Life
Dear Mary: How should I handle summer invitations when I might get a better offer?
Q. In order to raise money for a worthwhile cause, I have agreed to open my garden for the first…
2558: Blonde, 78
Unclued lights can be grouped into three triplets, each associated in a different sense with a keyword to be discovered,…
The not-so-sweet roots of ‘nice’
‘That’s nice,’ said my husband, taking a Nice biscuit with his coffee. It was his little joke. The biscuit is…
My approach to wine? Wishful drinking
I fancy myself as a bit of an oenophile and during the lockdowns, when my local branch of Majestic was…
Where to take Jubilee tea: Fortnum & Mason reviewed
I went to a garden party at Buckingham Palace once. It is coloured in my memory like childhood. There are…
2555: 6 x 2 mixtures - solution
The paired unclued lights (2/25, 4/16, 5/28, 10/20, 13/17 and 15D/41) are anagrams of one another. First prize Trish Baldin,…
A rising star
Ding Liren took first place at last month’s Chessable Masters, the fourth event in the 2022 Meltwater Champions Tour. But…
The house names of Surrey tell a sad story
If you want to understand Surrey, look at the house names. Keepers’ Copse, Meadow View, Weavers, Highfields… What do all…
In praise of Greek royalty
New York Prince Pavlos, heir to the Greek throne, turned 55 recently and I threw a small dinner for him.…
Bridge | 4 June 2022
In honour of Her Majesty the Queen’s awe-inspiring Platinum Jubilee, I have not one but two hands, illustrating the power…
When flying was fun
On the BOAC VC10 flights to Nairobi, the pilots would invite children like me up to sit in the cockpit…
No. 705
White to play. Giri-Praggnanandhaa, Chessable Masters 2022. A game from the preliminary stages. What did Giri play to induce resignation?…
The Battle for Britain | 4 June 2022
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Rob Burrow is in a league of his own
What a privilege the other night to see Rob Burrow, the Rugby League legend, win Autobiography of the Year at…
Spectator competition winners: Platinum Jubilee poems from Kipling and A.A. Milne
In Competition No. 3251, you were invited to submit a poem to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee in the style…
Aussie life
I’m starting this column on the eve of the election, so you have me at a disadvantage. But not much…
Language
News reports tell us there has been a small furore over a list of ‘derogatory and offensive terms’ included in…
Tiger bites man
Viswanathan Anand left the spectators in awe at the Superbet Rapid earlier this month. The ‘Tiger of Madras’, as he…
2554: Going, going... – Solution
The unclued lights were all extinct species. PTERODON was an acceptable variation at 5 Across. DODO was to be deleted…
2557: Heroes
Clockwise round the grid from a point to be determined run the names of four knights (2,5,5,5,5,8,5,3) followed by what…
Spectator competition winners: sonnets on Mammon
In Competition No. 3250, you were invited to submit a sonnet to Mammon. It was ‘Epigram for Wall Street’, attributed…
No. 704
Black to play. Bacrot-Anand, Bastia Rapid 2001. A spectacular blow from Anand prompted Bacrot to resign. What did he play?…
Beware the wrath of middle-class homeowners
‘Apocalyptic’ food shortages, gas and electricity bills soaring, wages not keeping pace with inflation… it’s beginning to look like we’re…
The Battle for Britain | 28 May 2022
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The village parking wars have taken an ugly turn
The dynamics of the village can only be understood with reference to what’s happening to the parking. Unless you study…
