Life
Hunted in Mogadishu by the Sick Man and the Jilbab
From a way off, as he entered the café, he looked young and handsome but when he sat down there…
Bridge
It’s no coincidence that many card players excel at both bridge and poker. The poker legend Gus Hansen plays a…
Watch and wait
While Viswanathan Anand, the former world champion, has been qualifying for a revenge match for the world title, Magnus Carlsen,…
No. 311
White to play. This is a variation from Carlsen-Leitao, Brazil 2014. White has a big attack on the kingside which…
Inconsequential
In Competition No. 2844 you were invited to provide an extract from either a gripping thriller or a bodice-ripping romance…
2159: Wine, Woman and Song
Nine unclued lights are linked in three different ways (three lights to each) to a tenth, which solvers should highlight.…
to 2156: Shoreline
The perimeter is occupied by seven SANDPIPERS. First prize Tim Hanks, Douglas, Isle of Man Runners-up Hilda Ball, Belfast;…
Yes, Britain is a Christian country
I can’t say it was a great surprise to read a letter from a group of well-known authors, academics, comedians…
Battle For Britain
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What do you get if you cross a suitcase with rollerblades?
A 14-year-old at an American school recently caused a stir when he claimed that the US government could save over…
Dear Mary: Do I grass on my son’s schoolfriend?
Q. My son was invited, both verbally and via Facebook, to a schoolfriend’s 16th birthday party. However, when I met…
A toast to Le Roi Jen Quinze
There ought to be a new literary award: the antisocial book of the year. A dozen years ago, Claire Tomalin’s…
Dot Wordsworth: What is an astel?
Dear old Ian Hislop was pottering around North Petherton, Somerset, on television, to talk about the Alfred Jewel, found nearby…
A toast to Le Roi Jean Quinze
There ought to be a new literary award: the antisocial book of the year. A dozen years ago, Claire Tomalin’s…
Ideas that breed
A 14-year-old at an American school recently caused a stir when he claimed that the US government could save over…
Wild life
From a way off, as he entered the café, he looked young and handsome but when he sat down there…
When Taki met Al Sharpton
New York This is a tale of two escape artists in one city. Let’s start with my old friend the…
Battle of the grandsons
In the blue corner, wearing 4oz gloves, is the Ninja. Real name Klynton. The younger of my two grandsons. Also…
Give a working cocker a few months off and it turns into one half of Thelma and Louise
‘Can I go and play with Twiggy?’ If dogs could talk, this is what my spaniel Cydney would be saying…
Our first kills of spring
The arrival of spring is not an unmitigated joy. The warmth is nice, of course, as are the fresh leaves…
Sympathy for the bookies
We all have to adjust to reality, like the lady who entered a Barbados bar having already enjoyed several gin…
Bridge
I have always been drawn to a bit of a rogue and I must admit I found the coughing German…
Express train
The erratic Ukrainian grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk has scored an overwhelming victory in a rapidplay tournament sponsored by the Latvian railway.…
No. 310
Black to play. This is from Kantans-Malakhov, Latvian Railway Open, Riga 2014. Black has achieved a tremendous build-up on the…
Poet’s choice
In Competition No. 2843 you were given a list of poets’ surnames — motion, bridges, wilde, gray, cope, hood, burns…
