Life
Bridge
2015 leaves many bridge players with mixed emotions. I have played in more wonderful, high-level tournaments than ever before (Iceland,…
Christmas Quiz
Set by Christopher Howse. Illustrated by Castro
London calling
By the time this article appears, the London Classic at Olympia and the newly created brainchild of the indefatigable Malcolm…
Chess Puzzle
White to play. This position is from Fernandez-Jackson, Aberystwyth 2014. White brilliantly exploited the draughty position of the black king…
A Christmas carol
In Competition No. 2927 you were invited to submit a Christmas carol written in the style of a writer of…
The works
Along the top and bottom rows of the grid runs a seasonal quotation of 11 words. 81 clues contain a…
To 2238: Old issues
The title suggests BACK NUMBERS (8/15). Remaining unclued lights contain ‘back numbers’: GENEVESE (1A), MARXIST (20), GENETTE (24), XENON (37),…
Tis the season for disagreeing with your spouse about everything
The older I get, the more Scrooge-like I become. I’m dyspeptic, misanthropic, curmudgeonly, parsimonious and unsentimental. Caroline, by contrast, is…
From the dismal to the delightful: the year in sport
So long, then, to another thrilling year of sport in which the full range of human possibility — from the…
Center Parcs Longleat – a stealth socialist utopia on Lord Bath’s estate
Center Parcs Longleat is a holiday village in a forest in Wiltshire, on Lord Bath’s estate, so you can never…
Why the greatest innovations do only one thing, but do it well
McDonald’s got rid of cutlery. Uber does not allow you to pre-book taxis. Amazon began by selling only books. Conventional…
Even great wine can’t quite give me hope for Lebanon
Housman had a point. If men could be drunk for ever, the human condition would be tolerable. But thought always…
Dear Mary solves problems for Nicky Haslam, Nigel Slater, Professor Mary Beard and others
From Nicky Haslam Q. Being considered something of a guru on the subject of things common, can you advise me…
Battle for Britain
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Why 'safe' is Dot Wordsworth's word of the year
‘Makes me feel sick,’ said my husband, referring not to the third mince pie of the morning (in Advent, supposedly…
The answers
On the record 1. Jean-Claude Juncker 2. David Cameron 3. Sir Tim Hunt 4. Jeremy Corbyn 5. President Vladimir Putin…
The answers
On the record 1. Jean-Claude Juncker 2. David Cameron 3. Sir Tim Hunt 4. Jeremy Corbyn 5. President Vladimir Putin…
Christmas Quiz
On the record In 2015, who said:1. We must get the cow off the ice. 2. It’s decision time —…
Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
London calling
By the time this article appears, the London Classic at Olympia and the newly created brainchild of the indefatigable Malcolm…
Chess Puzzle
White to play. This position is from Fernandez-Jackson, Aberystwyth 2014. White brilliantly exploited the draughty position of the black king…
The answers
On the record 1. Jean-Claude Juncker 2. David Cameron 3. Sir Tim Hunt 4. Jeremy Corbyn 5. President Vladimir Putin…
Christmas Quiz
On the record In 2015, who said:1. We must get the cow off the ice. 2. It’s decision time —…
A Christmas carol
In Competition No. 2927 you were invited to submit a Christmas carol written in the style of a writer of…
Dear Mary solves problems for Nicky Haslam, Nigel Slater, Professor Mary Beard and others
From Nicky HaslamQ. Being considered something of a guru on the subject of things common, can you advise me how…
