Life
Alexander Chancellor: Seduced by a Benson & Hedges packet aged 16
The government has done a puzzling U-turn over its plan to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes. It had seemed determined…
It helps to have a sense of humour when handling horses
Clive Cox, once a conditional jockey in Lambourn, fell at the first fence one year in the Grand National. ‘Mind…
Bridge
There was a particularly juicy deal during the recent European Open Mixed Teams in Ostend, which led to many pairs…
Ivanchuk the Terrible
Although he has never won the World Championship, Vassily Ivanchuk is the scourge of the world’s elite. In his day…
Puzzle No. 275
White to play. This position is from Ivanchuk-Kramnik, Moscow Blitz 2007. What is the most accurate way for White to…
Last word
In Competition 2806 you were invited to submit alternative endings for well-known novels or poems. A Farewell to Arms,…
2122: Theme and variations
The nine unclued lights (including two of two words) form three groups of three: two of the three groups each…
Solution to 2119: Filial request
The full quotation was ‘Mother, GIVE ME THE SUN’ (14/7) from Ghosts by HENRIK IBSEN (29/1D). Remaining unclued lights give…
Can I turn the West London Free School into Fame Academy?
‘Another opening, another show,’ sang five-year-old Charlie on his way to school this morning — and then proceeded to belt…
Rory Sutherland: Don't abolish The Knowledge
Now that most taxi drivers use satnavs, should ‘the Knowledge’ be abolished? Shouldn’t we ditch the requirement that all London…
Dear Mary: Why it's fine to crash funerals
Q. Regarding the writing of ‘no presents’ on an invitation (Dear Mary, 6 July), my own experience is that many…
The greatest novel in English – and how to drink it
Which is the greatest novel in the English language? Let us review the candidates: Clarissa, Pride and Prejudice, Middlemarch, The…
Mind your language: How the Dreamliner got its name
‘Planes don’t run off batteries,’ declared my husband, his finger unerringly on the pulse of technology as ever. I had…
A glass of wine with Dickens
Which is the greatest novel in the English language? Let us review the candidates: Clarissa, Pride and Prejudice, Middlemarch, The…
The Force is with us
Clive Cox, once a conditional jockey in Lambourn, fell at the first fence one year in the Grand National. ‘Mind…
A question of trust
Now that most taxi drivers use satnavs, should ‘the Knowledge’ be abolished? Shouldn’t we ditch the requirement that all London…
High life:My first Egyptian coup
I remember it well. It was August 1952, and I was dining with my parents on the Palm Beach casino’s…
I didn't want to talk about my cancer. But then I got to the party...
Searching the web for information about the enigmatic Bilderberg group, I came across a website called Who Controls America? It’s…
Real life: ‘I am going to sit here until you issue me with my warranty papers’
This is the story of the amazing, disappearing car warranty. It is a cautionary tale that all second-hand car buyers…
Long life: Putin, Saatchi, Murdoch...hell hath no fury like an old man scorned
The days may be long gone when a husband would pretend to commit adultery in a Brighton hotel so as…
Bridge
Tor Helness, the Norwegian-born superstar who now plays for Monaco, partnering his wife Gunn in the European Mixed Teams, had…
Gelfand’s hat trick
As previously reported, 45-year-old Boris Gelfand, the oldest player in the tournament, convincingly won the Tal Memorial in Moscow. This…
No. 274
White to play. This position is from Al-Sayed-Georgiev, Fidé World Rapid 2013. What is the most accurate way for White…
Cringeworthy
In Competition 2805 you were invited to submit toe-curlingly bad analogies. Congratulations! You obliged with a stream of analogies glorious…
2121: Take care
The unclued lights, two of two words, are of a kind. Elsewhere, ignore an apostrophe. Across 1 We hear…
