Dinner parties a bit tame? Tired of hearing the same old playlists? Liven up your evenings with these hilarious after-dinner sound and music experiments. There are 21 techniques each illustrated by a handsome card including step-by-step instructions and presented in a beautiful gift tin. From turning a carrot into a recorder and playing your wine glasses to recreating the fizz and crackle of a barbershop quartet on an old-timey gramophone, these experiments are guaranteed to provide a good time.

"Starting Out: The Trompowsky Attack "is a further addition to Everyman's best-selling "Starting Out" series. Richard Palliser revisits the fundamentals of the Trompowsky, examining the crucial moves and plans for both sides.

CROSSWORDS WITH A BRIDGE FLAVOR Now bridge players who enjoy crosswords can combine their favorite pastimes! For this book, New York Times and Los Angeles Times crossword constructor Jeff Chen has designed 52 brand-new crosswords with bridge-themed clues and solutions, providing hours of challenge and fun. The puzzles in this book range from Easy (N.Y. Times Monday level) to Challenging (N.Y. Times Thursday level). JEFF CHEN is a children's book writer and a crossword puzzle constructor with 50+ puzzles published in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. He's been playing bridge for ten years but still couldn't identify a squeeze or a Deschapelles Coup opportunity even if it came up and bit him on the bottom.

"Tank War," the new supplement for Bolt Action, gives players the option to expand their games to a whole new level - armored warfare. Recreate such great engagements as the battle of Kursk with the scenarios, army options and special rules found in this book. Whether you want to add more armour to your existing armies or build an entirely armoured force, Tank War has you covered.

A wargaming ruleset for epic pre-WW1 battles in the sky. It's the dawn of the 20th Century and the Great Powers turn to war. Since the development of the air screw, leading to the creation of flying warships, the navies of the world have comprised an ever-growing number of these aerial ironclads. So fire up the turbines, ready the aether drives, and take to the air in Castles in the Sky: A Wargame of Flying Battleships. Featuring all the rules required to fight battles with fleets of flying behemoths. Assemble your fleet from 8 nationalities and fight through a variety of scenarios. With a full campaign system, Castles in the Sky contains everything adventurous aeronautical admirals need to find victory in the skies.

Experts agree that regularly solving tactics is a vital component of chess training. However, it's also widely acknowledged that there is one drawback of traditional chess puzzleswhen solving them students know for sure that there is a genuine tactic in the position, whereas during a real game there is no such guarantee. In this workbook, Volker Schleputz and Grandmaster John Emms offer a unique framework to study chess tactics independent of themes, difficulty andmost importantlyeven the existence of an actual tactic in a given position. Analyzing carefully selected games, from beginner level through to club and tournament level, the reader assumes the role of a tactics detective, checking for mistakes and missed opportunities by both sides without the help of a chess engine. This training method resembles live play far more realistically than solving puzzles, because each move has to be analyzed with respect to tactical possibilitieswhether they exist or not. The same thinking processes used in the training can then be applied in real games. *A unique framework to practice chess tactics*Exercises resemble over-the-board situations*Ideal for beginners, intermediate and club players

Italian card games are fun and a great cultural and socializing experience. Italian Card Games for All Ages will help you become familiar with Italian cards and with some of the most popular games played today in Italy. This handy reference will introduce both the beginner and the advanced card player to fun, century-old games, including traditional games for large groups and simple children's games. It includes how to play: - Briscola - Scopa - Tresette - Sette e Mezzo - Bestia - Cocincina - Faraone - Miseria - Petrangola - Scartino and some fun and simple children's games. Every game can be played using a standard deck of 52 cards, but if you wish to have a truly Italian experience, get a deck of regional Italian cards and have some fun A glossary and small Italian-English dictionary are included.

Tired of playing the same old openings? Bored with stuffy opening theory? A Ferocious Opening Repertoire provides a welcome antidote! Former American Open Champion Cyrus Lakdawala presents a range of vicious weapons for White in a repertoire which is perfect for those who have little time for study, but enjoy taking opponents out of their comfort zones and causing them problems from the very beginning. The repertoire's backbone is provided by the aggressive Veresov Opening (1 d4, 2 Nc3 and 3 Bg5) and this weapon is accompanied by equally hostile options against other Black tries such as the French, Caro-Kann, Dutch, Benoni, Pirc and Philidor. These weapons are ideal choices for those who revel in forcing opponents into chaotic, uncomfortable positions. Are you constantly struggling with the black pieces? Can't make up your mind which openings to play? Are you looking for something new: an all-in-one solution to your problems? Look no further! In Play 1..Nc6, a complete chess opening repertoire for Black, Christof Scheerer, who is renowned for his innovative and adventurous opening ideas, provides the reader with an ambitious and all-encompassing repertoire for Black against every main line opening that White can play, based on the initial move 1...Nc6. The principal components of this black repertoire are the uncompromising Chigorin Defence, a long-time favourite of the brilliant Russian Grandmaster Alexander Morozevich, and the equally tricky Nimzowitsch Defence, advocated by Britain's first ever Grandmaster, Tony Miles. Drawing upon his wealth of practical experience in this opening, which has produced a remarkable success rate and some notable Grandmaster scalps, Scheerer uncovers the secrets behind 1...Nc6 and divulges his findings to the reader.

Video games are a complex, compelling medium in which established art forms intersect with technology to create an interactive text. Visual arts, architectural design, music, narrative and rules of play all find a place within, and are constrained by, computer systems whose purpose is to create an immersive player experience. In the relatively short life of video game studies, many authors have approached the question of how games function, some focusing on technical aspects of game design, others on rules of play. Taking a holistic view, this study explores how ludology, narratology, visual rhetoric, musical theory and player psychology work (or don't work) together to create a cohesive experience and to provide a unified framework for understanding video games.

Over 2,000 of the best Darts questions and answers The Sun Darts Quiz Book is the definitive darts quiz book packed full of 2,000 quality questions. Ranging from easy to difficult levels and covering all aspects of the game, quiz yourself over the basic rules of the game, the results, the politics, the history, the venues, the winners, the losers, the teams and the players. As the only darts quiz book available this is the perfect source of wisdom and trivia for Darts fans everywhere.

Whether the heroes are landing their starship to explore a newly discovered world or dogfighting in the skies in individual starfighters, Paizo's latest Starfinder Flip-Mat has you covered. This line of gaming maps provides ready-to-use science-fantasy set pieces for the busy Game Master. Featuring a hex grid for Starfinder's unique starship combat system, this extra-large, double-sided map comes with two different backgrounds-the thick clouds of a gas giant and a high-altitude view of a terrestrial world's topography-to let you craft epic atmospheric starship battles and fire your players' imaginations. Don't waste time sketching when you could be playing. With Starfinder Flip-Mat: Planetary Atmosphere, you'll be ready the next time your players take their starship planetside! A special coating on each Flip-Mat allows you to use wet erase, dry erase, AND permanent markers with ease! Removing permanent ink is easy-simply trace over any permanent mark with a dry erase marker, wait 10 seconds, then wipe off both marks with a dry cloth or paper towel. 27" x 39" mat Folds to 8" x 10" 1" squares on each side

The pen is mightier than the sword, but whose pen is the mightiest of them all? Who was more prolific, Charlotte Brontë or Fyodor Dostoyevsky? Who created more memorable characters, Jane Austen or William Shakespeare? Whose life was more eventful, Cervantes or Byron? Pit 32 of the greatest writers of all time against each other with these illustrated cards.

The Classical Dutch is an ambitious and underrated defence to queens pawn openings. With his first few moves Black creates an asymmetrical pawn structure which unbalances the position from a very early stage, allowing both white and black players to fight for the initiative. Now, for the first time in recent history, International Master Jan Pinski delves into the secrets of the Classical Dutch, studying both the positional motives and tactical nuances for both sides. He deals with the theoretical main lines as well as the crafty side variations, updating the reader on all the new important wrinkles.
*Written by an openings expert
*Up-to-date coverage of a dynamic opening
*Full explanations on all the crucial tactical and positional themes

The third in a series about home video games, this detailed reference work features descriptions and reviews of every official U.S.-released game for the Neo Geo, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16, which, in 1989, ushered in the 16-bit era of gaming. Organized alphabetically by console brand, each chapter includes a description of the game system followed by substantive entries for every game released for that console. Video game entries include historical information, gameplay details, the author's critique, and, when appropriate, comparisons to similar games. Appendices list and offer brief descriptions of all the games for the Atari Lynx and Nintendo Game Boy, and catalogue and describe the add-ons to the consoles covered herein--Neo Geo CD, Sega CD, Sega 32X and TurboGrafx-CD.

The Caro-Kann has always been one of the most widely played openings among club and tournament players. This handy battle manual deals with the critical main line positions after 1 e4 c6 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4. Highly regarded author Grandmaster Neil McDonald offers a comprehensive survey of the state of current theory for both White and Black players, explaining the basic elements, strategies and tactics for both sides. This guide covers one of the most fashionable chess openings in current practice. It is ideal for club and tournament players and it provides everything you need to know to start playing the main line Caro-Kann straightaway. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 144 pages, diagrams)

Poker is America’s national card game, and its popularity continues to grow. Nationwide, you can find a game in progress everywhere. If you want to play, you can find poker games on replicas of 19th century riverboats or on Native American tribal lands. You can play poker at home with the family or online with opponents from around the world. Like bowling and billiards before it, poker has moved out from under the seedier side of its roots and is flowering in the sunshine.

Maybe you’ve never played poker before and you don’t even know what a full house is. Poker For Dummies covers the basics. Or perhaps you've played for years, but you just don’t know how to win. This handy guide will help you walk away from the poker table with winnings, not lint, in your pockets. If you’re a poker expert, you still can benefit – some of the suggestions may surprise you, and you can certainly learn from the anecdotes from professional players like T.J. Cloutier and Stu Unger.

Know what it takes to start winning hand after hand by exploring strategy; getting to know antes and betting structure; knowing your opponents, and understanding the odds. Poker For Dummies also covers the following topics and more:

• Poker games such as Seven-Card Stud, Omaha, and Texas Hold'em
• Setting up a game at home
• Playing in a casino: Do's and don'ts
• Improving your play with Internet and video poker
• Deciphering poker sayings and slang
• Ten ways to read your opponent's body language
• Playing in poker tournaments
• Money management and recordkeeping
• Knowing when and how to bluff

Poker looks like such a simple game. Anyone, it seems, can play it well – but that's far from the truth. Learning the rules can be quick work, but becoming a winning player takes considerably longer. Still, anyone willing to make the effort can become a good player. You can succeed in poker the way you succeed in life: by facing it squarely, getting up earlier than the next person, and working harder and smarter than the competition.

Attacking your opponents king is not just a shortcut to victory, its also one of the most enjoyable and gratifying experiences in chess. If you want to win more games you should become a better attacker. Studying typical attacking motifs and ideas easily brings dividends while you are having a good time. Michael Prusikin presents the prerequisites and the rules for a King attack in a lucid and attractive manner. In 15 thematic chapters he teaches you how to assess the nature of the position, identify the appropriate offensive patterns, find the preliminary moves and conduct your attack in a clear and effective way. Battering rams, obstructive sacrifices, pawn storms, striking at the castled position, sacrificing a knight on f5, Prusikin demonstrates the most important patterns of attack with lots of clear and well-chosen examples. Next, Prusikin tests your newly acquired insights and your attacking intuition with exercises covering all the themes and motifs. You will find that studying ATTACKING STRATEGIES FOR CLUB PLAYERS is both entertaining and rewarding.

Jonathan Adler is a design company that creates luxe and livable interiors and chic products that are synonymous with modern American glamour. The Jonathan Adler Arcade Classic Bandana Game from Galison is a unique game format where the game board is made of cotton and printed with Adler's Arcade theme, inspired by the storied arches of the Colosseum in moody curves and colors. The set includes 16 wooden game pieces, 2 dice and an instruction booklet which includes five How-to-Style bandana techniques. * Two-Piece Colorful Box: 8 x 8 x 1.25", 203 x 32mm * Bandana Size: 21.25 x 21.25", 552 X 552mm * 16 Wooden Game Pieces + 2 Dice * Cotton drawstring pouch * Instruction booklet includes game instructions and 5 bandana tying tips (3 ways to wear and 2 ways to use)

A bumper edition of puzzles from the home of cryptic crosswords... the Telegraph. In 1925, the Telegraph was the first quality daily to publish a crossword; here is the latest collection. Utterly addictive and entertaining, these fiendish puzzles are perfect for those who wish to pit their wits against the nation's best cryptic setters.

Market Garden was a bold plan, designed to capture the Rhine crossings along the Dutch-German border and establish a foothold for an advance into Germany. A massive combined arms operation involving airborne landings and an armoured thrust, it was one of the most dramatic and controversial operations of the war. This new Campaign Book for Bolt Action allows players to command the forces facing each other across the Rhine, fighting key battles and attempting to change the course of history. New, linked scenarios, rules, troop types and Theatre Selectors provide plenty of options for novice and veteran players alike.