Life
High life
Gstaad Lord Belhaven and Stenton, a wonderful man and the quintessential English gentleman, died at 93 just before the end…
Low life
A new year and another round of medical treatments in the French health system. On Saturday morning, needing a blood…
Bridge
’Tis better to give than to receive, the Bible teaches us. Well, not if you were me this Christmas, it…
The Battle for Britain
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to 2487: Birthday boys
December 12th was the birthday of Gustave FLAUBERT (1D) and Frank SINATRA (15). Examples of their work are MADAME BOVARY…
Puzzle no. 636
Gormally–Turner, Caplin Hastings Online 2021. Black looks safe, but Gormally’s next move forced a win of material. What did he…
Missed opportunities
In game 1 of his Airthings Masters Final against Radjabov, Aronian’s pawn push 21 e4-e5 (shown in the first diagram)…
Christmas Covid Outlaw
I was sitting with one other person in a sterilised public hospital reception area waiting to be tested for COVID…
Woke for kids
Now that hate-speech has been recognised as an act of physical violence, using non-problematic language has never been more important.…
High life
Gstaad Chekhovian boredom ruled supreme, but the loss of my luggage brought instant relief. Anger beats boredom by a mile,…
Bridge
It’s so much easier to play bridge well when luck is on your side. You’ve just doubled your opponents and…
Pig in the middle
It’s the Portuguese piglet you feel really sorry for. The diminutive (ready cooked) porker — a festive delicacy all over…
2488: Clueless
The unclued lights (one of two words), when paired, have something in common. Across 5 Fly eggs not at all…
Punishment stocks
Welcome to the sunlit uplands which, for me, contain small plastic tubs of stock, which is just the opening to…
Dear Mary
Your problems solved
Segment
In the aisle of Tesco I stood like one thunderstruck. It was not the print of a man’s naked foot…
A dog is not just for lockdown
The Dogs Trust charity received 114 calls on 27 and 28 December from people wanting to offload their puppies. No,…
Puzzle No. 635
Mastrovasilis–Marechal, Cappelle la Grande 2011. Black is a whole rook up, so his last move 34… Nd5-e7, angling for an…
The Battle for Britain
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Solution to 2486: Ghost Companions
Unclued lights are nicknames of works by Beethoven, born 250 years ago. The title referred to the Ghost piano trio,…
Cautionary tales
In Competition No. 3180 you were invited to submit a Belloc-esque cautionary tale featuring a high-profile public figure. Cautionary Tales…
Antiques Roadshow
It is one of life’s comforts to see a forgotten trinket being dusted off and appreciated afresh. So in chess,…
Low life
Although I was ten minutes early, Vernon was there ahead of me, framed in the ancient chapel doorway, chatting up…
Real life
Our battle with the EU has given me an insight into the parking disputes outside my house. Or is it…
The turf
Hearing that the Queen has both a real and an official birthday, a small boy asked the obvious question: ‘Does…
