mathematics chess book?

October 18, 2007 4:21 PM

is there a book on the mathematics of chess?

i've been looking for a book that deals with the mathematics or/and game theory of chess, but i'm not having much luck. is there a chess book that deals with the mathematics/game theory?

posted by randomizer to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 comments total)

Do the books on the mathematics of chess that come up when you search for "mathematics of chess" on Amazon.com not fit the bill?

For example, Across the Board: The Mathematics of Chessboard Problems by John J. Watkins looks promising.
posted by The World Famous at 4:48 PM on October 18, 2007

You may have more luck if you search for "combinatorial game theory." "Game theory," in the classical sense, is probably a dead end when it comes to chess. Classical game theory actually has very little to say about chess, roughly, "It's a game of perfect information, and thus, theoretically solvable. Yawn. Could we talk about a more interesting game, please?"
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:21 AM on October 19, 2007

yes, of course, looked on amazon. none of them really discuss the math. chess AI programming might be better search, but that still turns up a blank when i search for it.
posted by randomizer at 4:53 AM on October 19, 2007

Possibly Theory of Games and Economic Behavior?
I can't locate my copy, and I'm not sure if he discusses chess.

I don't really think of mathematics when I think of chess theory. Of course there's logic and game theory, but I don't think of the study of these as much practical use in chess.

Slightly mathematical (but really more batshitinsane) are the works of Franklin K. Young, who at least was a good player. They are interesting.
posted by MtDewd at 10:55 AM on October 20, 2007

All the Right Moves from MIT Press is 20 years old, but is an excellent book with some chess math in it.
posted by iconjack at 7:29 PM on October 20, 2007

If you're talking about how computers play chess, there's a nice piece from Byte magazine in 1978 about Sargon III, which shows the Z-80 code for the program with comments and some explanation.
posted by MtDewd at 10:11 AM on October 22, 2007