Life
No. 319
Black to play. This is a variation from Svidler-Carlsen, Norway Chess 2014. Failing to win this game cost Carlsen first…
Unlikely champion
In Competition No. 2852 you were invited to step into the shoes of a well-known writer of your choice and…
It’s time to face down the greatest intellectual threat of our era (oh, and Ed Miliband)
As you’re reading this, I will still be recovering from the dinner I’m due to attend this week to celebrate…
Battle for Britain
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The six things that'll change when I rule the world
But why did the food [in England] stay so bad after refrigerated ships, frozen foods and eventually air-freight deliveries of…
Dear Mary: What's the cure for a workshy teenager?
Q. I agreed to give (paid) gap-year work experience in my own large garden to the grandson of an extremely…
The joy of Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie is the most accessible of malt whiskies. It is a gentle, almost feminine creature, with hints of spring flowers,…
The joy of Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie is the most accessible of malt whiskies. It is a gentle, almost feminine creature, with hints of spring flowers,…
Six ways to a better life
But why did the food [in England] stay so bad after refrigerated ships, frozen foods and eventually air-freight deliveries of…
Wild life
Rift Valley Many of my British tribe fled Kenya around independence in 1963 because they believed there was no future.…
Cambridge, meet your first professor of racing lore
Watching the contestants parade at Epsom for this year’s Oaks, I remembered the great D. Wayne Lukas’s pronouncement on selecting…
2166: Somewhere X
Somewhere next to 34 and 12, 33 is 25, the highest mountain is 1D (two words), and the principal 3…
to 2163: Muscle
The LITERAL QUINTET (13/22) was TERSE (37). 7A suggests ‘reest’, 40 steer, 5 stere, 6 ester, 19 trees and 26…
Like Murdoch, I'm an old man with an eye for beauty. But Wendi Deng? Seriously?
Gstaad A slight bump at 30,000 feet concentrates the mind, as the good Dr Johnson said about an appointment with…
A free gin, a cheeky joint: welcome back to the local
My first time back in the local for eight weeks. The manageress lifts the flap, comes around to my side…
Volvo 1; Melissa Kite: 0
‘And for my next trick,’ said the Volvo, as I parked at the supermarket and pulled the handle of the…
Young Italians flock to London – for just the same reasons it scares me
Although I live in the country in Northamptonshire, I go to London often — almost once a week — and…
Bridge
The final match in the second division of Young Chelsea’s London Super League was as exciting as it gets. Two…
Vlad the Impaler
As I write, the former world champion Vladimir Kramnik is leading in the Norway tournament in Stavanger. The line-up is…
No. 318
White to play. This is a variation from Karjakin-Grischuk, Norway 2014. What key move allows White to deal with the…
Paxmanic
In Competition No. 2851 you were invited to mark Jeremy Paxman’s departure from Newsnight by supplying an extract from an…
Yes, I compared Theresa May to an Israeli tank commander. Why is everyone so upset?
I expect all of us have said something we regret at one time or another, but not everyone does so…
Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
The real England team is playing for Stuart Lancaster
A revealing handwritten letter emerged at the weekend from the England scrum half Danny Care, who wasn’t playing in the…
Dear Mary: What’s the best way to turn down charity requests?
Q. I am the co-owner of a chocolate business which regularly receives requests for donations of goody bags and raffle…
