Life
2487: Birthday boys II
December 12th was the birthday of two famous men. Unclued lights (including one of five words, one of two words…
What the Dickens
In Competition No. 3178 you were invited to submit an extract from a Dickensian novel based around the name of…
Why you can’t trust supermarket cheese
We were celebrating the end of lockdown by talking about war and deer stalking — over a business lunch, naturally.…
Will video-calling kill bureaucracy?
Having grown up in a family business, my earliest exposure to corporate life was often baffling. I remember the first…
Dear Mary: Should I give my postman a Christmas present?
Q. I am extremely fond of an artist friend, despite the fact that I have never liked her work or…
Can £3,000 make me as pretty as Emily Maitlis?
If you’re a journalist with a fondness for appearing on television — and, let’s face it, most of us are…
The unfortunate misuse of ‘fortuitous’
‘Try the sports pages,’ said my husband, stirring in his armchair. I was looking for examples of fortuitousused as though…
Why it pays to be rude to ramblers
If the novelty of going for a walk doesn’t wear thin for the marauding masses soon, I am going to…
My escape to a simpler way of life
Harbour Island, Bahamas A singer named Shawn Mendes recently announced to millions of his fans: ‘The truth is, it’s so…
Four puzzles in one
Four puzzles in one, composed by Werner Speckmann, 1963. In each case, White to play and mate in two. (a)…
The Battle for Britain | 12 December 2020
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Bridge | 12 December 2020
It’s surprising how quickly we adapt to things: nine months ago, most of us had never played bridge online before,…
What French women want
Considering the subject of compatibility, experienced British expats in France maintain that a French man and an English woman might…
2484: Troubled - solution
The unclued lights are characters in Much Ado about Nothing. First prize Keith Norcott, Cheltenham, GlosRunners-up Mrs E. Knights, Wisbech,…
Birthday surprise
The Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour is back. This time, the series of online events is rebranded as the Champions Chess…
Kiwi Life / Language
David Cohen I often used to ask myself what the ultimate secret is of playing great chess, and I suppose…
What Mr Micawber thinks of Charles Dickens
In Competition No. 3177 you were invited to submit a well-known fictional person’s view of their author. Highlights in a…
The battle for Eton’s soul
When trying to get my head around the row that has engulfed Eton College in the past two weeks I…
Was endorsing Boris one of my worst misjudgments ever?
Now that our social lives are a Venn diagram that only mathematicians can understand I am officially becoming a recluse.…
A magical field hospital for vegetables: Turnips reviewed
Turnips is an haute cuisine restaurant inside a greengrocer in Borough Market in London. I suspect others will try this…
Dear Mary: How do I stop the cleaner ‘helping’ with my jigsaw?
Q. Unlike my wife, I am tiring of Netflix. Wanting a project to occupy me during these long dark nights,…
The strange language of this year
‘Forget coronavirus,’ said my husband, ‘the word of the year is strange.’ The strange thing is he’s right. This wasn’t…
2483: In my soup - solution
Unclued lights are anagrams of animals: PRAENOMINA (1A: Pomeranian), MARTIAN (18: tamarin), LARBOARD (21: Labrador), SHORE (28: horse), PROTEIN (42:…
Chess improvement
The juicy prospect of improvement constantly dangles above a chess player. Those morsels of knowledge one has acquired whet the…
Bridge | 05 December 2020
Many years ago I remember Tor Helness, the great Norwegian champion, going into the semi-final of a world championship saying:…
