Life
London Classic
The annual London Classic, inspired and organised by the indefatigable Malcolm Pein, is now underway at London’s Olympia. The website…
Chess Puzzle
White to play. This position is from Edward Lasker-Thomas, London 1912. This is one of the most famous combinations ever…
Railway rhythms
In Competition No. 2926 you were invited to submit a poem about HS2. The idea for this challenge came to…
Dear Mary: How to stop someone from giving my tiny children expensive clothes that they never wear?
Q. Is there a tactful way to deter certain people from buying clothing for one’s tiny children as Christmas presents?…
An overflow of bookshelves, a huge kitchen, a cellar, music, dogs, hens, donkeys children . . . all the ingredients for civilised life
In the later 1850s, Palmerston was Prime Minister: Gladstone, his Chancellor. It was a successful partnership between two very different…
High life
New York Things turn very frivolous around this time of year. Barf-inducing parties given by pop-culture schlock merchants selling their…
Long life
I have always found Thanksgiving, which was celebrated in the United States last week, the most agreeable and least stressful…
Long life
I have always found Thanksgiving, which was celebrated in the United States last week, the most agreeable and least stressful…
Low life
My favourite YouTube video clip this week shows a chap sitting at a desk typing. All you can see of…
Low life
My favourite YouTube video clip this week shows a chap sitting at a desk typing. All you can see of…
Mind your language . . . on commit
My husband struck out with his stick at an advertisement in the street that said: ‘Commit to winter.’ He doesn’t…
Real life
Go on, they said. Go on a date. Let your friend fix you up with a nice eligible man. Nothing…
The politics of envy has failed
Last week I put £25 on Lady C to win I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here. At 25/1,…
The politics of envy has failed
Last week I put £25 on Lady C to win I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here. At 25/1,…
The other side to the division of labour: the concentration of attention
Adam Smith’s theory on the division of labour first appeared in 1776 in The Wealth of Nations. The idea was…
Bridge
If you don’t play bridge, you really should avoid gatherings of bridge players — you’ll find us excruciatingly dull. I’ve…
It is political correctness, not maniacal bigots, that will end civilisation
What does one do, attend or refuse a party after a tragic event such as the recent Paris outrage? My…
The GP charged around to my side of the table and roved her hand all over my pubic area
On Friday morning I was peeing razor blades so I rang up the doctor and was given an appointment after…
The sabs hate us because we’re patriotic, top-rate tax-paying, law-abiding scum
‘You lot are a disgrace! Chasing after defenceless animals on horseback!’ The bearded anti was on his mountain bike on…
How do you explain events that even adults can’t understand to a child?
Seeing my ten-year-old daughter, Freya, a week after the massacre in Paris, I asked her if she had heard anything…
Essential racing books for Christmas
Do horses have souls or a ‘spirit’? When form expert Marten Julian was looking to buy a horse, he asked…
Bridge
Last weekend saw the qualifying matches for the Tollemache Cup, the inter-county championships for teams of eight. I didn’t play…
Chess Maecenas
Last week saw the death of the city financier Jim Slater. He was famous in chess circles for joining Henry…
No. 389
Black to play. This position is from Basman-Keene, Slater Tournament, Southend 1968. How can Black quickly gain a decisive advantage?…
The Winter’s Tale
In Competition No. 2925 you were invited to submit a short story entitled ‘The Winter’s Tale’. There were lots of…
