You are here  Games and Mathematics: Subtle Connections
Cambridge University Press Number of Pages:   David Wells is a
well-published British mathematician and youth master chess
player, so he is fluently conversant with the characteristics
mathematics shares with games — imagination, insight, intuition,
and the playful dynamic of approaching problems lightly and
adventurously. All this occurs within the mathematician’s
“miniature world,” something a game-player shares as well. Wells
relishes games, from their visual and tactile aspects to the
need for the player to strategize blindly and build mental
stamina. The chess piece itself is an icon for him. In fact, in
the section “Why Chess is Not Mathematics” he comes just short
of making the case that it is.  The typical reader will probably
agree that a considerable amount of modern mathematics has grown
out of games, and games can serve heuristically to understand
mathematics. So it seems natural to find the book divided into
two parts. In Part I, which we m