Math Games with Bad Drawings: 75 1/4 Simple, Challenging, Go-Anywhere Games―And Why They Matter

Bestselling author and worst-drawing artist Ben Orlin expands his oeuvre with this interactive collection of mathematical games. With 70-plus games, each taking a minute to learn and a lifetime to master, this treasure trove will delight, educate, and entertain.

From beloved math popularizer Ben Orlin comes a masterfully compiled collection of dozens of playable mathematical games.This ultimate game chest draws on mathematical curios, childhood classics, and soon-to-be classics, each hand-chosen to be (1) fun, (2) thought-provoking, and (3) easy to play. With just paper, pens, and the occasional handful of coins, you and a partner can enjoy hours of fun—and hours of challenge.

Orlin’s sly humor, expansive knowledge, and so-bad-they’re-good drawings show us how simple rules summon our best thinking.

Games include:

• Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe
• Sprouts
• Battleship
• Quantum Go Fish
• Dots and Boxes
• Black Hole
• Order and Chaos
• Sequencium
• Paper Boxing
• Prophecies
• Arpeggios
• Banker
• Francoprussian Labyrinth
• Cats and Dogs
• And many more.

Ben Orlin is the author of Math with Bad Drawings (as well as the blog of the same name) and Change is the Only Constant. His writing on math and education has appeared in The Atlantic, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, Vox, and Popular Science. He has taught middle and high school mathematics and has spoken about math and education at colleges and universities across the United States. He lives with his wife and daughter in St. Paul, Minnesota.