Life
Tales of war and lockdown
We were celebrating the end of lockdown by talking about war and deer stalking — over a business lunch, naturally.…
Bureaucracy is everywhere
Having grown up in a family business, my earliest exposure to corporate life was often baffling. I remember the first…
Dear Mary
Q. I am extremely fond of an artist friend, despite the fact that I have never liked her work or…
The price of vanity? At least £3,000
If you’re a journalist with a fondness for appearing on television — and, let’s face it, most of us are…
Mind your language
‘Try the sports pages,’ said my husband, stirring in his armchair. I was looking for examples of fortuitousused as though…
Real life
If the novelty of going for a walk doesn’t wear thin for the marauding masses soon, I am going to…
High life
Harbour Island, Bahamas A singer named Shawn Mendes recently announced to millions of his fans: ‘The truth is, it’s so…
Four puzzles in one
Four puzzles in one, composed by Werner Speckmann, 1963. In each case, White to play and mate in two. (a)…
The Battle for Britain
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Bridge
It’s surprising how quickly we adapt to things: nine months ago, most of us had never played bridge online before,…
Low life
Considering the subject of compatibility, experienced British expats in France maintain that a French man and an English woman might…
Solution to 2484: Troubled
The unclued lights are characters in Much Ado about Nothing. First prize Keith Norcott, Cheltenham, GlosRunners-up Mrs E. Knights, Wisbech,…
Birthday surprise
The Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour is back. This time, the series of online events is rebranded as the Champions Chess…
Kiwi Life / Language
David Cohen I often used to ask myself what the ultimate secret is of playing great chess, and I suppose…
Backchat
In Competition No. 3177 you were invited to submit a well-known fictional person’s view of their author. Highlights in a…
A battle for Eton’s soul
When trying to get my head around the row that has engulfed Eton College in the past two weeks I…
Real life
Now that our social lives are a Venn diagram that only mathematicians can understand I am officially becoming a recluse.…
Roots of happiness
Turnips is an haute cuisine restaurant inside a greengrocer in Borough Market in London. I suspect others will try this…
Dear Mary
Q. Unlike my wife, I am tiring of Netflix. Wanting a project to occupy me during these long dark nights,…
Strange
‘Forget coronavirus,’ said my husband, ‘the word of the year is strange.’ The strange thing is he’s right. This wasn’t…
Solution to 2483: In my soup
Unclued lights are anagrams of animals: PRAENOMINA (1A: Pomeranian), MARTIAN (18: tamarin), LARBOARD (21: Labrador), SHORE (28: horse), PROTEIN (42:…
Chess improvement
The juicy prospect of improvement constantly dangles above a chess player. Those morsels of knowledge one has acquired whet the…
Bridge
Many years ago I remember Tor Helness, the great Norwegian champion, going into the semi-final of a world championship saying:…
Low life
There are several cave houses built into the cliff. Ours is the highest and can be reached only by a…
2486: Ghost companions
In this anniversary year, unclued lights (one of two words) are of a kind. Ignore four accents. Across 1 Regularly…
