But the chess and bridge establishments do not want money just to help train the most promising players.

ECONOMIST: Mind games

His great passion was puzzles, beginning with crosswords at the age of six and graduating to the most complex chess and bridge problems.

ECONOMIST: Self-inflicted puzzles

To rebrand poker, Alson and his colleagues are emphasizing the similarities between poker and other so-called mindsports like chess and bridge, which teach and reward strategic thinking.

FORBES: Focus

"It's a long way to go, and is like a combination of playing three-dimensional chess and bridge and trying to run a NASA space programme, all at the same time, " he added.

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