Life
What has Mr Benn got to do with horse insurance?
‘Time to begin your adventure with Mr Benn!’ said the letter that came through my door, in a big loopy…
The trainer who gives the big boys a run for their money
Racing’s New Year began well with the award of OBEs to both Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, showing that they…
Bridge
Sad to say, the length of time you’ve been playing bridge is no indication of how good you are. Indeed,…
More than a game
Cars, computers and cadavers: taking them apart is normally reserved for experts and the pathologically curious. In his new book,…
no. 588
Rowson-Yermolinsky, World Open 2002. This position arose after a tactical skirmish. White has only one good way to meet the…
Bizarre books
In Competition No. 3132 you were invited to submit an extract from one of the following books: Noah Gets Naked:…
2441: To and fro
28 2, born in 36, is best known for 10 41 (four words). He also produced a 19, 11 (two…
to 2438: Shining Bright
The unclued lights can be linked with GOLDEN, at 30D, which had to be highlighted. The trio is GOLDEN EYE…
George Orwell would have been a Brexiteer
I’ve been reading a new biography of George Orwell that’s been published to coincide with the 70th anniversary of his…
The Battle for Britain
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The great train robbery: why Britain’s rail prices need a rethink
Outside mathematics, the word ‘commute’ can mean two things. Mostly it refers to the act of making a daily journey…
Dear Mary: How can I stop my mother-in-law sitting on newspaper whenever she comes to my house?
Q. When my mother-in-law visits, she puts newspaper on a dining chair before sitting down. I’m so speechless that someone…
A toast to Roger Scruton
In clubs and other admirable locations throughout the civilised world, glasses have been raised and toasts proposed. But this was…
Rebecca Long-Bailey is right: hyphens come and go
When Francis Hurt inherited the Renishaw estate in 1777, he changed his surname to Sitwell. His eight-year-old son and heir…
Two books that made me forget everything else
Gstaad I’ve been hitting the books rather hard lately, the ritzy-glitzy crowd having gone the way of natural snow. There’s…
War has broken out between me and my siblings
Last night I watched a boxed set. Parade’s End is a small box set as box sets go, and quite…
How to catch a thief
My tech guy Andy appeared on the doorstep in a puff of smoke. I had just texted him to ask…
My narrow escape from a burning aircraft
Addis Ababa airport This morning I caught a connecting flight via Addis Ababa’s Bole airport. For me this place…
Bridge
2019 was a big year for Alex Hydes. HUGE in fact. He won, almost consecutively, three major international titles and…
12 rules for chess
As backhanded Christmas gifts go, a copy of 12 Rules for Life, must be up there with wrinkle cream or a…
no. 587
Sanguineti–Najdorf, Mar del Plata 1956. White to move. White played 1 Kd8?, to threaten 2 Qe7#. Black resigned, overlooking 1…Rxg4…
You must remember this
In Competition No. 3131 you were invited to submit a poem beginning ‘Yes. I remember…’ This challenge was suggested by…
2440: Dizzy tiny blonde
The unclued lights (as four pairs and a singleton which includes an abbreviation and apostrophe) are of a kind. 36…
Magical mystery tour
The Journey of the Magi (38A and 39A), by T.S. Eliot, was based on an earlier sermon by Lancelot Andrewes,…
The delusion of the born-again Brexiteers
As 31 January looms, I’ve been thinking about how to bring the country back together again after we’ve left the…
