A guide to playing bridge. It takes the reader through a structure designed to save you bushels of points, whether you play rubber bridge or duplicate pairs or teams. There are examples in each section, along with quizzes and bidding practice to encourage familiarity with the system.

Who needs rules on how to play as a declarer? The truth is that the instincts people have come to depend upon are often honed from a few basic guidelines. This book provides all those guidelines as well as the reasoning behind them and also explains when you should not follow the rules. By assuming only a minimum of knowledge, the authors have brought the subject within the reach of many players and introduce the beginner gradually by placing the slightly trickier topics towards the end of the book.

Millions of people of all ages play bridge and what better way to spend the perfect evening than supper with friends and bridge. And what could be better than to have a special selection of the delicious recipes by Nicola Cox, originally published in her celebrated books Good Food from Farthinghoe and Country Cooking from Farthinghoe. The recipes have been carefully chosen so that they do not involve a lot of last-minute activity when one would prefer to be playing bridge. The dishes are arranged in groups from soups to puddings via a selection of delectable pates, mousses, salads. vegetable dishes and main courses.

Immerse yourself in some of the most fascinating worlds of classic literature with this themed trivia and game card deck

Put your Jane Austen knowledge to the test with a 16pp booklet and 52 trivia and game cards, each one featuring a multiple-choice trivia question, charade, game or challenge about the people, places and relationships of Jane Austen's works.

Packed with trivia questions, party games, charades and challenges; and illustrated with vintage illustrations that make for a delightful game of Snap or Memory - there is something for everyone in this new series of quiz and game decks.

The Assassin's Creed Escape Room Puzzle Book is an exciting journey through history in which you must solve a series of puzzles and mysteries to save humanity. You are Joey, a museum worker who comes across a mysterious blade that sets in motion a chain of events that completely upends your life. Drawn into the world of the Assassins, you must tour through time and space - from 5th century BCE Greece to the catacombs of medieval Venice - in order to foil a malevolent Isu plot. Featuring characters and locations familiar to fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise and written by an experienced real-life escape-room creator, this immersive escape-room experience is both visually exciting and a difficult puzzle quest. Can you solve the conundrums and reveal the Isu plan in time to save the world?

Hyper-reality. The area between the thriving mass of humanity known as the Sprawl and the digital refuge of Cyberspace. This is your playground. As a data-jack, you can see and manipulate the flow of digital data through the real world - for you, reality is limitless. Welcome to Reality's Edge, a wargame so shiny you are going to need mirror shades. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk future, players take on the role of a data-jack, a mercenary hacker who leads a small team of trusted operatives and disposable freelancers. Funded by shadow backers, the data-jacks accept jobs from faceless clients for profit, glory, and better chrome... always better chrome. Battles take place in the concrete jungle known as the Sprawl, but data-jacks must remain wary of the threat posed by Cyberspace. Hacking rules are pivotal to the game, with data nodes, robots, machines, and even enemy chrome presenting potential targets for a cunning data-jack. No-one plugged into Cyberspace is entirely safe from intrusion, and the electronic sprites and digital djinn you can deploy alongside your team can be just as dangerous as any mercenary or assassin. Gameplay focuses on individual characters, with each skirmish offering you the opportunity to earn experience and equipment for your data-jack and operatives. A wide range of items and upgrades are available, from advanced weaponry and synthetics through to cyber-implants, biological enhancements, clones, and much more. This is a world obsessed with whether something can be done, not whether it should.

Andy Warhol Selfies 1000 Piece Puzzle features a collage of the artist's famous self-portrait Polaroid photographs. Galison puzzles are packaged in matte-finish sturdy boxes, perfect for gifting, reuse, and storage. An insert of the full puzzle image is included in the box. - Box Size: 8 x 8 x 2.5", 203 x 203 x 63 mm - Puzzle Size: 20 x 27", 508 x 685 mm - Includes Puzzle Insert

The pompous and self-important Abbot returns from his heroics in the Chennai Bermuda Bowl to discover that his fellow monks have taken little interest in this adventure. It is no easy matter for him to once again endure the aggravating ups and downs, familiar to us all, of life as a bridge player. The Abbot plays matches and duplicate sessions against a range of colourful opponents. How can it be that a battle-hardened veteran of the Bermuda Bowl cannot always sweep such moderate opposition aside? Claude Yorke-Smith, his overbearing brother from Devon pays the monastery a visit. The Abbot spends a week in the Convent of Hilda's and is shocked by the severe attitude of the Mother of Discipline. In the final part of the book, the Abbot is visited by his partner from Chennai, the Parrot. How will the bridge players of Hampshire react to such a feathered and outspoken opponent? Other Abbot titles by David Bird: Miracles of Card Play; Unholy Tricks; Doubled and Venerable; Cardinal Sins; The Abbot's Great Sacrifice; Heavenly Contracts; Celestial Cardplay; The Abbot and the Sensational Squeeze; Divine Intervention; The Abbot, the Witchdoctor and the Disastrous Double; The Abbot, the Parrot and the Bermuda Bowl.

Play Cards and Learn to Identify Mammals in the Northeastern United States! Anyone who enjoys nature, wildlife, and the great outdoors will love these cards for playing your favorite games or to use as flash cards. Inspired by Stan Tekiela's popular Mammal Identification Guides, this gorgeous deck of playing cards features professional photographs of 54 of the most notable mammal species in the Northeastern states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and also Washington, DC. Each card depicts full-color photographs of such animals as the American Bison, Canada Lynx, Northern Flying Squirrel, and more--so you can begin to learn what 54 different species look like. Card Features 54 of the most notable mammal species Beautiful photograph on every card Ideal for card games or as flash cards Play games like blackjack, poker, rummy, and solitaire while learning more about wildlife. Get Mammals of the Northeast Playing Cards for yourself, and you can also give this deck of cards as a fun and thoughtful gift.

Two of the most renowned chess trainers in the world, introduce and explain the revolutionary ideas of their old friend and mentor, Igor Platonov. Platonov was one of the most profound thinkers and theoreticians in the old Soviet Union, which held a grip on the world chess championship for decades, as the title passed from one of its stars to another. For intermediate players to grandmasters, Platonov's visionary insights, examined and explained here for the first time, provide you with the keys to understanding the foundational concepts of the game, strengthening your chess understanding and giving you effective methods to help you find the most powerful moves in the game.

Chess Developments is a brand new series providing state-of-the-art openings coverage. Chess Developments focuses on the current trends - concentrating on critical lines, theoretical novelties and powerful new ideas. It offers players of all levels the opportunity to keep up-to-date with current opening theory whilst also expanding and improving their repertoires. The Pirc is an ambitious counter-attacking weapon against 1 e4. Black allows White to build an imposing centre before striking back and attacking it with pieces and pawns. If Black's strategy is successful White's centre can be blown away, but if Black fails he runs the risk of being overrun. In this book, James Vigus examines the most theoretically important and instructive Pirc games since the publication of his highly acclaimed The Pirc in Black and White, highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Studying this book will provide you with essential information on a popular opening. *Essential coverage of the Pirc Defence *Packed with key new ideas and critical analysis *User-friendly design to help readers absorb information

Do you need to be a genius to be good at chess? What does it take to become a Grandmaster? Can computer programmes beat human intuition in gameplay? The Psychology of Chess is an insightful overview of the roles of intelligence, expertise, and human intuition in playing this complex and ancient game. The book explores the idea of 'practice makes perfect', alongside accounts of why men perform better than women in international rankings, and why chess has become synonymous with extreme intelligence as well as madness. When artificial intelligence researchers are increasingly studying chess to develop machine learning, The Psychology of Chess shows us how much it has already taught us about the human mind.

Su Doku For Dummies offers more puzzles than any other book available.

This pocket-sized guide to the biggest craze for Summer 2005 features:

* Easy to follow illustrated instructions

* Guidance on how to play the game and different strategies to tackle the puzzles

* 240 addictive new puzzles from basic to fiendish

This guide is perfect for newcomers to Su Doku as well as experienced Su Doku players looking to improve their game and addicts who just can't get enough new puzzles

Su Doku (or Sudoku) has been dubbed the Rubik's Cube of the 21st century, it's a cryptic and highly addictive puzzle that involves inserting numbers in a 9x9 grid and making sure that every row and every column and every 3x3 box within the bigger grid contains all the digits from one to nine.

All it takes is the ability to identify the numerals 1-9, a sense for logic, a methodical cast of mind and a large measure of application to boot. You can get better and quicker, if you put your mind to it. And there is no predicting who will excel: you can be a disaster at maths and a whiz at Su Doku

The International Laws of Contract Bridge have been effective since 1 January 1993. The laws described in the book apply only to Rubber bridge. The copyright in the British Commonwealth (other than in the Western Hemisphere), the continent of Africa, in India, Spain, Portugal, and all English-speaking countries is vested in the Portland Club. The Portland Club is a London card-playing game club and the recognised early authority on the games of whist and bridge. It is reputedly the oldest card club in the world. Founded some time before 1815 as the Stratford Club, it was given its present name in 1825. The copyright in all non-English-speaking countries in Europe (other than Spain and Portugal) is vested in the European Bridge League. The copyright in the Western Hemisphere and in the Republic of the Philippines is vested in the American Contract Bridge League.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practicing of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge. Bird's Opening, 1 f4, is an ideal choice for freethinking chess players who prefer to rely on their general chess knowledge and intuition rather than having to memorize and keep up to date with mainline opening theory. Bird's Opening is essentially the Dutch Defense with an extra move, and White can choose between a number of different set-ups, including the reversed Leningrad, Classical and Stonewall variations, depending on mood and opponents' responses. In this book, International Master Cyrus Lakdawala examines all the important variations of Bird's Opening, including the sharp From's Gambit. Using illustrative games, he explains the main positional and tactical ideas for both sides, provides answers to all the key questions and tells you everything you need to know about successfully playing 1 f4. *Essential guidance and training with 1 f4*Provides a repertoire options for White*Utilizes an ideal approach to chess study

Have nothing but a deck of cards? With this book you'll soon be dealing out playful poker, and four-ace tricks that will make everyone say: "How did you do that?" If you can shuffle a deck, you can perform "jacks be nimble," "about face," "number nonsense," and dozens more. Clear illustrations demonstrate how to execute each move precisely. A chart gauges the difficulty of each trick.

To dismantle negative stereotypes of fans, this book offers a media ethnography of the digital culture, conventions, and urban spaces associated with fandoms, arguing that fandom is an area of productive, creative, and subversive value. By examining the fandoms of Sherlock, Glee, Firefly, and other popular television-based franchises, the author appeals to fans and scholars alike in her empirically grounded methodology and insightful analysis of production hierarchies, gender, sexuality, play, and affect.

How can you improve at chess? This is the eternal question asked by players of all levels. Which part of the game should you focus on? How often should you play? Should you change your opening repertoire? What's the best way to learn from your defeats? So many questions ...and yet direct answers are hard to find. It's no wonder aspiring players are left bewildered and in need of direction. In this book grandmaster Nigel Davies provides that direction. He examines the methods used by a number of players who were looking to improve their game, and how they went about achieving their goal. He has drawn heavily on the games and thoughts of players who have been his students over the years and experienced a clear improvement in their play. Finding the path towards improvement can prove difficult without the right guidance. This book will demonstrate the route to take. *A major study of chess improvement *Written by a renowned chess trainer *Tackles all areas of the game

It is generally agreed that one of the best ways for a chess-player to improve is by constant practice and testing. The puzzles in this book provide a wealth of positions to test every facet of the reader's tactical skills, and have been selected by analyzing games new and old in search of original puzzle positions (rather than simply trawling through previous puzzle books as is all too often the case). It is therefore very unlikely that even seasoned solvers will recognize many of these positions!

A firebolt broom pen, interactive book, iron-on team badges, and trading cards highlight this spirited celebration of the magical sport of the Wizarding World. The Player's Kit includes: * 4 iron-on badges featuring team insignia for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff * 4-1/4 x 7" 128-page interactive book on Quidditch, including history on the sport, play instruction, play-making templates, quotes, full-colour photography and illustrations, and more * Firebolt broom pen * Quidditch all-stars trading cards * Keepsake box

Gambling, simply stated, is as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. Despite the best efforts of our Puritan forbearers, America has, throughout its history, been a country of rebels and gamblers. The games-pharo, poker, keno, hazard, roulette, and others-have produced objects that are highly collectible and valued by a growing number of aficionados. This wonderful new book explores the world of gambling collectibles in a way that will inform and amuse both the novice and the established collector. A myriad of gambling items are illustrated in over 400 full-color photographs. Included are some that are very rare and some that are not, but all of them are exceedingly attractive. They have about them an aura of romance and intrigue. In addition there is substantial text, helping the collector to put the items in a historical context as well as giving very practical information about building a collection.

Millennial Loteria took the world by storm with its hilarious and extremely relatable parody of Loteria, the classic "Mexican Bingo" game. Now you can take your obsession to the next level and play with up to 20 of your fave followers with this new expansion pack, which includes: - 10 new Millennial Loteria cards (Including 1 special "Shiny AF" card) - 10 extra playing boards - 80 extra bitcoin tokens OMG IMPORTANT INFO: This expansion pack only works when combined with the full Millennial Loteria game, which is sold separately. If you don't own it yet, add it to your cart ASAP!

From Joyce Lock, creator of the games Foodie Fight, Wine Wars, and Foodie Fight Rematch, member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, and judge for the James Beard foundation book awards. More than 100,000 copies sold. Test your food knowledge and challenge your friends. This fully revised, modern version of the bestselling Foodie Fight game gives food lovers a refreshing new reason to play the game and test their food knowledge. This addictively fun, classic board game is now revised and updated with 50 percent new content and questions. Gamers, foodies, pop culture fans, trivia fanatics and anyone interested in the culture of cuisine around the world can compete with their friends and family with more than 1,000 questions-on celebrity chefs, food science, food history, and more-to find the ultimate foodie. Game night will never be the same! * Revised with 50 percent new questions for even more fun * More than 1,000 food-related trivia questions * Challenging questions for die-hard foodies People who like trivia games, such as Trivial Pursuit Game: Classic Edition and I Should Have Known That! will love this trivia board game. * Makes a great gift for food lovers, avid cooks, chefs, and people who like cooking shows * Fun family game for adults and kids aged 12 and up * Anyone who loves trivia will have fun with this board game