Abstract
Spatial complexity can be playful, surprising and artful: some of its pleasant facets are highlighted in this chapter, as they emerge from the examination of spatial partitions and by means of games playable on boards of squares: chess, go, tic-tac-toe, checkers (among many other spatial games) revealing how charming the spatial complexity of square arrangements can be. Indeed, square maps are scientifically interesting as well as a source of inspiration throughout the ages, from Latin squares and famous modern painters to the mysterious Arnold Cat Maps and video games. Square maps can be both symbols of minimalism in art as well as genitors of highly complex mazes and labyrinths. With innumerable algorithmic challenges pertaining to them, they are a source of entertainment and endowed with a geometric shape perfectly suited for displaying and exploring the puzzling, mystic and aesthetic aspects of spatial complexity.
Intelligence in labyrinths
(Michel De Certeau 1984, p. 90)
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Papadimitriou, F. (2020). Squares, Cats and Mazes: The Art and Magic of Spatial Complexity. In: Spatial Complexity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59671-2_9
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