Life
No. 304
White to play. This position is from Robbins-Smith, Varsity Match 1972. The black king has been drawn out into the…
Reunion blues
In Competition 2837 you were invited to submit a poem on the horrors of a reunion dinner. In days gone…
2152: T20 – it’s just not cricket!
The unclued lights (and 4 Down + N) are of a kind and along with the suggestion given by the…
to 2149: Super!
When preceded by GREAT, each unclued light yields a phrase listed in Brewer 19th edition. First prize Mrs T.…
Sorry, campaining mums – it’s faith that makes faith schools work
An email popped into my inbox on Tuesday morning urging me to join a ‘fair admissions campaign’ that’s been launched…
Victor Dubuisson and the true spirit of sport
Just do it. The people who make trainers have been telling us to ‘Just do it’ for 25 years now.…
Battle for Britain
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Dear Mary: How can I check if my dentist uncle really meant to charge me?
Q. My uncle, who is a brilliant dentist, has looked after my teeth since I was little. He also sees…
So is Moro a Tory restaurant now?
Moro (‘moorish’ or ‘sexist’) is a Spanish restaurant on Exmouth Market, near the bones of the old Guardian and Observer…
Very bad poems on the Underground
My husband was surprised by quite a bit when we travelled by Underground in London the other day. Although he…
Dinner with the editors
Moro (‘moorish’ or ‘sexist’) is a Spanish restaurant on Exmouth Market, near the bones of the old Guardian and Observer…
A Victor for the future
Just do it. The people who make trainers have been telling us to ‘Just do it’ for 25 years now.…
Commercial approach
British racing is such a quirky minefield that some were surprised when in 2011 the authorities chose Paul Bittar, a…
The week that tripled the size of my liver
Gstaad Walking into a dinner party for 50 chic and some not-so-chic people in a nearby village last week, I…
Watching car crash compliations with my grandson
My boy was downstairs cooking Sunday roast. Earlier, I had been clambering about on a woodpile, stepped awkwardly, and twisted…
My friend Denise doesn't know where London ends – just when it ends
The look on her face said it all. I can always tell my friend Denise is upset about something when…
I was forced on to the internet in the 1980s. I still don't belong there
With regard to modern technology, I find that people of around my age — by which I mean people in…
Bridge
To any player with even the smallest sadistic streak, squeezing your opponents is hugely satisfying. But there’s something even more…
Ukrainian knights
This week I pay tribute to the chess grandmasters from Ukraine, led by Vassily Ivanchuk, many times a candidate for…
No. 303
White to play. This position is from Moiseenko-Noah, Khanty-Mansisk Olympiad 2010. Even though the game is not yet out of…
All together now
In Competition 2836 you were invited to coin collective nouns for the following: tweeters, hackers, hoodies, WAGS, environmentalists, bankers, MPs…
2151: Sources
Three theme words which must be deduced each suggest three unclued lights (including one of two words and ignoring one…
to 2148: Eighth of February
Unclued lights can each be abbreviated so that together they give the letters of FEBRUARY: FAHRENHEIT (19), EARTH (32), BASS…
What’s happened to Harriet Harman?
Watching Harriet Harman being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg on Newsnight earlier this week was a strange experience. I felt as…
Battle for Britain
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