Life
2562: 3 X 2 - solution
The unclued lights are words (or one phrase) which contain three pairs (3 x 2, in the title) of double…
What Richard Thompson can do for English cricket
Well alleluia, English cricket doesn’t seem able to put a foot wrong these days. After hitting three cherries with Rob…
Will ‘hosepipe ban’ make it into the dictionary?
‘Got any ’ose?’ asked my husband, falling into his Two Ronnies ‘Four Candles’ routine, in which he likes to play…
No. 715
White to play. Navara – Batsuren, Chennai Olympiad 2022. In this strange position Czech grandmaster David Navara found an elegant…
A great chef at his best: Lisboeta reviewed
In 2014, Nuno Mendes, a chef from Lisbon by way of Wolfgang Puck’s kitchens and his own Viajante in Bethnal…
Poems about the James Webb Space Telescope
In Competition No. 3261, you were invited to submit a poem about the James Webb Space Telescope. The first dazzling…
India’s young stars
At the Chennai Olympiad, the Indian team began as second seeds, even with former World Champion Vishy Anand absent from…
The Battle for Britain | 13 August 2022
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
The (occasional) joy of being a QPR fan
I made my way to Loftus Road on Saturday for QPR’s first home fixture of the season. We’ve got a…
Dear Mary: Can I ask our hosts to look for my husband’s tooth in the flowerbed?
Q. My 74-year-old husband was having drinks in the garden of some young clients when he bit down on an…
Aussie Life
I read in the Australian last week that the Queensland parliament is considering criminalising stealthing. And no, that’s not a…
Language
A Speccie reader has alerted me to the use of an odd word ‘alum’ to refer to the graduates of…
Everything’s burned to a crisp – and the horses are suffering
Everything is well and truly burned to a crisp, and we are piling through hundreds of pounds of hay a…
Don’t bring me sunshine: a week in the Surrey hills
I’m staying for a week in an 1850s house in the Surrey hills that looks-wise might have been built for…
This year, Glorious Goodwood had it all
‘You’re being unfaithful,’ says the punter’s wife brandishing a note found in her husband’s suit pocket: ‘Dorothea 07440 521321.’ ‘No,…
How to poach peaches (and why you should)
I’ve never been very good at leaving things be. I tend to gild the lily. I may plan to do…
No. 714
Black to play. Smirnov – Duda, Chennai Olympiad 2022. With his next move, Duda forced a decisive gain of material.…
2564: Sea monster – solution
The unclued lights 11 SOLITARY, 8 POOR, 38 NASTY, 36 BRUTISH and 35 SHORT are descriptions of 1 THE LIFE…
Sun-drenched days and too much wine: my summer on Patmos
Patmos Judging by the news, the world is finally coming apart: Chinese lab escapee Covid is still going strong, monkeypox…
2567: Stop!
The unclued lights (including two pairs, one of which is three words, and one single light of three words) are…
Spectator competition winners: Government ministries you didn’t know existed
In Competition No. 3260, a challenge suggested by a reader, you were invited to reveal the existence of a hitherto…
Bridge | 6 August 2022
In the modern game, being green versus red (non-vul v. vul) is a licence to bid on tram tickets: passing…
A lucky escape
I chatted to a spectator after one of my games at the Sparkassen Chess Trophy in Dortmund. ‘A close shave…
Iceland’s scenery takes your breath away – but so do the prices
I’m writing this on the plane back from Iceland, a fact that fills me with relief. Not because I didn’t…
The case for theft-tanks
The Conservative party leadership contest is a milestone for diversity and inclusion. This time, we get to choose between someone…
