Life
Bridge | 23 September 2023
The great Bob Hamman, in his heyday the best player in the world, was once asked what the biggest mistakes…
India’s rising stars
The former world champion Vishy Anand has described the current crop of young Indian talents as a golden generation. At…
Puzzle no. 770
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by C.G.S. Narayanan, K. Seetharaman, 2017. Answers should be emailed to…
Spectator competition winners: why you should never open a novel with the weather
In Competition No. 3317 you were invited to provide an opening to a novel that bears out Elmore Leonard’s tip…
2623: Half-day closing?
29 29-36’s 14 13 31 25 1D 2 24, in which 1 Down and 24 are each non-words that concatenate…
Solution to: 2620: The right name?
8A/31D, 23A/19D and 36D/7D are eponymous 29D/12A characters. 7D originally suggested D’Urberville, which needed to be changed to DURBEYFIELD, making…
Aussie life
Seven Days in May, a novel written in 1962 and turned into a film in 1964, concerns a planned coup…
Language
I need to loudly lament (once again) the deceptive misuse of the word ‘mistake’ by people who have a black…
As gaudy as Versailles: The Duchess of Cornwall in Poundbury reviewed
Poundbury is the King’s idealised town in Dorchester, built on his land to his specifications: the town that sprung out…
The man who won’t go away
‘What are you still doing here?’ joked Daniil Medvedev to Novak Djokovic after their US Open tennis final – a…
My two tips for perfect aubergine parmigiana
In the middle of an unpredictable Indian summer, here is a recipe from sultry southern Italy which is suitable for…
The myth of male privilege
A few weeks ago I had a crack at coming up with my own sociological ‘law’ and my first effort…
Our favourite beach has been destroyed
‘Ukraine Family – Welcome You,’ said the ungrammatical sign at the entrance to the car park of our favourite West…
New York has cancelled Mozart
Gstaad This is the best news since the Bush-Blair duo saved us from the nuclear holocaust Saddam was about to…
Aussie life
Presumably, you don’t get to become head of football’s governing body in a football-mad country like Spain without putting in…
Language
Here’s a brand new Australian political expression I’ve just coined: ‘cane toad politics’. I expect it to take its place…
