Life
Internet connection
Dear Sir, I beg to introduce myself to you as a clerk in the Accounts Department of the Port Trust…
Bridge
There are many drawbacks to playing bridge online but there is one thing that’s quite enjoyable: the speed and accuracy…
The Battle for Britain
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Let me out
Has it ever been more difficult to plan a family holiday? At the time of writing, it is illegal to…
Low Life
The other week I turned up for the village walking club’s Monday hike. A dawn meet. Two cars. A 90-minute…
The Polgar Challenge
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, at 15 years old one of India’s most exceptional young players, emerged as the winner of the Polgar…
Puzzle no. 650
Black to play. Praggnanandhaa–Salimova, April 2021. White’s last move, Bg2-f3, was a blunder. Which move should Black play to exploit…
Make mine a double
In Competition No. 3195, you were invited to submit an extract from the racier, mass-market version of a well-known literary…
2503: Applery
Six unclued lights are the names of traditional English county towns with one letter misprinted so as to form new…
2500: 50 x 50
The solution grid includes the letter L fifty times (L x 50 = 2500). Coincidentally, Doc and his wife, Jean,…
Aussie life
In a recent edition of The Drum on the ABC, host Ellen Fanning addressed the issue of Aboriginal deaths in…
Aussie language
The Root is an African American online magazine that breaks astonishing news. While the rest of the world is worried…
Puzzle no. 649
White to play. Van Wely–Shimanov, March 2021. White has several tempting options here, but one move is much stronger than…
2502: Nay-sayers?
The unclued lights (two of two words) are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer. Across 4 High-handed relation in…
The Battle for Britain
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A certifiable plan
As I’ve written before, the thing I’ve missed the most in the past 12 months is going to see QPR…
Tutti frutti
In Competition No. 3194, a nod to Keats and Tony Harrison, you were invited to write a poem about a…
High life
New York Ha, ha! What London turned down, the Bagel accepted with alacrity, namely the poor little Greek boy. And…
Bridge
I sometimes get far too intense when I’m playing bridge online. Holed up in my study at home, wearing noise-cancelling…
Dear Mary
Q. Our neighbours have a tennis court which, under the property’s previous owner, we enjoyed playing men’s fours on. The…
ACAB
A favourite piece of graffiti to spray on the Cenotaph or the plinth of Churchill’s nearby statue is ACAB. It…
A strange and beautiful language
So wickets are out and outs are in for the new Hundred competition. But why? The language of sport is…
Back to the future
The west end of London is still pale and necrotic, but there are points of light. Hatchards the bookseller is…
The turf
Sporting heroes in our modern world have an extra burden to carry. Within seconds of their triumph, with the adrenaline…
Real life
When the time came for the nurse to ring me to take my blood pressure, the phone simply didn’t ring.…
