The computer always wins : a playful introduction to algorithms through puzzles and strategy games / Elliot Lichtman.

How to use this book — Why algorithms? — Chapter summaries — Searching and sorting. Guess wrong answers — Road not taken — One step at a time — Turn-based strategy games. Whose turn is it anyways — Move faster — Pruning — Random simulation. Throwing darts — Aiming darts — Aiming darts at others — Tracking and training. Rock, paper...paper — Black boxes — Minimizing regret — Afterword — Python review.

An engaging and approachable resource for beginning-to-intermediate coders eager to learn advanced ideas in computer programming.

In The Computer Always Wins, Elliot Lichtman will teach you some of computer science’s most powerful concepts in a refreshingly accessible way: exploring them through word games, board games, and strategy games you already know. Learn recursion by playing tic-tac-toe, efficient search through puzzle games like sudoku and Wordle, and machine learning by way of the playground classic rock-paper-scissors. Finish the book, and you’ll come away with not only a deeper understanding of these foundational programming techniques but also a new appreciation for the amazing feats that can be accomplished using simple, readable code.