Life
Could any cook help me overcome my terror of tapioca?
There are those who claim that this column is idiosyncratic. They have seen nothing yet. I am about to mention…
Don’t want a Princess Charlotte? Try Violant, Fatima, Davina, Senna…
It could have been much worse. Someone had pointed out that among the new baby’s ancestors was Queen Violant of…
Battle for Britain
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Brain games
This week I continue with my analysis of Nigel Short’s recent animadversions upon the differences between the male and female…
No. 361
White to play. This is from Polgar-Short, -Buenos Aires 2000. Here we return to the theme of Judit Polgar’s massive…
Iffy
In Competition No. 2896 you were invited to take Kipling’s ‘If’ and recast it on behalf of a politician on…
Your problems solved
Q. As a writer I find working at home too distracting. I am a longstanding member of the London Library…
Spawn of the devil
There are those who claim that this column is idiosyncratic. They have seen nothing yet. I am about to mention…
High life
If any of you sees Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, walking around with a begging bowl in his…
Long life
It’s more than four months now since my 75th birthday, but I’m still waiting for a ‘cold call’ from the…
Long life
It’s more than four months now since my 75th birthday, but I’m still waiting for a ‘cold call’ from the…
Low life
The old fishing town faced the sea psychically as well as architecturally. Dressed as pirates, my grandson and I walked…
Low life
The old fishing town faced the sea psychically as well as architecturally. Dressed as pirates, my grandson and I walked…
Charlotte
It could have been much worse. Someone had pointed out that among the new baby’s ancestors was Queen Violant of…
Is satire a dying art?
I appeared on Radio 4 a couple of weeks ago to discuss the age-old question of whether political satire is…
Is satire a dying art?
I appeared on Radio 4 a couple of weeks ago to discuss the age-old question of whether political satire is…
Why estate agents aren’t dying out
I don’t like to make business predictions, but — barring some apocalypse — I suspect there will be plenty of…
RIP, Time magazine
Talk about how the mighty have fallen. Time magazine was for the better part of the 20th century the model…
A fingertip symphony in a deeply rural French ladies’ hairdresser
Two stylists work at this deeply rural French ladies’ hairdresser. Christelle is a gorgeous 17-year-old point-of-lay pullet, so lithe and…
Why I'd never own a rabbit hutch – or vote Green
‘I suppose,’ said my dad philosophically, ‘I could always vote Green.’ ‘Oh, for goodness sake! Not you as well!’ I…
The fraught business of seat surrender
I remember the first time that someone stood up and offered me a seat on the London Underground. It was…
Farewell to the iron man, Tony McCoy
At Sandown Park last Saturday an era ended. Twenty thousand of us turned up to cheer on Tony McCoy as…
Bridge
When I first started playing bridge, about 15 years ago, I ‘trained’ at TGR’s rubber bridge club, which was located…
Nigel’s controversy
British chess grandmaster Nigel Short has form when it comes to provocative statements. When competing in a tournament in France…
No. 360
Black to play. This is from Short-Polgar, Madrid 1995. Judit Polgar is the strongest female -player ever, with an overwhelming…
