The great board game revolution is here-- What do these games tell us about our society, our relationships, and ourselves? "Games, Jonathan Kay and Joan Moriarity show in this lively and insightful book, are not just fun and games: they allow us to explore the complexities of the world, from evolution to war to climate." - STEVEN PINKER, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress "Kay and Moriarity are both skilled writers and elucidators, and their voices are distinct enough to provide the book with a pleasing yin and yang. It's a far more perceptive and intriguing book than it appears at first blush, particularly for those readers who have never thought of games as an artistic medium - at least not one that comments on society." - KIRKUS REVIEWS Board games are among our most ancient and beloved art forms. During the rise of digital media, they fell from prominence for a decade or two but today they are in a new golden age. They're ingeniously designed, beautiful to look at, and exhilarating to play. Games are reclaiming their place in our culture, as entertainment, social activity, and intellectual workout equipment. Alone among all art forms, games require their audience (called "players") to participate. If nobody's playing, there is no game. As a result, games can tell far more about us than our TV shows, movies or music ever could. How does The Game of Life illustrate our changing attitudes about virtue? How does a World War II conflict simulation game explain the shortcomings of a failed novelist? Each chapter of Your Move examines one game, and what it reveals about our culture, history, society, and relationships. The book's two co-authors bring the perspectives of a writer who plays, and a player who writes. Before Jonathan Kay began his distinguished career as an author and commentator, he had a passion for games, and in recent years he has rediscovered them. Meanwhile, Joan Moriarity's career has been spent designing, developing, distributing, art directing, recommending and teaching board games and, recently, writing about them for a wider audience. With its short, punchy essays, and beautiful photographs of the games themselves, every chapter will be a worthwhile read in itself, and the book overall will leave you inspired to discover the truths of your own inner and outer world through play -- whether you're a seasoned veteran or a total newcomer.

In a major event in chess publishing, Susan Polgar provides a candid inside view of the lives of the Polgar sisters, each with their own goals and aspirations. She takes readers through the incredible development of the three sisters as they pursued their dreams: becoming chess prodigies, growing into contenders, winning World titles and Olympiad gold medals, ending the Soviet dominance in women's chess, breaking through the gender and age barriers, and generally revolutionizing the game. Readers will also be privy to the thoughts and feelings the sisters experienced during major triumphs and disappointments, as Susan shares their most joyous moments and biggest heartbreaks. Another important issue covered is the strict but ultimately successful training techniques used by the Polgar sisters in their chess evolution. Finally the chess public will have a chance to find out how the sisters really feel about these controversial methods of studying the game. This volume wouldn't be complete without a marvelous compilation of the Polgar sisters' most stunning chess games, providing a move-by-move explanation of their best and most memorable encounters.

Modern Ideas in Chess is a series of 45 essays dealing with the evolution of game, its leading players, their ideas and contributions to their respective periods. The chronology starts in the Romantic era of Anderssen and Morphy, continues through the Classical School of Steinitz, Tarrasch, Lasker, and runs to the dawn of the Hypermodern Revolution; the 70-year stretch from 1852 to 1922. Working in small chunks Reti had to be selective in what he extracted from each player and period. Plus the individual elements all had to tie in with the larger canvass Reti was painting for his readers. You don't have to get too far into the book to realize that Reti was a creative artist using the tension of chess ideas to reflect the larger intellectual struggle of mankind. How does Reti do it? A solid chess foundation obviously helps, also keen observation of the human experience coupled with a powerful command of language. Together these serve up indelible images that stick in the mind of the reader and lift this work far above the ordinary. Modern Ideas in Chess is one of the rare books that transcends the time frame in which it was written. It stands on its own, timeless, one of the true classics in the literature of the game. Popular author Bruce Alberston has converted the older descriptive notation to modern algebraic and added many diagrams to produce an outstanding modern 21st Century Edition of this timeless classic.