Life
Call yourself a friend?
Should we be surprised that friendship isn’t always mutual? That is one of the findings of a team of researchers…
A monkey-brained case for Donald Trump
A few years ago I was asked to speak at a conference in New York. ‘Where would be the best…
Bridge
The Hubert Phillips Bowl is one of my favourite tournaments of the year: a friendly, knockout event with a rather…
Drinking partner
In Competition No. 2949 you were invited to submit a poem about sharing a drink with a famous writer. I…
Cannes, exclusive? I’ve met classier crowds in brothels
New York Let’s face it, sleaze is to professional party-givers what jail is to a burglar, an occupational hazard. I’ve…
My manhood is hanging in the balance
We cleared the kitchen table for a game of pick-up sticks. Remember them? Thirty long, thin bamboo sticks, their differing…
What on earth was the girl from Taiwan doing in my bedroom?
After a tense two week stand-off, the Balham Airbnb Crisis has been resolved. My upstairs neighbour and I have drawn…
What the world looked like after my brain haemorrhage
When your mind suddenly goes wonky, you may be the one person who doesn’t realise that there is something wrong…
The art of picking winners on the Flat
‘After a few decades of marriage a man ought to be able to recognise his own wife,’ Mrs Oakley observed…
Bridge
If you live in (or anywhere near) London, and you enjoy a good teams tournament, you could do no better…
Garry’s comeback
To great surprise, the former world champion Garry Kasparov staged a brief comeback when he participated in a blitz tournament…
No. 410
Black to play. This position is from So-Nakamura, Ultimate Blitz Challenge, Saint Louis 2016. How did Black make a key…
2262: Numbers game
The unclued Across lights are of one linguistic kind and the unclued Down lights are of another, all of which…
To 2259: Eco
The unclued lights can be preceded by GREEN which had to be shaded in green, as indicated in the solution…
My day as the only Eurosceptic at the finishing school for Europe’s elite
I was in Paris last week to take part in an EU referendum debate at Sciences Po, a French university…
Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Cricket needs a top-to-bottom overhaul: here’s how I’d do it
No place for the faint of heart, Headingley, and certainly not for some sketchy Sri Lankan batsmen at the back…
Dear Mary: Is it OK to ask to drink the wine you brought to a dinner party?
Q. What is the etiquette regarding asking to drink the wine you have brought to a dinner party? The man…
The RA’s new restaurant prioritises its art over its customers
The Keeper’s House sits in the basement of Burlington House, a restaurant in disguise. It is quite different from the…
Word of the week: 'concept'
‘It was nothing special, but it was a pub,’ said my husband, looking up from his copy of Bar magazine…
Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Garry’s comeback
To great surprise, the former world champion Garry Kasparov staged a brief comeback when he participated in a blitz tournament…
No. 410
Black to play. This position is from So-Nakamura, Ultimate Blitz Challenge, Saint Louis 2016. How did Black make a key…
Drinking partner
In Competition No. 2949 you were invited to submit a poem about sharing a drink with a famous writer. I…
Your problems solved
Q. What is the etiquette regarding asking to drink the wine you have brought to a dinner party? The man…
