Lessons in Play

"The wisdom and joy outshining from this 2nd edition, beat even the original. The helpful preludes for student and instructor, prefacing each chapter, have elevated subtly in additional reader-friendliness; new subsections and a new case study were added. An interesting new Chapter 10 trades complex yet complete computation of a game’s strategy, with a simplified slightly approximate winning strategy. The last chapter, which awards the reader with a flavor of cutting edge research, was updated with a section on scoring games. The book is a must for novice and expert alike."

—Aviezri Fraenkel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

"In this second edition of Lessons in Play, the authors have corrected errors, updated the bibliography, and added a new chapter on trimming game trees. Like the first edition, this new edition is beautifully typeset and illustrated."

—Brian Borchers, Editor, MAA Reviews

In this second edition of Lessons in Play: An Introduction to Combinatorial Game Theory, authors Albert , Nowakowski, and White provide a reorganized text presenting a variety of two-player finite games, discussed in theory as well as application. The theoretical material is presented in a clear and concise theorem/proof format and includes problems and exercises to aid readers’ understanding. Solutions are provided at the end of the book. Multiple examples from actual games are provided throughout, including Boxcars, Clobber, Cutthroat, Dots and Boxes, Hackenbush, and Toppling Dominoes. Throughout the text, the authors also provide in-depth case studies on specific games. A unique feature of this book is that each chapter begins by presenting a series of “prep problems” with notes to the instructor so students can preview the material prior to reading the chapter. Overall, this book is an excellent beginning read for anyone interested in learning about combinatorial games, assuming at least some background in abstract algebra.

—S. L. Sullivan, Catawba College

Praise for the previous edition

This is an excellent introductory book to beginning game theory, written in an easily understandable manner yet advanced enough not to be considered trivial.
—Books Online, July 2007

The first book to present combinatorial game theory in the form of a textbook suitable for students at the advanced undergraduate level … The authors state and prove theorems in a rigorous fashion [and] the presentation is enlivened with many concrete examples … an outstanding textbook … It will also be of interest to more advanced readers who want an introduction to combinatorial game theory.
—Brian Borchers, June 2007

The theory is accessible to any student who has a smattering of general algebra and discrete math. Generally, a third year college student, but any good high school student should be able to follow the development with a little help.
—Sir Read a Lot, May 2007

Lessons in Play is an enticing introduction to the wonderful world of combinatorial games. Using a rich collection of cleverly captivating examples and problems, the authors lead the reader through the basic concepts and on to several innovative extensions. I highly recommend this book.
—Elwyn R. Berlekamp

A neat machine, converting novices into enthusiastic experts in modern combinatorial game theory.
—Aviezri Fraenkel

Combinatorial games are intriguing, challenging, and often counter-intuitive, and are rapidly being recognized as an important mathematical discipline. Now that we have the attractive and friendly text Lessons in Play in hand, we can look forward to the appearance of many popular upper-division undergraduate courses, which encourage instructors to learn alongside their students.
—Richard K. Guy

… If you have Winning Ways, you must have this book.
—Andy Liu

"The wisdom and joy outshining from this 2nd edition, beat even the original. The helpful preludes for student and instructor, prefacing each chapter, have elevated subtly in additional reader-friendliness; new subsections and a new case study were added. An interesting new Chapter 10 trades complex yet complete computation of a game’s strategy, with a simplified slightly approximate winning strategy. The last chapter, which awards the reader with a flavor of cutting edge research, was updated with a section on scoring games. The book is a must for novice and expert alike."

—Aviezri Fraenkel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

"In this second edition of Lessons in Play, the authors have corrected errors, updated the bibliography, and added a new chapter on trimming game trees. Like the first edition, this new edition is beautifully typeset and illustrated."

—Brian Borchers, Editor, MAA Reviews

In this second edition of Lessons in Play: An Introduction to Combinatorial Game Theory, authors Albert , Nowakowski, and White provide a reorganized text presenting a variety of two-player finite games, discussed in theory as well as application. The theoretical material is presented in a clear and concise theorem/proof format and includes problems and exercises to aid readers’ understanding. Solutions are provided at the end of the book. Multiple examples from actual games are provided throughout, including Boxcars, Clobber, Cutthroat, Dots and Boxes, Hackenbush, and Toppling Dominoes. Throughout the text, the authors also provide in-depth case studies on specific games. A unique feature of this book is that each chapter begins by presenting a series of “prep problems” with notes to the instructor so students can preview the material prior to reading the chapter. Overall, this book is an excellent beginning read for anyone interested in learning about combinatorial games, assuming at least some background in abstract algebra.

—S. L. Sullivan, Catawba College

Praise for the previous edition

This is an excellent introductory book to beginning game theory, written in an easily understandable manner yet advanced enough not to be considered trivial.
—Books Online, July 2007

The first book to present combinatorial game theory in the form of a textbook suitable for students at the advanced undergraduate level … The authors state and prove theorems in a rigorous fashion [and] the presentation is enlivened with many concrete examples … an outstanding textbook … It will also be of interest to more advanced readers who want an introduction to combinatorial game theory.
—Brian Borchers, June 2007

The theory is accessible to any student who has a smattering of general algebra and discrete math. Generally, a third year college student, but any good high school student should be able to follow the development with a little help.
—Sir Read a Lot, May 2007

Lessons in Play is an enticing introduction to the wonderful world of combinatorial games. Using a rich collection of cleverly captivating examples and problems, the authors lead the reader through the basic concepts and on to several innovative extensions. I highly recommend this book.
—Elwyn R. Berlekamp

A neat machine, converting novices into enthusiastic experts in modern combinatorial game theory.
—Aviezri Fraenkel

Combinatorial games are intriguing, challenging, and often counter-intuitive, and are rapidly being recognized as an important mathematical discipline. Now that we have the attractive and friendly text Lessons in Play in hand, we can look forward to the appearance of many popular upper-division undergraduate courses, which encourage instructors to learn alongside their students.
—Richard K. Guy

… If you have Winning Ways, you must have this book.
—Andy Liu