Life
no. 451
White to play. This position is a variation from Portisch-Petrosian, Moscow 1967. Can you spot White’s winning coup? Answers to…
Answering back
In Competition No. 2991 you were invited to submit ‘The Rime of the Wedding Guest’. There were, naturally, lots…
2304: Hexagon
The same 26 appears six times in 1D. Remaining unclued lights exemplify its different meanings. The 26 will appear diagonally…
to 2301: Age of extremes
Unclued lights (in red) are the characteristics of ‘the period’, from the opening sentence of A Tale of Two Cities.…
Dear Mary
A friend of a friend hosted an engagement party in a London hotel. Invitations had gone out six weeks beforehand,…
A toast to unsung heroes
We were talking about war, the desert and God. In the early Seventies, one of our number, Christopher James, had…
High life
New York I’d gladly exchange waistlines with him if he’d teach me to cut a phrase the way he…
The Battle for Britain
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Low life
My brother and I were taking a short cut through an alleyway and saw a copper coming towards us through…
An historic
Everybody’s saying it, even though the latest research declares that only 6 per cent of the population is given to…
Real life
‘Information,’ came the reply. ‘We want information.’ The voice echoed in my head. Oh no. Oh please God, no. A…
Meritocracy isn’t fair
I’ve just made a programme for Radio 4 about the populist revolts that swept Britain and America last year. Were…
All hail the new taxi-card revolution
From October last year, it was compulsory for all London black cabs to accept payment by card. London cabbies aren’t…
Wild life
Laikipia, Kenya For weeks the farm has been in the eye of a storm, with violence swirling all around…
2303: Great 32
The puzzle marks the centenary of the death of a person whose name is formed by two unclued lights. Five…
Dear Mary
Q. As an artist I’m indebted to my sponsor. I also like him, but not his habit of ringing me…
Eat at Joe’s
It is rare for me to write a love letter to a London restaurant, but Joe Allen, which is 40…
The Battle for Britain
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Low life
Repatriated after two months sur le continong, I walked down the sunny high street marvelling at English cheerfulness. A poster…
St Thomas’s
Everyone praised the staff of St Thomas’s Hospital during the terrorist attack. My husband of course brought his own fly to…
Real life
Of all the many indignities I have suffered at the hands of my iPhone, the humiliation that sickens me the…
Liverpool’s press mess
The comedian Jimmy Carr is not necessarily a guy you would trust on much, but he was spot on the…
The bawdy and beautiful game
I can barely contain my excitement. The Easter break is nearly upon us and I will soon be heading off…
The turf
Bookmaker Paddy Power once famously declared, ‘Cheltenham is the best craic you can have and if you cannot look forward…
Bridge
‘Ducking is for experts. Don’t try it.’ So says my partner Artur Malinowski every time I duck a trick in…
