Life
no. 455
White to play. This position is from So–Kramnik, Gashimov Memorial 2017. So retreated with 1 Ne3 and eventually won. How could…
The turf
Any of us can forget little things on leaving home in a hurry. To the chagrin of Mrs Oakley, who…
Bridge
Last week we played round four of the Gold Cup. I had eagerly looked at the email to see who…
Bugged
Polish grandmaster Akiba Rubinstein was one of the strongest players never to win the world title. Up to 1914 he…
no. 454
Black to play. This position is from Belsitzman-Rubinstein, Warsaw 1917. How did Rubinstein finish off? Answers to me at The…
Ribaldry
In Competition No. 2995 you were invited to submit ribald limericks as they might have been written by a well-known…
2307: Obit IV
Clockwise round the grid from 16 run the titles of four works (4,4,9,6,1,5,3,5,3,4,6) by a late great 3 (two apostrophes)…
to 2304: Hexagon
The HEADWORD (26) ‘bail’ appears six times in CHAMBERS (1D). Its different meanings include CROSSPIECE (1A), BAR (25), FRAME (36),…
Dear Mary
Q. New colleagues invited us to lunch but didn’t warn us that the clippings had not been cleared up from…
Fowl play
Cafe Football is in the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, east London, a shopping centre with a faulty name. It…
High life
Twenty-five years ago this week, Los Angeles was burning because of Rodney King’s beating at the hands of the fuzz,…
Low life
I went to a barbecue. Everyone was patient and well disposed towards the silent, depressed, two-toed sloth in their midst.…
Jane
‘What are you laughing at?’ asked my husband in an accusing tone on Monday morning last week as he unloaded…
The age of Joshua
Every so often comes a moment that can set the history of sport on a different trajectory. I believe we…
A progressive alliance? It’s more a coalition of chaos
My heart soared when I first heard the phrase ‘progressive alliance’ in this election campaign. Not the reaction you’d expect,…
The Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Real life
With so many last-straw moments to choose from in my house-moving experience, it is a close call to pick the…
Cross lines
In Competition No. 2994 you were invited to submit a letter of complaint from a fictional character to his, hers…
2306: Instruction
‘21D/14’ (four words in total) is an instruction (in ODQ) with which solvers will comply by inserting the remaining unclued…
to 2303: Great 32
Five unclued lights are titles of RAGS (24) by SCOTT JOPLIN (32 31), who died on 1 April 1917. First…
Dear Mary
Q. May I pass on a tip to readers wishing to reject a hopeful romantic partner without hurting their feelings?…
A glimmer of hope
I argued that it was unnecessary to have made sacrifices during Lent in order to celebrate its conclusion. It is…
Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Low life
When I was depressed 20 years ago, the (then) new antidepressant drug Prozac sorted it easily. It took six weeks…
Envelope
One can push many things — a pen, one’s luck or (up) daisies. But the MP Dominic Raab told the…
