Life
The turf
The Irish aren’t just good at winning horse races: they are in the Super League when it comes to celebrating…
There’s no one better than Boris
Eighteen months ago, I wrote a column for this magazine saying I regretted having been such a Boris enthusiast for…
The hidden cost of parked cars
Much of the current antipathy towards the car derives from the excessive influence Londoners exert over national debates. London is…
High life
I celebrate two Easters every year, the Catholic one and the Orthodox one, which means I get very drunk on…
Super Tuscany
Amid the grandeur of old Edinburgh, in the lee of the castle, is one of the finest buildings in Scotland:…
Dear Mary: Your problems solved
Q. As a publisher, I have been fortunate to discover an unpublished writer who is the author of some truly…
Let’s get physical
In Competition No. 3246, you were invited to submit a poem in the style of the poet of your choice…
Chess puzzle No. 700
White to play and draw. Composed by Jan Timman, 2011. 1 h8=Q Rxd5 wins for Black, so how does White…
Solution to 2550: Shorties
The unclued lights and those clued without thematic definition (7, 11, 17, 30, 31, 32, 36 and 41) are SHORTened…
Ordination
In the dying seconds of an online blitz game, I promoted a pawn and instantly regretted it. There was nothing…
The Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Bridge
Recently, a friend was browsing through the bridge books on my shelves, when suddenly she burst out laughing. ‘Here’s a…
Real life
After rushing our little spaniel to the veterinary hospital on the usual bank holiday emergency basis upon which all animals…
Aussie life
Of the 101 Australian military personnel who have been awarded the Victoria Cross, our highest honour for bravery, most lie…
Language
Here it is! I have finally found one word that will describe the Liberal party in its present state— ‘agathokakological’.…
What is possible
There are lessons in chess that cannot be learned from a book. One lands, from time to time, in a…
Solution to 2549: Obscurity
PALE FIRE is a novel by Vladimir NABOKOV (18). Synonyms of words in the novel’s title are 7, 15A, and…
Chess puzzle
Black to play. Sukandar-Niemann, Reykjavik Open 2022. In this preposterous position, Black found a quick forced mate. What did he…
French connection
In Competition No. 3245, you were asked to take a passage from a classic of French literature and recast it…
2552: 😀
Eight unclued entries comprise four pairs whose thematic ordering is provided by 3, 31, 37 and 41. Across 1…
The Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
We love you Rangers, we do
Normal families spend the Easter holidays by the seaside or in the Mediterranean. But not the Youngs. My three boys…
Dear Mary: Your problems solved
Q. Financially successful friends have kindly invited my husband and me to stay for a week in France. Our problem…
Real life
When the vet had finished giving my horses their annual flu boosters, she reminded me the vaccination regime had changed.…
Salmagundi
‘It makes me hungry,’ said my husband when I mentioned the word salmagundi. That is his reaction to many words.…
