Life
Bridge
I’m on the train back from the Brighton Congress, where I’ve been playing in the Swiss Pairs, and I’m still…
Fawltless
David Howell turned in a sparkling performance in the 100th British Chess Championship in Torquay, which finished last week. In…
No. 279
White to play. This is from Hebden-Arkell, British Championship, Torquay 2013. White is a pawn ahead in this endgame but…
Light touch
In Competition 2810 you were invited to write a light-hearted poem about a serious subject. I suggested you take a…
2126: Word building
The unclued lights can be arranged into a chain of anagrams of 3 to 11 letters in length, with the…
To 2123: Go on then!
The unclued lights are characters from The Goon Show. The paired solutions are 22/20, 32/35 and 37/9. First prize Phillip…
Like my dad, I dream of sports cars. Like him, I'll never buy one
I’m currently in Cornwall with my family and whenever I spend a lot of time with my children I’m constantly…
Dave
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Never seen the need for a class system? Take a long-haul flight
Usually it is annoying when you have to board an aeroplane via a shuttle bus rather than an airbridge. The…
Dear Mary: How will I know if he really loves me?
Q. To ask for money in lieu of a wedding present (Dear Mary, 3 August) is ghastly, but an established…
Enjoying South Africa's secret French connection
One aspect of the old South Africa’s racial policies cannot be faulted. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes,…
Bongo
Alexandra Shulman was on Desert Island Discs this summer and one choice was ‘Bongo Bong’. Its words tell a simple…
Flowers of Stellenbosch
One aspect of the old South Africa’s racial policies cannot be faulted. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes,…
Veterans’ day
As part of the after-dinner entertainment on a cruise ship recently, I encountered a couple of comedians. One claimed he…
A touch of class
Usually it is annoying when you have to board an aeroplane via a shuttle bus rather than an airbridge. The…
Taki: I’m on Hemingway’s boat — but there’s no bringing back the old Riviera
Porto Heli I am standing on the deck of a 100ft schooner that was built in Normandy in 1931 by…
Melissa Kite meets the Greek dog lady on Tooting Common and has words
My spaniel has been pronounced ‘too thin’ by a lady who rescues dogs from Greece. I had stopped to chat…
Alexander Chancellor: I found the key to holiday happiness in a car park
While sitting beside a pool under a blistering Tuscan sun, I’ve been reading an article in Corriere della Sera about…
Bridge
We all need time off from our addictions and August is my annual holiday and break from bridge. One of…
Miles gloriosus
England’s leading female player, Jovanka Houska, recently called for a memorial to the late Tony Miles. The timing is fitting.…
Puzzle No.278
White to play, a variation from Speelman-Miles, London 1975. White has two pieces forked. What is the most accurate continuation…
Pretentious, moi?
In Competition 2809 you were invited to submit a letter liberally sprinkled with evidence of an imperfect grasp of foreign…
2125: Nil desperandum
‘1/5/28’ (five words in total) is part of a quotation in ODQ and suggests how to find the common element…
Solution to 2122: Theme and Variations
The theme word is GRAVES: 19, 34 and 40 are famous cemeteries; 17, 28 and 39 are wines from SW…
The myths of the English countryside
One of the great things about spending the summer holidays in England is that it gives you an opportunity to…
