If there’s a single thing that’s true for most bridge players out there, it would be that they appreciate exercising their minds.

There’s more than enough research out there that attests to the benefits of keeping the mind active, and we all know that an active brain is good for us. But when it comes to practical mind exercise, what do you choose?

Of course, there’s bridge, but I’ve also noticed that many bridge players love other mind puzzles and board games with keen enthusiasm.

Here are some suggestions for getting your puzzle fix online.

Bridge

• Bridge Master is online and available at Bridge Base, too: it’s a classic bit of bridge software that you can still play today. (And time has not made these bridge puzzles any easier. Learn, play and most importantly, improve. )

Chess

• Chess Puzzle has literally hundreds upon hundreds of chess puzzles for the traditionalist. While I approach chess puzzles once every couple of months as the mood takes me, many do them daily and with this you’ll never be bored.

• The Chess Website is a great resource for chess trivia and random questions you might have about the game; it also boasts with a huge list of online chess puzzles for the, erm, chess-puzzler.

Crosswords

• The Guardian has been famous for their crosswords for a long time. (Longer than I’ve been around!) Many bridge players are also fans of their Bridge column. Now, here’s where to find their crosswords online.
  
• The Independent has a crosswords section too where you can find past crosswords to solve. Unfortunately, they don’t allow you to skip to the future for the crossword in four or five years.

Cryptic Crosswords

• The Independent also has crosswords for people who hate themselves. I mean cryptic crosswords, of course, the nightmarish smart-ass cousin of the regular crossword. (Enjoy, if you’re into that.) 

• The Mirror has a great selection of regular cryptic crosswords, too. After this, you can discuss what you think of their articles or font choices.

Riddles

• Riddles is a dot-com that’s meant for visitors who love riddles. Just imagine that you’re going to Egypt and meeting the Sphinx, but instead her list of riddles never ever stop. Sounds fun, right?

• The NY Times has a section specifically covering “Word Games and Logic Puzzles” – which includes basic word games and much, much harder riddles to think about.

Sudoku

• The Washington Post has a list of seemingly endless Sudoku hosted at their website. While Sudoku is a more modern invention than most would think, but it’s still one hell of a puzzle.

• The NY Times is worth a mention once more: find your Sudoku puzzles here – and then find some more puzzles hosted at their site when you’d like to be puzzled by something different.