Life
Hollywood is the new Spanish inquistion
There’s fear and loathing in this town and in El Lay it’s even worse. Torquemada and Savonarola are in charge,…
The pure joy of a boring car
My pal Charlie inherited a car and a ride-on mower from an old pal. He kept the mower and the…
I’ve seen the new face of veterinary medicine – and I don’t like it
After a week of cold hosing, I decided I would have to get the vet to the small swelling on…
Bridge
Being on lead against a grand slam is bad for your blood pressure. So much is at stake (not least,…
London Classic
The London Classic gets underway this weekend in Olympia. The line-up is formidable, including the world champion Magnus Carlsen, his…
no. 485
White to play. This position is from a variation from Carlsen-Aronian, London Classic 2012. Black had already anticipated what was…
Double dactylic
In Competition No. 3026 you were invited to submit topical double dactyls. The double dactyl was dreamed up in…
2338: Fone
The unclued lights (one of two words) are of a kind. Elsewhere, ignore three accents. Across 1 Unethical…
to 2335: CHIPPY
The unclued lights are COMPUTING terms. First prize D.A. Henderson, Almonte, Ontario, CanadaRunners-up Robin Muir, Compton, West Sussex; Ian Shiels,…
My holiday hell with die-hard Remainers
I’m writing this on the easyJet flight back from Marrakech, where I have just spent a long weekend as a…
The Battle for Britain
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The inventions (and Welsh rarebit mix) that will change your life
At last. And just what you’ve been waiting for. The official Wiki Man guide to the best gadgets and gizmos…
Mary solves your problems: what’s the right response to a request for no presents?
Q. We have reached the age when we are receiving invitations from our friends for Golden Wedding celebrations. All the…
Glad tidings from a parish in Burgundy
Advent: I am sure that all readers deplore the vulgarly commercial aspects of the pre-Christmas season as much as I…
Can the beer-bike take on the Boris-bike?
In Amsterdam the courts have given leave to ban the bierfiets. Fiets is the Dutch for ‘bike’. (The plural is fietsen.)…
Everyone’s doing a mea culpa these days — except me
The faux Leonardo that sold for 400 million greenbacks — plus a 50 million fee for Christie’s — was a…
Treble doubles, shattered glass and a copper on the doorstep
The door to Trev’s flat was open so I walked in and found him on the sofa watching TV. He…
Dr Google’s verdict? Anthrax poisoning
Six months into the renovations and I have so much dust in my lungs I have had to give Stefano…
My hot tips for the jump season
Richard Johnson may already have 100 winners in the bag, and Paul Nicholls may already have banked £750,000 worth of…
Bridge
When I first started playing tournament bridge there were relatively few European sponsors. The US was buzzing with sponsored teams…
Alekhine’s heir
Garry Kasparov was without a doubt Alekhine’s creative heir. The 1985-2000 world champion said himself that he became entranced at…
no. 484
White to play. This is from Alekhine-Feldt, Blindfold Simultaneous, Tarnopol 1916. White has sacrificed a knight. Can you spot his brilliant…
Let us pray
In Competition No. 3025 you were invited to submit a Lord’s Prayer for the 21st century. One of my…
2337: Millefeuille
Unclued lights are connected to a theme word (which does not appear), three in each of three different senses. Two…
to 2334: sweet variations
Four types of CAKE (37) were given UPSIDE-DOWN (5): 10D, 20D, 31D and 33D. Four other types of cake were…
