Combinatorial Games Tic-Tac-Toe Theory [Hardcover]

A comprehensive and unique volume by the master of combinatorial game theory.In this comprehensive volume, J?zsef Beck shows readers how to escape from the combinatorial chaos arising in the analysis of many games by using the fake probabilistic method, a game-theoretic adaptation of the probabilistic method in combinatorics. Striking results are obtained and new duality principles discovered.In this comprehensive volume, J?zsef Beck shows readers how to escape from the combinatorial chaos arising in the analysis of many games by using the fake probabilistic method, a game-theoretic adaptation of the probabilistic method in combinatorics. Striking results are obtained and new duality principles discovered.Traditional game theory has been successful at developing strategy in games of incomplete information: when one player knows something that the other does not. But it has little to say about games of complete information, for example, tic-tac-toe, solitaire and hex. The main challenge of combinatorial game theory is to handle combinatorial chaos, where brute force study is impractical. In this comprehensive volume, J?zsef Beck shows readers how to escape from the combinatorial chaos via the fake probabilistic method, a game-theoretic adaptation of the probabilistic method in combinatorics. Using this, the author is able to determine the exact results about infinite classes of many games, leading to the discovery of some striking new duality principles. Available for the first time in paperback, it includes a new appendix to address the results that have appeared since the book's original publication.Preface; A summary of the book in a nutshell; Part I. Weak Win and Strong Draw: 1. Win vs. weak win; 2. The main result: exact solutions for infinite classes of games; Part II. Basic Potential Technique  Game-Theoretic First and Second Moments: 3. Simple applications; 4. Games and randomness; Part III. Advanced Weak Win  Game-Theoretic Higher Moment: 5. Self-improvingl'