Life
Puzzle no. 685
White to play. Maxime Lagarde-Thai Dai Van Nguyen, Reykjavik 2021. Lagarde found a brilliant finish, forcing mate in just a…
Vindalism
In Competition No. 3231, you were invited to supply an example of pretentious wine writing. Space is tight and the…
Real life
One of the village vegans gave the bacon sandwich resting on top of the recycling bin outside my house an…
A slice above
It is a truism that there is never enough schnitzel (‘slice’, German); or, rather, schnitzel does not get the attention…
Wild life
Kenya Wondering what this year will bring, at dawn this morning I stood in the waves in front of our…
Alumni
My husband is forever being sent magazines from his Oxford college inviting him to give it money. I suggest he…
Solution to 2536: At rest
The unclued lights (3 composers, 3 artists and 3 writers) are all buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery. The name should…
Dear Mary: Your problems solved
Q. My cleaner is industrious and trustworthy but she doesn’t have many people to talk to and evidently looks forward…
Doom-mongers can be funny too
I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Don’t Look Up, the new satirical film on Netflix. It’s about a couple of…
Bridge
Why is defence so difficult? Why do I have to suffer partner’s incredulous face when I play the wrong card…
Low life
The four portraits of four siblings that Catriona had painted from their photographs over four months were framed, hung and…
High life
Gstaad Who was it who said good manners had gone the way of black and white TV? Actually it was…
The BBC is killing cricket
Full homage to the nail-biting cricketing miracle in Sydney, while bearing in mind that miracles, like lightning, rarely strike twice…
The Battle for Britain
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When travel unravels
Recently, with some regret, I declined an invitation to play chess in the Netherlands. I fancied the trip, but alas…
Kiwi life
Of the making of many books, the Bible says, ‘there is no end’. It’s starting to feel a bit like…
Backlash
‘Lashings of ginger beer?’ asked my husband when I mentioned backlash. He thought the phrase came from Enid Blyton, though…
Things you didn’t know you needed
The explosion in remote and flexible working accelerated by the pandemic slightly supports my assertion that the most important limits…
Dear Mary
Q. I live alone, happily and remotely, but many miles from my immediate family. My son’s wife has very kindly…
Where are all the Turners in the Turner Contemporary?
I learnt a horrible new word during the holidays: Twixmas. It refers to the 27-30 December period and has its…
Solution to 2535: Triplets
Each unclued lights include one letter three times. The wording of the preamble precludes ALLYLS (2D which would be the…
2537: My Lord!
A 21-word exchange appears (apart from two words) in nine unclued entries. The other unclued entry specifies one of the…
Double issue
In Competition No. 3230, you were invited to supply a double acrostic poem, the first and last letters of each…
Puzzle No. 684
White to play. Abdusattorov–Rakhmatullaev, Uzbek Championship 2021. How did White deliver a pretty mate in two moves? Answers should be…
A rioja to beat the new year blues
There was only one flaw in my Christmas this year. I did not spend enough of it with Santa Claus-age…
