7 months, 1 week ago

Chess, mahjong or Go show that brain power is more than a game

The 2001 Ron Howard hit, A Beautiful Mind, had Russell Crowe playing real-life troubled master mathematician John Nash in which he introduces his "game theory" to great effect, and to the particular interest of the intelligence agencies. When he's not being debriefed and/or interrogated by the suits in Langley, which is a huge chunk of his adult life, he did find the time to put his powers of persuasion to "good use" in singles bars, where he demonstrates to some highly motivated peers how the theory could better ensure one didn't go home alone. Ancient game pieces unearthed in Russia, China, India and Central Asia sometimes even involved dice, and sometimes had playing boards of 100 or more squares — making historical origins even dicier. The Risk-esque game, with a tinge of You Sank My Battleship, is often deemed the earliest ancestor of modern chess' different pieces with varying powers — unlike checkers and Go — and ultimate success was based on claiming one piece, the king. Since you've dutifully read this far, I'm going to award you, honorable reader, with an answer to the question "Which game is best for boosting brain power?"

China Daily
China Game Chess Chinese
6 mind sports to exercise your brain and keep you sharp
3 months, 3 weeks ago

6 mind sports to exercise your brain and keep you sharp

The Independent
Brain

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