Hobbies, Games & Quizzes

Chess is 99% tactics. This celebrated observation is not only true for beginners, but also for club players (Elo 1500 2000). If you want to win more games, nothing works better than training your combination skills. There are two types of books on tactics: those that introduce the concepts followed by some examples, and workbooks that contain lots of exercises. FIDE Master Frank Erwich has done both: he explains all the key tactical ideas AND provides an enormous amount of exercises for each different theme. Erwich has created a complete tactics book for ambitious club and tournament players. He takes you to the next level of identifying weak spots in the position of your opponent, recognizing patterns of combinations, visualizing tricks and calculating effectively. Erwich has also included a new and important element: tests that will improve your defensive skills. 1001 Chess Exercises for Club Players is not a freewheeling collection of puzzles. It serves as a course text book, because only the most didactically productive exercises are featured. Every chapter starts with easy examples, but dont worry: the level of difficulty will steadily increase.

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Immerse yourself in a world of abstract equilibrium with 57 tiles inspired by the Modernist master Piet Mondrian. Arrange the tiles to create table-top compositions of perfect balance, large or small. Beautifully presented and with millions of possible arrangements, Make Your Own Mondrian will delight would-be Modernists of all ages.

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A supersized puzzle book for big word search fans! If you're an avid word searcher who finishes the average puzzle book in no time, you'll be delighted by The Everything Giant Book of Word Searches, Volume 11. The latest collection from puzzlemaster Charles Timmerman is packed with more than 300 brand-new easy to challenging puzzles. Each puzzle has a fun and engaging theme, including literature, popular culture, nature, history, and geography. No matter what your ability level, these word puzzles will help you improve memory, vocabulary, and problem-solving skills. With this huge collection, you'll always find the perfect puzzle to suit your mood!

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In Volume 2 of Excelling at Chess ,we publish International Master Jacob Aagaard's Excelling at Combinational Play: Learn to Identify and Exploit Tactical Chances and Excelling at Chess Calculation: Capitalising on tactical chances.

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Since Dracula’s rise to power a shadow has swept across the nation, but nowhere is it darker than in the Deep South. Throughout the plantations, swamps, and cities, rumours abound of grotesque rituals, hooded figures, and bizarre creatures. Most terrifying of all, however, are the whispers of ancient magic – unspeakable arcane rituals and occult powers that can lead those who wield them towards mystical supremacy… or reduce them to gibbering wrecks. This new supplement for Dracula’s America: Shadows of the West introduces two new factions: the corrupt cultists of the Church of Dagon and the Salem Sisterhood, occult practitioners whose history dates back to the early Colonies. New stealth rules allow for all manner of sneaky and underhanded tactics, while expanded rules for arcane powers offer glory but could cost you your sanity. Alongside these are a host of new scenarios, Hired Guns, monsters, skills, and gear to challenge or assist those who dare venture into the Deep South of Dracula’s America.

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SHENANIGRAMS is a mega-mischievous, tile-based word game that all ages will LOVE! EASY TO LEARN, IRRESISTIBLY FUN. It's travel-friendly and the perfect grab-and-go game to keep everyone entertained for hours. SUPER COMPETITIVE, HIGHLY ADDICTIVE. Battle head-to-head in a nail-biting race to build, tag and steal words from your opponents using stealth, strategy and wordy wickedness. Be the first to use all your tags and shout SHENANIGRAMS!. KIDS, TEENS & ADULTS WILL BE HOOKED! Fantastic fun for anyone aged 8+. No need to be a Shakespearean wordsmith - this game can be as simple or strategic as you decide to make it. Like great wine, it gets even better with time! AN AWESOME GAME FOR 2-6 PLAYERS. It can be hard to find great games for 2+ players. That's why Shenanigrams has been designed to be just as fun for 2 players as it is for larger groups! KIND ON THE PLANET. Shenanigrams is 100% carbon neutral, and the creators have strived to make it as environmentally friendly as possible while

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Back where it all began! This special, double sized volume presents a full Adventure Path in a single massive 200 page book to celebrate the 200th volume of the Pathfinder Adventure Path!The town of Sandpoint has seen more than its fair share of danger and trouble over the years, including harrowing fires, prolific serial killers, goblin raids, and attacks by giants and dragons, but what faces the so-called Light of the Lost Coast now is its greatest threat yet! Something sinister has been manipulating events all along, and now a new band of heroes must step in to save this legendary small town from seven deadly dooms! Return to the town where it all began with the Seven Dooms for Sandpoint Adventure Patha full campaign for 4th- to 11th-level characters that is presented in its entirety in this super-sized volume! Seven Dooms for Sandpoint also includes an updated snapshot of Sandpoint as it stands today, complete with ways to interact with and influence the townsfolk.

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3 Chess classics in one one volume. It's Your Move: This book provides the reader with a selection of puzzles to solve. However, unlike other books of the White to play and mate in three' variety, it simulates real game scenarios, offering readers a choice of tempting alternatives and requiring them to pick the best. It's Your Move Improvers: In this highly original and instructive test yourself book Chris Ward invites readers to solve a selection of carefully chosen puzzles. In this, the second book in the series, the positions are aimed at improving players, specifically the low level club players who are looking to hone their skills in order to climb further up the chess ladder. The reader is given a choice of five plausible plans for each position and has to decide which is the most likely to succeed. The answers then identify the most promising plan and explain why the other choices are less attractive. It's Your Move Tough Puzzles: The puzzles might be a bit more difficult this time but, in the same style of the previous two books, the reader is once again helped by the choice of five plausible plans and has to decide which is the most likely to succeed.

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The Complete Manual of Positional Chess, probably the most thorough grounding in the history of teaching chess, was recently created for chess teachers at the DYSS, the special sports school for young talents in Russia. Konstantin Sakaev and Konstantin Landa present a complete set of instructions and tips for trainers and self-improvers. The reader will learn not only how to enhance fundamental knowledge and technical skills, but also how to work on physical and psychological conditioning. The book is full of basic and advanced tools to improve in a wide array of areas, like handling different pawn structures, exploiting weaknesses in the opponent's position, attacking the enemy king, detecting dynamics and tactical motifs, finding resources for defence and counterattack in precarious positions and, last but not least restricting the role the chess computer plays in our life.

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Arcturus Publishing has sold over 7 million Sudoku titles worldwide!

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The variation of the French that starts 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 (or 3 Nd2) 3 ... dxe4 is often called the Rubinstein Variation. It is a great way to simplify the position and ensure that the middlegame battle rewards strategic understanding rather than rote memorisation of opening moves. It is also a very useful weapon to defuse the attacking intentions of aggressive White players who plan an all-out assault in the main lines of the French Defence. An important feature of the lines after 3...dxe4 4 Nxe4 is that Black has various different ways to continue. 4 ... Nd7 is the most common but 4 ... Bd7 (planning ... Bc6 – the Fort Knox Variation), 4 ... Be7 and 4 ... Nf6 are all possible. All these lines are covered in the book. Finally, White can, of course, avoid the 3 ... dxe4 variation with (amongst others) the Advance Variation, 3 e5. Martin provides antidotes to all these possible sidelines and so the variations in the book provide a complete repertoire to meet 1 e4.

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Make peace, not war! This hopeful twist on the classic game of War challenges players to outdo each other with increasingly generous acts of kindness. Each card depicts a good deed ranging from simple things (I picked you flowers) to grand gestures (I love you). The most thoughtful act wins the round and if there''s a tie, players must find peace. With charming vintage-inspired illustrations and presented in a colorful box, this easy-to-play game is a fun and thoughtful gift for all ages!

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The UK's most popular puzzle book!Daily Mail All New Quick Crosswords 10 is a brand new collection of demanding puzzles from the Daily Mail. With 200 grids in a variety of difficulties, these puzzles are sure to put minds of all ages and abilities through their paces. Perfect when facing the daily commute, or for passing a spare moment at home, these fun brainteasers are guaranteed to entertain any crossword fan.

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This accessible how-to guide for parents and teachers on the best way to teach chess to children, from international chess expert Richard James, is linked to both his bestselling book, Chess for Kids, and his website chessKIDS academy.James, who taught grandmasters Luke McShane and Jonathan Rowson, shows how learning chessis interesting and fun. It can also help children develop life skills, such as decision-making and social skills, and be a springboard to other subjects in the school curriculum, such as maths, science, history and even languages.In an easy-to-follow, fun way, James explains how to structure short lessons with worksheets and other activities to introduce the chess pieces, chess notation and chess-board dynamics - sothat children can understand the thinking behind the moves and start playing and enjoying thisfascinating game.

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The Battle of France saw German forces sweep across the Low Countries and towards Paris, crushing Allied resistance in just six weeks. From Fall Gelb and the British withdrawal from Dunkirk to the decisive Fall Rot, this new supplement for Bolt Action allows players to take command of the bitter fighting for France, and to refight the key battles of this campaign. Linked scenarios and new rules, troop types, and Theatre Selectors offer plenty of options for novice and veteran players alike.

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Number of players: 2-4 Ages: 14+Playing time: 30-60 minutesComponents: 6 unique miniatures, 30+ cardsAcross the Wildlands the word is spreading - the dead are rising, swords in hand.Drawn to the life-giving power of the crystal shards, a gang of undead nightmares have taken to the battlefield. This ghoulish team can replace one of the existing factions, with the unique mechanic of shared activation offering an aggressive new playstyle, or they can be played using the new ''Encounter'' rules as monstrosities that can be controlled by any player, flooding the board as the battle rages.Requires a copy of Wildlands to play.

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Brighten up your card games with the top talent of four awesome art movements: Pop art = hearts; Impressionism/Post-Impressionism = clubs; Abstract Expressionism = spades; Surrealism = diamonds. Includes 52 playing cards featuring illustrations of all the big names in the art world – including Lichtenstein and Hockney in Pop Art, Monet and Renoir in Impressionism, Pollock and Rothko in Abstract Expressionism, and Dalí and Kahlo in Surrealism – plus two jokers (Picasso and Matisse).

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Do you know your Dashwoods from your Darcys? Why was Northanger Abbey such a disappointment to Catherine? Jane had an aunt whose name is also a type of cheese...but what is it?Regale with all things Regency and put your knowledge to the test with 52 trivia and game cards, each one featuring a multiple-choice trivia question, charade, game or challenge about Jane Austen and her beloved classics.Illustrated with Hugh Thomson's exquisite drawings of characters and scenes, the cards double as a game of Snap, Memory, Quartets or Swap, making this fun for all the family.Presented in a foiled gift box and with a booklet that contains the rules of play to four traditional card games, this is the perfect gift for literature lovers.

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From the editors of the New York Times bestselling World Almanac and Book of Facts comes a new annual collection of large-print word searches to delight and engage every puzzle enthusiastFor more than 150 years, The World Almanac has been the authoritative source of information about hundreds of topics––and now it's the source of a fun, fascinating collection of word search puzzles designed to keep your mind sharp and your interest piqued. Thanks to boldface large-print, puzzle enthusiasts of all ages can keep their eyes at ease as they dive into this satisfying new collection of themed word search puzzles on topics ranging from history and sports to geography, culture, and much more! Improve concentration, focus, memory, and attention span while enjoying the stress relief and relaxation that come from getting lost in a great puzzle.

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Sharpen Your Sleuthing Skills with These Super Brain-StrainersMystery: A burglar robs many homes throughout the day. At the last house, he breaks in through the back door. This house has more valuables than any of the other houses, and nothing is there to stop him from taking them, but he doesn't take anything. How come?Put on your detective hat and prepare to solve the best mindbenders from the popular puzzle book series One-Minute Mysteries. This collection of crazy conundrums will keep you guessing until the final page and provide hours of entertainment for detectives of all ages. Are you up for the challenge? Let's find out.Solution: The burglar broke into his own house because he'd accidentally locked himself out.

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The Tarrasch Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined is a fierce counter-attacking line arising after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5. In this variation Black gains free and easy piece play but in return usually has to accept the structural weakness of an Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP). In the early development of chess theory this line was somewhat frowned upon due to the vulnerability of the IQP. However, Siegbert Tarrasch, after whom the opening is named, famously declared that, "he who fears an Isolated Queen's Pawn should give up chess". The Tarrasch has had many powerful adherents over the years including the legendary Garry Kasparov who made much use of it in the early part of his career. In this book Cyrus Lakdawala guides the reader through the complexities of the Tarrasch and carves out a repertoire for Black, based on a modern treatment popularised by the Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov. He examines all aspects of this highly complex opening and provides the reader with well-researched, fresh, and innovative analysis. Each annotated game has valuable lessons on how to play the opening and contains instructive commentary on typical middlegame plans. * A complete repertoire for Black to counter 1 d4. * The question and answer approach provides an excellent study method.

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If you are aware of endgame patterns, you spot key moves quicker, analyse and calculate better, avoid making errors and memorise what you have studied more fully. The Queen's Gambit is easily the most talked-about chess opening since the immensely popular Netflix TV series of the same name became a hit. The screen adventures of Beth Harmon have inspired thousands to start playing the Royal Game but didn't offer any information on this highly popular chess opening. This book fills that gap. German Grandmaster Michael Prusikin presents a solid but dynamic opening repertoire for Black against the Queen's Gambit. He wants you to understand rather than memorize what is important. His primary focus is on explaining the relevant pawn structures and the middlegame ideas behind the lines he recommends. Prusikin deals with every single variation of the Queen's Gambit in a way that is highly accessible for club players but at the same time surprisingly effective and concise: the Catalan, Tartakower, Carlsbad, London, Colle, Veresov, and all the others. As a bonus, the FIDE Senior Trainer also provides responses to openings such as the Bird, Réti, and Nimzo-Larsen. It may seem unlikely, and yet it is true: in less than 200 pages, Countering the Queen's Gambit has Black covered for really every first move except 1.e4! To test your newly acquired insights in the tactical motifs and strategic ideas of the Queen's Gambit, you are invited to solve 36 exercises in carefully selected key positions from actual games.

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In his enlarged edition Grandmaster Rozentalis looks at some of the most important questions: the connection between the opening, middlegame and endgame. The book is the updated and enlarged version of the first edition published August of 2016. The author found new thrilling examples to prove his point once more: when to rely on your acquired knowledge or not. This book is highly recommended to all players as well as anyone who is coaching and cares for the pure understanding in the endgame.

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A massive 300 quick crossword puzzles packaged in a stylish paperback - this is the perfect crossword gift book for adults of any age. Featuring definition-only ‘coffee-time’ (as opposed to cryptic) clues and 13 x 13 crossword grids, with solutions easily found in the back of the book. Printed in a highly portable format, the book can be taken on your travels or sit neatly on your bedside table.

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This book examines what might be described as the "pure" Reti Opening. White starts with 1 Nf3 and intends to meet 1...d5 with the "Reti" response 2 c4. One of the major advantages of playing these systems is that they rely far more on general strategic understanding than rote memorisation. However, this does not mean that Black is not set difficult problems to solve. In the modern era these lines have mainly been championed by Vladimir Kramnik and Lev Aronian. Both these players have frequently set very difficult problems for their elite opponents with these complex systems. 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 practising 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. * Essential guidance and training in the Reti Opening * Analyses all key variations * Utilizes an ideal Q+A approach to chess study

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From the First Samnite War and the eventual conquest of the Italian Peninsula, to the defeat by Hannibal at Lake Trasimene, and final victory over the Gauls at Alesia, Wars of the Republic is a miniature wargame that allows you to campaign with the legions or stand firm against Roman expansion and fight throughout the ancient Mediterranean. This book contains all the rules required to fight battles during this period, including multiple army lists to reflect the changing nature of the Roman military and the varied opponents they faced, be it Gaul, Italian, Carthaginian, Iberian, or Greek.

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By going through the chapters, you will get acquainted with my way of grandmaster type thinking. I can assure you of one thing: there are better and weaker grandmasters, but you won’t find a GM who is playing without ideas or, let’s say, without his way of thinking! As you will find out, I am basically trying to detect the problem or goal of the position and then I am starting to scan factors which can lead to the solution. That process you will find in many examples in the book. GM Alojzije Jankovic, April 2020.

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WHT CNNCTS THS CLS?Britain's most fiendishly difficult quiz is back. Do you have what it takes to make it to the grand final?With their first bestselling quiz book, the Only Connect team tested your lateral thinking with killer connections, challenging sequences and byzantine walls. Now, Only Connect question-setter (and former champion) Jack Waley-Cohen returns with a NEW collection of 200 cryptic, brain-busting questions, including many never-before-broadcast and all-new ones exclusive to the book. Organized into a series of discrete 4-round games, each game increases in difficulty, as you try to reach the grand final. It's like having your very own full series of Only Connect at home. With a healthy dose of trivia between games (What are the greatest ever Only Connect questions? Who is the best team of all time?) and an introduction by presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell, The Only Connect Quiz Book will take you skills to a new level. So limber up your frontal lobes, and get ready to pit your wits against the toughest quiz on TV.

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Do you know how many post boxes there are in the UK? Could you guess how many times the word 'goat' appear in the King James Version of the bible? Fancy playing a game of charades where all of the books, films and plays are entirely made up? Now, look around the room. Is anyone there the kind of person who’ll say ‘I just don’t understand this’, when faced with something that’s not just perfectly easy to understand, but is ... well, fun?Ask them to leave. Have they gone? Good. Now welcome inside the House of Games ... Featuring questions based on some of the most loved rounds from the hit BBC2 show, including Roonerspisims, Venn Will I Be Famous?, Dim Sums and Answer Smash, Richard Osman’s House of Games Quiz Book is the ultimate test of wit, wisdom and imagination.Curated by Richard Osman and Alan Connor and featuring over 50 new and exclusive games to try out, this is your chance to step inside the House of Games and pitch your trivia skills against your family and friends. Quirky, unique and exactly the right amount of silly, House of Games contains hours of guaranteed fun!

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Giving mate is the ultimate goal of every chess player. Finding that all-decisive combination is immensely satisfying. But how are you supposed to spot a checkmate when you are sitting at the board with the clock ticking? In this guide International Master Vladimir Barsky teaches the method created by his mentor Viktor Khenkin (1923-2010). Its based on an ingenious classification of the most frequently occurring mating schemes. A wide range of chess players will find it an extremely useful tool to recognize mating patterns and calculate the often narrow path to the kill. All the 1,000 examples (850 of them in exercise format) that Barsky presents are from games played in 21st century. He has carefully selected the most instructive combinations and lucidly explains the typical techniques to corner your opponents king. More often than you would expect, positions that look innocent at first sight, turn out to contain a mating pattern. This is not just another book full of chess puzzles. Its a brilliantly organized course that has proven to be effective. Finding mate isnt rocket science, but you need to know what to look for. Vladimir Barsky teaches you exactly that.

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This book is the latest addition to the Perfect Pocket Puzzles series. Take a well-deserved break with over 150 new codeword puzzles by internationally bestselling author Dr. Gareth Moore.This stylish book of puzzles is designed to help you unwind as you turn your attention to solving the addictive riddles. With over 150 brand new codeword puzzles to crack, this handy pocket-sized book helps you to refocus your mind, improve your word power and take a little time for yourself. Also available: Perfect Pocket Puzzles: Crosswords (9781789294187)Perfect Pocket Puzzles: Word Searches (9781789294200)Perfect Pocket Puzzles: Sudoku (9781789294194)Perfect Pocket Puzzles: Codewords (9781789296068)

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Fuel your passion for puzzling with this brand new bumper collection of cryptic crosswords from the pages of the Daily Mail.With over 200 perplexing cryptic crosswords, you'll be thinking sideways, every which way and outside of the box to solve the puzzles in Daily Mail Big Book of Cryptic Crosswords 3. Whether you're a beginner or a puzzle expert, this collection of cryptic crosswords will provide the ultimate entertainment for any spare moment in the day.

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Dip in to this pack of 50 illustrated cards to refresh and revitalize your senses. How much of the world's beauty have we become indifferent to, caught up in the bustle and rush of day-to-day life? Take a break from the madness, and from your smartphone, and rediscover the magic of the world around you. Surprising, engaging prompts will help you hone in and focus on the world around you and tune back in to the things that really matter.

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