Life
Bridge | 24 April 2021
There are many drawbacks to playing bridge online but there is one thing that’s quite enjoyable: the speed and accuracy…
The Battle for Britain | 24 April 2021
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Am I really paying £3,000 for six days in Wales?
Has it ever been more difficult to plan a family holiday? At the time of writing, it is illegal to…
I have been ambushed by the past
The other week I turned up for the village walking club’s Monday hike. A dawn meet. Two cars. A 90-minute…
The Polgar Challenge
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, at 15 years old one of India’s most exceptional young players, emerged as the winner of the Polgar…
No. 650
Black to play. Praggnanandhaa–Salimova, April 2021. White’s last move, Bg2-f3, was a blunder. Which move should Black play to exploit…
Spectator competition winners: racy versions of the classics
In Competition No. 3195, you were invited to submit an extract from the racier, mass-market version of a well-known literary…
2503: Applery
Six unclued lights are the names of traditional English county towns with one letter misprinted so as to form new…
2500: 50 x 50 - solution
The solution grid includes the letter L fifty times (L x 50 = 2500). Coincidentally, Doc and his wife, Jean,…
Aussie life
In a recent edition of The Drum on the ABC, host Ellen Fanning addressed the issue of Aboriginal deaths in…
Aussie language
The Root is an African American online magazine that breaks astonishing news. While the rest of the world is worried…
No. 649
White to play. Van Wely–Shimanov, March 2021. White has several tempting options here, but one move is much stronger than…
2502: Nay-sayers?
The unclued lights (two of two words) are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer. Across 4 High-handed relation in…
The Battle for Britain | 17 April 2021
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Let’s show vaccine passports for football fans the red card
As I’ve written before, the thing I’ve missed the most in the past 12 months is going to see QPR…
Spectator competition winners: a kiwi fruit for Emily Dickinson
In Competition No. 3194, a nod to Keats and Tony Harrison, you were invited to write a poem about a…
My return to New York is a mixed blessing
New York Ha, ha! What London turned down, the Bagel accepted with alacrity, namely the poor little Greek boy. And…
Bridge | 17 April 2021
I sometimes get far too intense when I’m playing bridge online. Holed up in my study at home, wearing noise-cancelling…
Dear Mary: How can we use our neighbour’s tennis court without inviting him to play?
Q. Our neighbours have a tennis court which, under the property’s previous owner, we enjoyed playing men’s fours on. The…
How ‘ACAB’ links David Bowie and BLM
A favourite piece of graffiti to spray on the Cenotaph or the plinth of Churchill’s nearby statue is ACAB. It…
Outs-rage: the dumbing down of cricket
So wickets are out and outs are in for the new Hundred competition. But why? The language of sport is…
Back to the future: Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill reviewed
The west end of London is still pale and necrotic, but there are points of light. Hatchards the bookseller is…
Hats off to Rachael Blackmore
Sporting heroes in our modern world have an extra burden to carry. Within seconds of their triumph, with the adrenaline…
Our doctor’s surgery is beginning to look like a Category A penitentiary
When the time came for the nurse to ring me to take my blood pressure, the phone simply didn’t ring.…
Mon dieu! Our French residency permits have arrived
For EU nationals living in Britain and wanting to legally remain after Brexit, a letter or an email was enough…
