Life
Missed chances
Magnus Carlsen has retained the World Championship but only after Sergei Karjakin, the challenger, missed some glorious opportunities. In game…
no. 438
White to play. This is from Carlsen–Karjakin, New York play-off (Game 4) 2016. What was Carlsen’s stunning move to retain…
Take five
In Competition No. 2979 you were invited to supply your contribution to a series of parodies of Enid Blyton’s Famous…
Dear Mary
Q. I have bought a second-floor flat which comes with a bow-shaped balcony which overlooks a communal garden. My problem…
Garden variety
Margot is an Italian restaurant on Great Queen Street in the still interesting part of Covent Garden. The uninteresting part…
High life
Gstaad New Year’s Eve was a Rhapsody in Blue, with a clarinet glissando that promised joys to come, and the…
Long life
The past year has been tumultuous, full of upheaval and tragedy, but my chickens have been spared it all. Indeed,…
Long life
The past year has been tumultuous, full of upheaval and tragedy, but my chickens have been spared it all. Indeed,…
Low life
On the Monday before Christmas, the black dog came around again and I couldn’t get out of bed. I lay…
Low life
On the Monday before Christmas, the black dog came around again and I couldn’t get out of bed. I lay…
Americanisms
Here are eight invasive Americanisms to continue annoying us in 2017. Running for office. Liz Kendall was ‘running for the…
Real life
The most annoying thing about starting a new year is how long it takes for everyone to crank themselves back…
Unimpressed by the Root cause
Those who occupy them sometimes say that the only two jobs that matter in England are Chief of the Defence…
Why meritocrats are the new aristocrats
After Sir Stafford Northcote and Sir Charles Trevelyan completed their report on civil service reform in 1854, in which they…
Why meritocrats are the new aristocrats
After Sir Stafford Northcote and Sir Charles Trevelyan completed their report on civil service reform in 1854, in which they…
The turf
The biggest oohs and aahs on the entertainment scene this winter were nothing to do with the ‘He’s behind you…
The turf
The biggest oohs and aahs on the entertainment scene this winter were nothing to do with the ‘He’s behind you…
Bridge
Simon Gillis’s team has had a very successful year. They won the Gold Cup (for the second time), they joined…
Dear Mary
Q. Our first Christmas card arrived on 2 December and it was a lovely thing — a Burne-Jones angel musician,…
Dear Mary
Q. Our first Christmas card arrived on 2 December and it was a lovely thing — a Burne-Jones angel musician,…
The Battle for Britain
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Game of the year
Probably the most spectacular game played in the past year was the brilliant win by Gawain Jones in the Olympiad.…
no.437
White to play and win. This is a position from Caruana-Kramnik, Leuven 2016. Answers to me at The Spectator by…
Empty words
In Competition No. 2977 you were invited to submit a selection of meaningless, pseudo-profound statements. Bullshit was defined in a…
Dear Mary
Q. Our first Christmas card arrived on 2 December and it was a lovely thing — a Burne-Jones angel musician,…
