A little weekend fun to help you unwind
BORED by the same old routine? Feeling a little stale?
Here are some fun weekend activities that will help you stretch your brain and relax at the same time.
Solve a mystery
Detective stories are a great way to lose yourself in a fantasy world, and if you pick an author who gives you all the clues so that you should be able to solve it yourself, then you can work out whodunit at the same time. Great storytellers who offer this include classic authors Dorothy L Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey stories and S.S. Van Dine’s Philo Vance novels, as well as modern storytellers such as Lindsey Davis, Elizabeth George and P.D. James.
Learn puzzle-solving tricks
Boost your puzzle solving skills by taking IQ-like puzzle tests and check out the solutions to learn more about strategies with the help of apps from companies like qcd-systems.com (for Apple products) and web sites like Mathsphere.com at
http://tinyurl.com/3mdbqlz and Maths is Fun at http://www. mathsisfun.com/puzzles
Play cards
Chess is touted as a strategy game but if you’re not fond of it, there are lots of card games that offer similar challenges. Try trick-taking games where you have to calculate what’s in your hand, and make the most of it. Simple games like Whist, Contract Bridge, Spades, and Spoil Five simply require you to get as many tricks as possible, whereas Pinochle, Rook, Manille, and Hearts add in more complex point systems. For a guide to rules, visit pagat.com.
Mystery board games
If you haven’t played a board game in a while, consider that there are lots of wonderful products out there that will challenge you, your family and your friends. Solve crimes by asking questions in Cluedo, conquer your opponent in the Asian chess style game xiangqi, or force your enemy to turn over their counters to your colour in the classic strategy game Reversi/Othello.