little bit more time with each chapter of this. Well done!

One of the oldest human activities, game playing dates from ancient times and retains its importance up to the present day and doubtless beyond. “Seven Games” by Oliver Roeder, an avid player himself, examines the origins of seven of the most familiar (and oldest) games - checkers, chess, Go, backgammon, poker, Scrabble and bridge. And, most importantly, he explores why we play. Roeder vividly brings to life the histories and genesis of these evergreen games, some of which date back millennia, yet are being transformed by rapidly developing artificial intelligence.
Much is made of “machine learning” and the question of whether computers can think for themselves; one recurring theme is that of computers playing like “God”) However, many of the stories in these pages are very human ones, with dedication sometimes leading to divorce, illness and heartbreak. Alan Turing and Garry Kasparov, among other gaming and scientific notables, take centre-stage in this book to provide a human core.
Well-written, often gripping and very easy to read, this excellent book is perfect both for experts and anyone interested in a deeper dive into the world’s favourite games.