Life
Farewell to Australia’s greatest horse
Storm clouds may be rumbling over racing’s future financing in terms of gambling legislation but 2019 offered no shortage of…
Bridge
For Christmas this year I am giving you a double-dummy problem. Too generous, I hear you cry — but better…
Gay giraffes and dead in ditches: The Spectator 2019 quiz
They said it In 2019, who said: 1. ‘You have stolen my dreams and my childhood.’ 2. ‘I didn’t sweat…
A multitude of contests
Besides the Grand Chess Tour final, an abundance of chess was played at this year’s London Chess Classic. More than…
No. 585
Black to play. Ilfeld & Vachier-Lagrave–Picot & McShane. Pro-Biz Cup, London 2019. My move. White threatens checkmate with Qc4-g8, so…
The night before
In Competition No. 3129 you were invited to submit a poem entitled ‘’Twas the Night Before Brexit’. That seasonal classic…
Magical Mystery Tour
A quotation (in ODQ), starting on the appropriate side of the grid, runs clockwise around the perimeter. The other unclued…
to 2436: The Devil’s Own
The unclued lights are all words derived from names in the work of Charles Dickens. First prize David Brewis, Windsor,…
Roger Alton’s highlights from a magical year in sport
We don’t half take a lot for granted. We may look up to the Aussies, kowtow to the Americans and…
The Battle for Britain
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Christmas with my brother
Ever since I was a child, I’ve associated Christmas with my mentally disabled brother Chris. Technically, he’s my half-brother —…
This food needs a little less grandeur, and a little more love: Simpson’s in the Strand reviewed
Simpson’s in the Strand stopped serving breakfast in 2017, after it had been renovated to stop it smelling of cabbage.…
Technological progress is as messy as Darwinian evolution
There is a famous chart which shows the time it took for various technologies to be adopted by 50 million…
Christmas without God in the Appalachians
Christmas: without being grand and Proustian, this is a season when time present inevitably takes one back to time past.…
Dear Mary, from Joan Collins: How do I stop fans asking for selfies in the powder room?
From Dame Joan CollinsQ. Invariably, when I escape to the ladies’ room or powder room or restroom (whatever the current…
What were the words that defined 2019?
‘Come off it,’ said my husband when I told him that upcycling was the word of the year. His response…
Christmas quiz – the answers
They said it 1. Greta Thunberg (to the UN) 2. The Duke of York 3. Dawn Butler, as the shadow secretary…
Inside Labour’s post-election PLP meeting – ‘We lost the f—ing election’
The first meeting of the parliamentary Labour party since the party’s disastrous election defeat began with a round of applause.…
My friend Margaret Thatcher
By the time you read this it will all be over, but will it? I’ve had a bad feeling all…
Smoking opium with Mr Nazim – and a gecko
‘I used to go to India for a few months every year. A couple of times we even drove there.…
Our local Tory candidate’s leaflet was the most disturbing of them all
‘Oh, it’s you!’ said the builder boyfriend to the Tory MP in his shooting jacket, as he made his way…
Bridge
These days, young people expect to learn new skills online, for free. So how do we introduce a new generation…
Ding’s wings
Ding Liren, from China, was a convincing winner of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour, which reached its climax in London…
no. 584
White to play. Aronian–Carlsen, December 2019. Carlsen won the third-place playoff, but Aronian found a nice finish in this game.…
Dear Santa
In Competition No. 3128 you were invited to submit letters to Santa written in the style of the author of…
