Life
Kiwi Life
It’s true what they say about ill winds. The coronavirus pandemic was a perverse blessing for New Zealand Prime Minister…
2474: Love Me Do solution
In George Orwell’s 1984 WINSTON SMITH (31/3) worked for the MINISTRY of TRUTH (43/21). The MINISTRY of LOVE (43/34) got…
Real live chess
It is nigh on seven months since I sat opposite a flesh and blood opponent, so I expected to feel…
Famous writers on the art of saying no
In Competition No. 3168 you were invited to compose a response on the part of a well-known writer to an…
No. 624
White to play. A variation from L’Ami–Caruana, Bundesliga 2020. Caruana avoided this position, where White can force a quick mate.…
2477: Rendezvous
The unclued entries, all across, are unconnected words from Chambers. Each requires a letter added to render them thematic, and…
Why I’m moving to England
Gstaad It is not exactly a stop all the clocks occasion, let alone cut off the telephone, but I’ve finally…
French gambling is a mystery to me
Feeling oddly confident, clairvoyant even, I entered a bar to place a bet on Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.…
In praise of fly-tipping
The pile of fly-tipping was dumped in the night as usual, right against the five bar gate. I arrived to…
The trainer who sings opera to her racehorses
Wetumpka Racing? When your yard is running at a handsome strike rate of 40 per cent wins to runs you…
Bridge | 3 October 2020
The Alt Invitational is a prestigious online teams tournament held every fortnight or so, packed with world-class players. It’s not…
The Battle for Britain | 3 October 2020
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Laurence Fox is a political force to be reckoned with
From the moment I started criticising the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis people have been urging me to start…
The finest Rioja in all of Spain
It had been a long and no doubt fractious sea voyage. The crew would have signed up for a variety…
The case for road rationing
Here’s the quandary. How in future can we make the kind of rapid advances we have made during the Covid…
Dear Mary: How should I handle my bitchy friend’s birthday cards?
Q. Many years ago I was asked to officiate at a funeral for a family I did not know. As…
Ask Jeeves: who first came out with ‘What ho’?
In the First Act of Othello, just as things are getting interesting, the audience hears someone calling from offstage: ‘What…
Kiwi Life
What has happened to the West, ignoring the lessons of history? Sweden, for example, long regarded as one of the…
My Aunt Beryl’s zinc-lined trunk revealed extraordinary family secrets
Bexhill-on-Sea My Aunt Beryl taught me to love books and paintings. When I’m at a loose end in London, lonely,…
This was not your usual entitled Surrey trespasser
The Volkswagen Passat was parked next to my field gate, sticking out into the lane, blocking larger vehicles from getting…
Is my phobia of upmarket restaurants misplaced?
Scotching my bright idea of a stiff gin for Dutch courage in the bar across the road, Catriona bounded straight…
The creep of internet censorship
Kristie Higgs, a 44-year-old school assistant, didn’t realise that criticising the sex education curriculum at her son’s school on Facebook…
The Battle for Britain | 26 September 2020
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Bridge | 26 September 2020
When I first learnt bridge, my teacher (not known as bossy boots for nothing) would thump the table when dummy…
What I would do if I were in charge of the BBC
Gstaad I’ve been wrestling all week with indecision, the kind that tests one’s soul, and the uncertainty is killing me.…
