Oleg Stepanov (polymath)
Encyclopedia
Oleg Stepanov is a world-renowned expert on mind sports. He has particular expertise in the board games Pente
, Renju
, Shogi
and Othello (Reversi
), and is widely regarded as the leading authority on mental calculation
and its history. Stepanov is currently chairman of the Qualifying Committee of the Renju
International Federation.
An accomplished magician, Stepanov has written many articles about the methods and history of performance magic.
Stepanov is perhaps best known in his native Russia as a puzzle compiler, providing brainteasers to daily newspapers, puzzle magazines and TV quiz shows.
Pente
Pente is a strategy board game created in 1977 by Gary Gabrel, based on the Japanese game ninuki-renju, a variant of renju or gomoku which is played on a Go board of 19 x 19 intersections with white and black stones. In contrast to renju, ninuki-renju and Pente allow captures, but Pente added a...
, Renju
Renju
Renju is the professional variant of Gomoku, a board game originated from Japan in Heian Period. It was named Renju by Japanese journalist Ruikou Kuroiwa on December 6, 1899 in a Japanese newspaper Yorozu chouhou . It is played with black and white stones on a 15x15 intersection Go board...
, Shogi
Shogi
, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan...
and Othello (Reversi
Reversi
Reversi is a board game involving abstract strategy and played by two players on a board with 8 rows and 8 columns and a set of distinct pieces for each side. Pieces typically are disks with a light and a dark face, each face belonging to one player...
), and is widely regarded as the leading authority on mental calculation
Mental calculation
Mental calculation comprises arithmetical calculations using only the human brain, with no help from calculators, computers, or pen and paper. People use mental calculation when computing tools are not available, when it is faster than other means of calculation , or in a competition context...
and its history. Stepanov is currently chairman of the Qualifying Committee of the Renju
Renju
Renju is the professional variant of Gomoku, a board game originated from Japan in Heian Period. It was named Renju by Japanese journalist Ruikou Kuroiwa on December 6, 1899 in a Japanese newspaper Yorozu chouhou . It is played with black and white stones on a 15x15 intersection Go board...
International Federation.
An accomplished magician, Stepanov has written many articles about the methods and history of performance magic.
Stepanov is perhaps best known in his native Russia as a puzzle compiler, providing brainteasers to daily newspapers, puzzle magazines and TV quiz shows.