Overview

Across the Board is the definitive work on chessboard problems. It is not simply about chess but the chessboard itself - that simple grid of squares so common to games around the world. And, more importantly, the fascinating mathematics behind it. From the Knight's Tour Problem and Queens Domination to their many variations, John Watkins surveys all the well-known problems in this surprisingly fertile area of recreational mathematics. Can a knight follow a path that covers every square once, ending on the starting square? How many queens are needed so that every square is targeted or occupied by one of the queens? Each main topic is treated in depth from its historical conception through to its status today. Many beautiful solutions have emerged for basic chessboard problems since mathematicians first began working on them in earnest over three centuries ago, but such problems, including those involving polyominoes, have now been extended to three-dimensional chessboards and even chessboards on unusual surfaces such as toruses (the equivalent of playing chess on a doughnut) and cylinders. Using the highly visual language of graph theory, Watkins gently guides the reader to the forefront of current research in mathematics. By solving some of the many exercises sprinkled throughout, the reader can share fully in the excitement of discovery. Showing that chess puzzles are the starting point for important mathematical ideas that have resonated for centuries, Across the Board will captivate students and instructors, mathematicians, chess enthusiasts, and puzzle devotees.

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9780691130620

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Reviews

This book is extremely well written and is, no doubt, the best exposition of the connection between the chessboard problems and recreational mathematics. The author surveys all the well-known problems about chess and the chessboard... The problems are treated in depth from their beginnings through to their status today. -- Mohammed Aassila, MAA Review Torus-shaped boards, three-dimensional boards, a shape called the Klein bottle--the simple checkerboard pattern proves to be creatively malleable when Watkins puts his mind to his hobbylike subject. Watkins' invitational tone ensures attention from the finite but enthusiastic audience for mathematical recreation. -- Booklist Watkins offers an excellent invitation to serious mathematics. -- Choice I would be happy to recommend this book to you... The book is an easy and entertaining read that shows numerous paths into various branches of discrete mathematics and graph theory. -- Paul J. Campbell, Mathematics Magazine

This book is extremely well written and is, no doubt, the best exposition of the connection between the chessboard problems and recreational mathematics. The author surveys all the well-known problems about chess and the chessboard... The problems are treated in depth from their beginnings through to their status today. -- Mohammed Aassila MAA Review Torus-shaped boards, three-dimensional boards, a shape called the Klein bottle--the simple checkerboard pattern proves to be creatively malleable when Watkins puts his mind to his hobbylike subject. Watkins' invitational tone ensures attention from the finite but enthusiastic audience for mathematical recreation. Booklist Watkins offers an excellent invitation to serious mathematics. Choice I would be happy to recommend this book to you... The book is an easy and entertaining read that shows numerous paths into various branches of discrete mathematics and graph theory. -- Paul J. Campbell Mathematics Magazine

Author Information

John J. Watkins is Professor of Mathematics at Colorado College where, in 2005, he was given the Boettcher Award for Faculty Excellence in the sciences. He is the coauthor of Graph Theory: An Introductory Approach .

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