Life
The Battle for Britain
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Low life
I got up, made a pot of coffee and sat and read the paper. A churchgoing charity worker had stolen…
Romance liver
‘Ha, ha!’ said my husband, waving the Spectator letters page in the air. ‘Ha, ha, ha!’ He was overcome by…
Real life
Since moving to my dream home in the country a month ago, I’ve only had to fight a parking dispute,…
J.K. Rowling’s schizophrenic politics
On the face of it, there is nothing complicated about the politics of Harry Potter, who made his first appearance…
Wild life
Laikipia, Kenya During our evening walk on the farm, Claire kept looking around nervously instead of engaging in conversation.…
Why driverless showers are key to the housing crisis
Although it is commonly assumed that faster-than-sound passenger travel died with Concorde, this isn’t quite true: it overlooks the Caledonian…
Bridge
I’ve just returned from two weeks playing in the European Open Championships in Montecatini in Italy, and I’m so whacked…
Sporting life
Can chess and bridge be considered sports? According to a European Court of Justice judgment earlier this month, bridge is…
no. 463
White to play. This position is from Caruana–Carlsen, Paris 2017. Can you spot White’s winning coup? Answers to me at…
The turf
Back on the political beat with CNN for the general election, I was reminded how politics is now dominated by…
Bridge
The past two weeks have seen hundreds of passionate bridge players head for Montecatini in Italy for the 8th European…
Great Tigran’s heir
Tigran Petrosian is the great chess hero of Armenia. World champion from 1963-1969, his best games exhibit a profundity which…
no. 462
White to play. This position is a variation from Kramnik-Giri, Stavanger 2017. How can White exploit the terrible position of…
Political clerihew
In Competition No. 3003 you were invited to supply clerihews about contemporary politicians. In an enormous and excellent entry, popular…
2315: Trunk call
Seven unclued entries are all examples of the other. Elsewhere, ignore an accent. Across 11 Ginger wine and rose…
to 2312: Bandleader
The thematic BEATLES ALBUM (38 32) is SERGEANT PEPPER (1A 6A). 1A defines 17, and can be divided into words…
Dear Mary
Q. I import a range of very high-quality food products from Europe into the UK. They are regarded as the…
Not my bag
Hip Chips is a specialist crisp restaurant in Old Compton Street, Soho; no, it is stupider than that. It is…
High life
A famous epigrammatic nugget of wisdom appears in The Leopard, Lampedusa’s great novel about a noble Sicilian family’s fortunes: ‘If…
The Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Low life
‘Yours?’ I said to the woman watching the mechanic poring over the latest-shape Renault Mégane for faults. (I was waiting…
Narrative
Laura Kuenssberg was right. Even my husband agreed, and he often throws soiled beermats from an unknown source (which he…
Real life
All had gone suspiciously quiet down our little track on the village green, and we had begun to think we…
Pakistan and the power of redemption
The Pakistan supporter was festooned in cream and green, and carried a chalkboard round his neck with the legend: ‘My…
