The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated ...

The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated ...

The Immortal Game: A History of Chess, or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain
Random House Audio | ISBN: 0739340042 | 2006-09-05 | MP3 | 122 Mb

A surprising, charming, and ever-fascinating history of the seemingly simple game that has had a profound effect on societies the world over.
Why has one game, alone among the thousands of games invented and played throughout human history, not only survived but thrived within every culture it has touched? What is it about its thirty-two figurative pieces, moving about its sixty-four black and white squares according to very simple rules, that has captivated people for nearly 1,500 years? Why has it driven some of its greatest players into paranoia and madness, and yet is hailed as a remarkably powerful educational tool?
Nearly everyone has played chess at some point in their lives. Its rules and pieces have served as a metaphor for society including military strategy, mathematics, artificial intelligence, literature, and the arts. It has been condemned as the devil’s game by popes, rabbis, and imams, and lauded as a guide to proper living by different popes, rabbis, and imams.
In his wide-ranging and ever fascinating examination of chess, David Shenk gleefully unearths the hidden history of a game that seems so simple yet contains infinity. From its invention somewhere in India around 500 A.D., to its enthusiastic adoption by the Persians and its spread by Islamic warriors, to its remarkable use as a moral guide in the Middle Ages and its political utility in the Enlightenment, to its crucial importance in the birth of cognitive science and its key role in the new aesthetic of modernism in 20th century art, to its 21st century importance to the development of artificial intelligence and use as a teaching tool in inner-city America, chess has been a remarkably omnipresent factor in the development of civilization.
Indeed as Shenk shows, some neuroscientists believe that playing chess may actually alter the structure of the brain, that it may for individuals be what it has been for civilization: a virus that makes us smarter.

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Fundamental Chess Endings

Fundamental Chess Endings

Fundamental Chess Endings
By Karsten Muller, Frank Lamprecht
Publisher: Gambit Publications | 2001 | 416 Pages | ISBN: 1901983536 | PDF | 50.86 MB

In a major event in chess publishing, two German endgame experts have produced a masterly one-volume encyclopedia that covers all major endgames. This is the first truly modern one-volume endgame encyclopedia. It makes full use of endgame tablebases; where previous authors could only make educated guesses, Muller and Lamprecht have often been able to state the definitive truth, or get much closer to it. New time-controls involve competitive games being played to finish in one session, so it is especially important that chess players understand the key endgame principles this book provides comprehensive assistance for any players wishing to study the endgame. In addition to a feast of detailed analysis, the authors emphasize the practical side of endgame play, describing rules of thumb, principles and thinking methods. "Fundamental Chess Endings" is both the ideal endgame reference work, and a book that can profitably and enjoyably be read from start to finish.

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Ace On The River: An Advanced Poker Guide

Ace On The River: An Advanced Poker Guide

The long anticipated ‘Ace on the River’ is one of the most interesting and unique poker books ever written.

Barry Greenstein has been playing professional poker for about thirty years, and has been a regular in the biggest games in the world for more than a decade, with legends such as Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese. This text was originally intended to be a chapter in the sequel to Brunson’s ‘Super System,’ but when the first draft ran over 100 pages, the project turned into its own book.

The book is primarily targetted toward high-limit professional poker players, which is a very limited audience. Lower and middle limit players will find a lot of the material useful and interesting, but significant portions won’t apply to them. Casual home game and beginning players will find a fascinating look into the mind and world of high-stakes poker players, but should definitely look elsewhere for instruction and strategy tips.

Part I, “The Poker World,” is fascinating but not especially useful material. The first thirty pages is a memoir of Greenstein’s life in poker. Next are chapters on the different kinds of people in “The Poker Society,” “How to Behave in the Poker Society,” and a chapter on the superstitions many have.

Part II, “Philosophy,” contains miscellaneous ideas, advice, and discussion mostly relevant to professional poker players. There is little technical or strategic material, focusing more on psychology and avoiding common pitfalls. One chapter discusses the dangers of getting too involved in sports betting (a ubiquitous part of the poker world), one on integrity, others on attitude, the psychology of gambling, family, and even sexuality.

Part III, “Advanced Play,” is the meat of the book, with chapters on math and game theory (how valuable they are and how they are used), internet poker, tournaments, specific strategic advice, and some no-limit tournament hands. These last two are the best in the book and extremely valuable, although not as long or detailed as I had hoped. Both go through several different hands, discussing the options at each point and what types of things the player should be considering, as well as how to analyze and think about hands after the fact.

Throughout the book, he addresses interesting philosophical questions like, “Who is the best player in the world (and how could that be determined)?” and “What really separates the very best players from everyone else?”

I had seen several glowing reviews from other top players who had advanced copies before I read it myself, and thus had very high expectations when I finally got a copy. From that perspective, I was slightly disappointed. My main complaint is with the brevity of the actual hand discussions, but what is there is excellent. Other parts seem a bit preachy without enough specific advice; see the chapters on avoiding being distracted by sports betting and remembering to spend time with your family. To most readers this might seem strange, but these are problems that have derailed the careers or broken up families of many otherwise successful pros. He does speak from personal experience on these issues and others, which makes the slightly preachy tone much more palatable.

Throughout, the text is well-written, articulate, and an enjoyable read. The book is filled with color photos on almost every page, and another reader I talked with described it as a coffee table book. It’s rare in the poker world for someone with Greenstein’s stature, intelligence, and experience to write about any of these topics, which makes the advice invaluable for successful or aspiring pros. At the same time, very little is so technical or advanced that it would go over the heads of others who are interested, some parts just won’t be relevant.

# 328 pages
# Publisher: Last Knight Publishing Company (June 30, 2005)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0972044221
# ISBN-13: 978-0972044226

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Teach Yourself Visually Chess

Teach Yourself Visually Chess

Chess is a mental game, but you don’t have to strain your brain to learn the basics—not with this guide that shows you how to play. Teach Yourself VISUALLY Chess covers how to set up the board, how each piece moves, opening strategies and variations, attacking themes and common sacrifices, and more. Photos of the board let you see strategies in action. For hands-on practice, you can even set up your board and make your moves as you learn. With this book and practice, you’ll be saying “Checkmate” in no time.

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Sports Facilities and Technologies

Sports Facilities and Technologies

Peter Culley, John Pascoe, "Sports Facilities and Technologies"
Taylor & Francis | 2009-06-30 | ISBN: 0415458684, 0203876024 | 278 pages | PDF | 14,5 MB

Increasingly, sport and leisure amenities are needing to be versatile, user-friendly and of lasting value to local and wider communities. With case studies from around the world this book is a definitive reference for practitioners and students in sports and leisure, building design and facilities management.

Developers, designers and operators increasingly need to create safe, versatile sports amenities that are of lasting value to local and wider communities. Successful sports and leisure facilities have to be user-friendly and operate efficiently. The design process involves many disciplines which are interdependent and mutually supportive, using a holistic approach to achieve the appropriate controls, simplicity, efficiency and economy.

This guide covers planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance criteria, including:

• buildings for indoor and outdoor sports;
• building regulations and health and safety;
• structure and facades;
• heating and ventilation;
• acoustics and lighting;
• infrastructure;
• communications and security;
• stairways and elevators;
• sustainability;
• sports-led urban regeneration.

Containing most types of sports building, this book uses examples from around the world to develop a definitive reference for practitioners, researchers and students in the areas of sport, leisure, the built environment, building design and facilities management.

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Surgical Techniques in Sports Medicine

Surgical Techniques in Sports Medicine

Surgical Techniques in Sports Medicine
By Neal S ElAttrache, Christopher D Harner, Raffy Mirzayan, Jon K Sekiya
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins | ISBN: 0781754275 | 2006-12-01 | PDF | 720 pages | 141.4 Mb

Featuring more than 950 photographs and drawings—including 500 in full color—this text offers step-by-step instructions on techniques for performing common and complex sports medicine procedures in the upper and lower extremities. Noted experts who have developed or perfected these techniques guide the reader in stepwise detail through each procedure.
Where appropriate, the book covers both open and arthroscopic techniques for each injury or problem. Coverage includes the most current and cutting-edge techniques as well as traditional tried and true procedures in operative sports medicine.

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