Life
Robin Oakley: Why Jeremy Clarkson should stick to cars
Jeremy Clarkson wrote recently about a day at Newbury. He declared: ‘Claiming that horses are different is like saying ants…
Why Jeremy Clarkson should stick to cars
Well, I had a very merry Christmas thank you — and I hope you did too — but as usual…
Game of the year
It is traditional that in my first column of the new year I review the previous 12 months and select…
no. 487
Black to play. This position is from Kasparov-Navara, St Louis 2017. How did Navara deal with Kasparov’s check? Answers to…
Best foot forward
In Competition No. 3029 you were invited to provide a new year’s resolution (or more than one) in verse. …
2340: Booboos
3 1A (eight words in total, one apostrophe) and 41 23 32 36 (seven words, including two accents) give two…
to 2338: Fone
The unclued lights are former and current F1 teams. First prize Ronald Morton, Basingstoke, HantsRunners-up Revd J. Thackray, Ipswich, Suffolk;…
The real reason I’m a target for the twitchfork mob
Shortly after midnight on 1 January my phone began to vibrate repeatedly. Happy New Year messages from absent friends? No,…
The Battle for Britain
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How to make economists fight like ferrets in a sack
One of the funniest passages of writing I have read in the past few years appears within the pages of…
Mary solves your problems: A secret school scrapbook discovered by the housemaster
Q. At my son’s school the boys keep a clandestine leatherbound book known as ‘The Bible’, a sort of Rogues…
How Christmas lunch became Christmas dinner
It was a culinary triumph. My hosts do not spend much time in the UK, and are determined to entertain…
The phrase that is almost universally misused
Writing about Meghan Markle and the Duchess of Cambridge in the Sunday Times, India Knight wrote: ‘I can’t help but…
Taki: The forgotten heroes of Christmas
It’s that time of year again. Yippee! And get your wallets out. Scrooges are no longer tolerated at Christmas, although…
Jeremy Clark: Was this a cruise ship — or Colditz?
We ascended the gangplank and were smartly directed to the ship’s library, where the seated purser swiped my debit card…
Melissa Kite: Hell is a porcelain kitchen tile
If only I knew whether I would have a kitchen, I could order a turkey. But despite having an almost…
Aidan Hartley: A plague of ravenous zebras
Laikipia, Kenya The zebra lacks a rumen and eats at least twice as much as a cow. On our…
Robin Oakley: Let’s hear it for the girls
It has been a good year for the girls. The filly Enable was the horse of the year, winning not…
Bridge
Know thy opponents — experts make a point of it. When you’re at the bridge table, it’s just as important…
Grand prix
The London Classic is over and full reports in this column will follow in the new year. Meanwhile, we now know…
no. 486
White to play. This position is from Aronian-Giri, Palma de Mallorca 2017. Aronian now finished off a fine attack with…
Season’s greetings
In Competition No. 3028 you were invited to submit lines for a Christmas card courtesy of well-known poets. Poets moved…
The joy of Japanese puzzles
Ever since I first visited Japan a decade ago, I have been fascinated by its approach to maths. The Japanese…
to 2337: millefeuille
Links with NAPOLEON were his battles WAGRAM (10) MARENGO (14) JENA (36); card games BACCARAT (1A) PATIENCE (26) BRAG (30A);…
A beastly business
Three unclued lights form a nine-word quotation from a thematic work. Remaining unclued lights, including one hyphened, are five trios…
