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.

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.

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.

Fun indoor games for the whole family to enjoy. Switch off your screens, gather the family, open up 60 Classic Indoor Games and remember how simple it is to play and laugh together. Inside this wonderful little book are new, classic and beloved (but often-forgotten) family games that are perfect to keep the children from their screens or tearing the house down on rainy days. It's great for entertaining visiting grandparents and brilliant at getting everyone's imagination going! Create your own family traditions with classic games like Charades, Sardines and Are You There, Moriarty? as well as new favourites like Kangaroo Racing, Sprouts and Fish Flap. Includes everything you need to know to play over 60 classic games ordered alphabetically for quick and easy reference. Suitable for all ages, it's a lovely gift to pass on for future generations to enjoy.

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!

Play Cards and Learn to Identify Birds 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 Bird Identification Guides, this gorgeous deck of playing cards features stylized photographs of 54 of the most fascinating bird species in the Northeastern states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as Washington, DC. Each card depicts stylized photographs of such birds as the Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Bald Eagle, and more--so you can begin to learn what 54 different species look like. Card Features 54 of the most notable bird species Stylized photograph on every card Ideal for card games or as flash cards Play games like blackjack, poker, rummy, and solitaire while learning more about birding. Get Birds of the Northeast Playing Cards for yourself, and you can also give this deck of cards as a fun and thoughtful gift.

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

The ancient game of Go is one of the less obvious candidates for mathematical analysis. With the development of new concepts in combinatorial game theory, the authors have been able to analyze Go games and find solutions to real endgame problems that have stumped professional Go players. Go players with an interest in mathematics and mathematicians who work in game theory will not want to miss this book because it describes substantial connections between the two subjects that have been, until now, largely unrecognized.

Over 100 games of solitaire offer hours of fun and entertainment. Some are so simple, they're child's play. Others demand skill, concentration, and judgment. Two-, three-, and four-pack games are included.

Chris Moorman is known as the most successful online poker player of all time. His focused determination and ferocious will to win have led him to achieve record-breaking accomplishments in the poker world including: ----- * $17 million in online and live tournament winnings --- * 27 World Series of Poker cashes --- * 25 PocketFives Triple Crowns --- * Winner of British Poker Awards best online player 2010-2015 ----- Following on from his best-selling first book, "Moorman's Book of Poker", Chris decided to mix it up for his second book, Moorman, analyzing his own hands as well as sharing the fascinating story of how he achieved his phenomenal success. Chris discusses life growing up, how he got into poker and documents the highs and lows of his career so far. He takes you straight into the world of million dollar wins and even bigger losses. ----- Naturally, Chris's story is built around his successes at the poker table. Chris discusses numerous key hands from throughout his career and explains in depth how he arrived at his decisions and analyzes whether they were right or wrong. Studying the hand analysis and though processes of the most successful online player ever will undoubtedly take your game to the next level. ----- Furthermore, numerous world class pros, including Daniel Negreanu, Liv Boeree and Fedor Holz, share their insights into Chris's play. ----- Moorman will allow you to understand what it is really like to think and act like the pros.

The Modern Defence is not a solid opening. In fact, on some level maybe it's not an opening at all. It's the Wild West of chess opening theory, a safe haven for true chess lovers who are just spoiling for a fight. The structures that can result are almost unlimited in their variety and the potential for dynamic piece play is also huge. You need real passion to play it, and also the ability to work hard at the board. But it's also played at the very top: even the names Carlsen and Kramnik occur sometimes in these pages! This book is primarily intended for players who want to play the position after 1.e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 for Black. However, and inevitably for the computer age, there is also a strong focus on chess truth. That means there are also some recommendations for White that are not yet well-known in mainstream opening theory, and that the book has something to offer everyone.

Across the globe, therapists are using tabletop roleplaying games (RPG) such as Dungeons & Dragons as a part of their practice. This book provides an overview of what RPGs are and what makes them such an effective and powerful tool for therapy. By examining research on gaming, flow, immersion and role-play, readers will gain a better understanding of the theoretical underpinnings and how to skilfully and ethically use RPGs in their own practices. The author also looks at the history of RPGs, specifically focusing on issues of diversity and representation to help providers understand some possible pitfalls that exist within the medium. The book utilises an example group to walk through everything from conception, planning, running, documentation and termination of the group.