Life
Bridge
The Alt Invitational is a prestigious online teams tournament held every fortnight or so, packed with world-class players. It’s not…
The Battle for Britain
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Hats off to Laurence Fox
From the moment I started criticising the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis people have been urging me to start…
Viva España
It had been a long and no doubt fractious sea voyage. The crew would have signed up for a variety…
The road to new realities
Here’s the quandary. How in future can we make the kind of rapid advances we have made during the Covid…
Dear Mary
Q. Many years ago I was asked to officiate at a funeral for a family I did not know. As…
What ho
In the First Act of Othello, just as things are getting interesting, the audience hears someone calling from offstage: ‘What…
Kiwi Life
What has happened to the West, ignoring the lessons of history? Sweden, for example, long regarded as one of the…
Wild life
Bexhill-on-Sea My Aunt Beryl taught me to love books and paintings. When I’m at a loose end in London, lonely,…
Real life
The Volkswagen Passat was parked next to my field gate, sticking out into the lane, blocking larger vehicles from getting…
Low life
Scotching my bright idea of a stiff gin for Dutch courage in the bar across the road, Catriona bounded straight…
Some beliefs are more equal than others
Kristie Higgs, a 44-year-old school assistant, didn’t realise that criticising the sex education curriculum at her son’s school on Facebook…
The Battle for Britain
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Bridge
When I first learnt bridge, my teacher (not known as bossy boots for nothing) would thump the table when dummy…
High life
Gstaad I’ve been wrestling all week with indecision, the kind that tests one’s soul, and the uncertainty is killing me.…
Puzzle no. 623
White to play. Areshchenko–Koch, Bundesliga 2020. White has won rook for bishop, but the queen is offside and his Rf2…
When Garry met Fabi
Send in haste, repent at leisure. It is a cruel certainty that you will sooner or later text your intimate…
Lead alert
In Competition No. 3167 you were invited to submit a rhymed poem that is leadenly prosaic in tone and content.…
2476: Playtime
The ten unclued lights (one of two words and hyphened) consist of two themes which can be resolved into five…
Solution to 2473: May
The unclued lights, along with Peter MAY in the title, are England cricket captains. First prize Harry Hyman, Streatley, West…
A scene with Harry and Son
José Mourinho, it was surprising to read, recently said how relieved he was that the Amazon Prime cameras were out…
Soho: home of the brave
London is gasping — so where to go but Soho, which is so good at despair? It is often necrotic…
Dear Mary
Q. My husband and I have spent many happy weekends in the seaside cottage of long-standing friends. Knowing how much…
Herd immunity
‘It was the pyres,’ said my husband. He meant the effect of television pictures of cattle, hooves silhouetted against the…
Aussie Life
Simon Collins ‘That’s 6 in a row. #Melbourne is, once again, the world’s most liveable city!’ So tweeted a proud…
