Life
Racing’s biggest issue is the decline in field sizes
‘I don’t want to seem unromantic,’ said Mrs Oakley as St Valentine’s Day approached, ‘but this year please don’t buy…
Bridge
What a week it’s been. On Thursday night the incomparable Terry Hewett held her annual charity bonanza Night of the…
Varsity
On Saturday 7 March the annual Varsity Match between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge takes place. The contest is…
No. 352
Black to play. This is a variation from Chandler-Whiteley, Brighton 1979. Here Black can bring his attack to a successful…
Heaven and hell
In Competition No. 2887 you were invited to describe your idea of heaven or hell in verse. Nietzsche famously said…
2201: Facility
In each of eleven clues there is an added letter in the definition part. These letters, in clue order, spell…
To 2198: Tuck in
Corrections of misprints in clues give BETWEEN THE SHEETS, the name of a COCKTAIL (1A) whose contents (11, 18/34, 29…
My plan for Question Time: mug up and fail anyway
I was invited on Question Time this week, which gave me a few sleepless nights. Natalie Bennett’s disastrous interview on…
Battle for Britain
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I miss the days when French rugby was great. Thierry Dusautoir must, too
It used to be such a treat of a winter weekend, sitting down to watch France against Wales in Paris…
Dear Mary: I know an interior designer socially, but is it acceptable to ask her advice?
Q. A close friend is dating a renowned decorator. Meanwhile, on a limited budget, I am trying to smarten up…
Is the Dorchester the designated grand hotel for fat people? The portions at its new grill say so
The Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, is a cake floating in space. All grand hotels create a parallel universe in which…
How long is it since anniversaries stopped being measured in years?
‘You must promise to be with us for our silver wedding D.V. which will be in four years,’ wrote Queen…
Going large on Park Lane
The Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, is a cake floating in space. All grand hotels create a parallel universe in which…
Sacré Bleus! At least the food is good
It used to be such a treat of a winter weekend, sitting down to watch France against Wales in Paris…
Size matters
‘I don’t want to seem unromantic,’ said Mrs Oakley as St Valentine’s Day approached, ‘but this year please don’t buy…
Once upon a time I was very proud to be Greek. But no more
Gstaad A naked, very good-looking young man skied down the mountain evoking shrieks of laughter and admiration from the hundred…
The day an ancient and very wonderful sport died
Last week was the tenth anniversary of the last running of the English hare-coursing classic, the Waterloo Cup. I shan’t…
My request to see my medical notes has sparked all-out panic at my GP surgery
My request to see my medical notes has sparked all-out panic at the GP surgery. ‘What do you mean?’ said…
You can’t force low-income people to go to an art gallery or the theatre if they don’t want to
I went last week to see the justly praised production of Wagner’s The Mastersingers at English National Opera, and I…
Bridge
Bridge players never get bored of each other’s company for one simple reason: interesting hands are like juicy bits of…
Gnomic
The elite tournament at Zurich, which finished last week, has adopted a system for determining the ultimate trophy winner which…
No. 351
White to play. This position is from Nakamura-Karjakin, Zurich classic 2015. White’s knight seems trapped but he can rescue it…
Londoner’s Diary
In Competition No. 2886 you were invited to submit a Pepys’-eye view of modern life. Pepys’s candid and minutely observed…
2200
The unclued Down lights (individually or as a pair) are of a kind in short, as are the unclued Across…
