Life
What’s so funny about ‘helpmeet’?
‘What’s so funny?’ asked my husband, accusingly, as I made an amused noise while relaxing with a copy of the…
The rise of the new autocracy
Gstaad Dinner parties are no longer verboten here, so I posed a question to some youngsters my son had over:…
Why everyone should be shouting about Dave ‘Rocket’ Ryding
As we digest another Ashes thrashing for England’s cricketers in Australia, and wonder whether the 1966 World Cup victory will…
No. 687
Black to play. Grandelius–Rapport, Tata Steel Chess 2022. With a bishop resting on a3, the White king can never sit…
A ghost at the feast: The LaLee at the Cadogan hotel, reviewed
The Cadogan hotel, Chelsea, is where Oscar Wilde was arrested for sodomy and gross indecency in 1895, in Room 118,…
Dear Mary: How can I stop unexpected visitors using my loo?
Q. I treat myself to a manicure every ten days. It’s a 30-minute appointment and the girl I use is…
The Highway Code to hell
I did a speed awareness course on Monday. For the uninitiated, you have the option of doing one of these…
The Battle for Britain | 29 January 2022
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2537: My Lord! - solution
The exchange that gave rise to the expression CURATE’s (19 Down) Egg was ‘I’m afraid you’ve got a bad egg,…
Spectator competition winners: meet the new Mr Men
In Competition No. 3233, you were invited to invent a new character for the Mr Men/Little Miss series by Roger…
Pixel this
When Magnus Carlsen won last year’s Meltwater Champions Tour, they made two trophies. One was for Carlsen, and the second…
Aussie Life
I live by the sea and like walking along the coastline including scrambling over the rock ledges in Noosa National…
Aussie Language
A letter writer to the Australian has pointed out that Anthony Albanese appears to have coined a brand-new oxymoron to…
Bridge | 22 January 2022
Almost everyone has a set of ‘carding’ agreements with their partners to convey information when defending. But I’m always amazed…
No. 686
White to play. Gelfand–Karjakin, Tal Memorial Blitz 2008. Gelfand’s pawn is pinned, and moving the king runs into more checks.…
Lardy cake: a royal favourite
Lardy cake has a branding problem. We don’t mind puddings or cakes which explicitly announce their richness or decadence —…
In praise of January
Gstaad According to a little bird, Boris has gone from brilliant to bawd, and according to me this village has…
2539: Wider
Six unclued lights (all real words) are the names of 35/26 minus one letter. The missing letters match those that…
The new Tote is a ray of hope for British racing
There is nothing like visiting a stud early in the foaling season. As amiable mums-to-be saunter up to the paddock…
The tyranny of the smart phone
‘Can I ask you why you don’t want a smart phone?’ said the chirpy manager, as I stood blinking in…
The farcical world of the Sharon’s Ex-Boyfriends Club
Sharon told me once that the best sex she’d ever had was with Tom in the town public conveniences, bathed…
Is the Duke of York’s title really ‘untenable’?
‘Nurse! The tenaculum!’ exclaimed my husband in the manner of James Robertson Justice playing the surgeon Sir Lancelot Spratt. I’m…
Is it really such a shock that some people drink at work?
Thirteen years ago we shared an office building with a large international bank. A common lift connected both businesses to…
The Battle for Britain | 22 January 2022
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A multitude of queens
Here’s a challenge which appeared in a German chess magazine in 1848: place eight white queens on an empty chessboard…
