Life
Will LSD cure my Brexit obsession?
An 87-year-old friend, a former doctor, has been urging me for some while to have a look at the latest…
My name’s Melissa and my horse is a grassoholic
Laminitis is a lot like alcoholism. Once you cross the line you can’t go back. ‘My name’s Gracie and I’m…
Bridge
I’ve always suspected that pessimists make better card players than optimists — and I recently came across the proof. A…
Musical chairs
Chess, the musical by Sir Tim Rice and the male half of ABBA, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, runs at…
no. 506
White to play. This position is a variation from Carlsen-Wojtaszek, Vugar Gashimov Memorial, Shamkir 2018. How can White power through?…
New word order
In Competition No. 3048 you were invited to take an existing word and alter it by a) adding a letter,…
2359: Down
The unclued lights (two of two words) can be all be preceded by the same word which solvers have to…
to 2356: Beetle
The unclued lights are compositions by Vaughan Williams; 17, 19/8, 21/23, 27/11, 36/4, 43/28 with the title of the puzzle…
The left’s ‘gammon’ slur just shows conservatives are winning
I was disappointed by the reaction of my fellow conservatives to gammon-gate. For those who haven’t been following this mini-scandal,…
The Battle for Britain
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Lord’s next week is the place to be
Good for Ed Smith. The new national selector can’t just rock a fine pair of sunglasses, he can make bold…
Dear Mary: How can I explain the cushion I must take everywhere to sit on?
Q. I have incurable, inoperable back pain that severely hinders my ability to sit and necessitates my taking a cushion…
Here’s where you come to eat dreams – for £95 a head: Ollie Dabbous’s Hide reviewed
Hide is a £20 million restaurant at the Green Park end of Piccadilly, on the three lower floors of a…
Is Donald Trump really bonkers?
John Kelly, the White House Chief of Staff, has a way with words. During the invasion of Iraq in 2003…
Did Jared Kushner punish Qatar because of a building on Fifth Avenue?
New York Talk about high life this is not. I smelled a rat long ago, but then the scent got…
The critics may have liked The Death of Stalin but the French certainly don’t
Should I or shouldn’t I go and see The Death of Stalin, showing at the French village cinema last Sunday…
The women who are turning horses into dogs
The first time I saw a woman leading a horse down the lane on a lead, both she and it…
There is no escaping the O’Brien factor
I suppose, given the income and the opportunity to indulge, you could eventually tire of even Meursault, Mauritius and Mrs…
Bridge
This year’s Schapiro Spring Foursomes, England’s best tournament by a mile, wasn’t held in the usual Stratford-upon-Avon venue but in…
Biblical
Matthew Sadler was the star of the evening on the night of the Royal Automobile Club annual dinner which I…
no. 505
White to play. This is from Sadler-Speelman, 4NCL 2017. White is two pawns down in this endgame but all Black’s…
Between the lines
In Competition No. 3047 you were invited to supply an imaginary testimonial for a high-profile figure that is superficially positive…
2358: Poem IV
Unclued lights are words from a poem, its author and a relevant location. Elsewhere, ignore two accents. Across 7 …
to 2355: A Poet Skylarking
13 1A 23 22 is from SHELLEY’S ‘Ode to a Skylark’. Other unclued lights had ‘a poet hidden in the…
What the education system needs is more marketisation, not less
Towards the end of 2009, shortly after I announced my intention to set up England’s first free school, I debated…
