Life
Bridge
It’s surprising how quickly we adapt to things: nine months ago, most of us had never played bridge online before,…
Low life
Considering the subject of compatibility, experienced British expats in France maintain that a French man and an English woman might…
Solution to 2484: Troubled
The unclued lights are characters in Much Ado about Nothing. First prize Keith Norcott, Cheltenham, GlosRunners-up Mrs E. Knights, Wisbech,…
Birthday surprise
The Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour is back. This time, the series of online events is rebranded as the Champions Chess…
Kiwi Life / Language
David Cohen I often used to ask myself what the ultimate secret is of playing great chess, and I suppose…
Backchat
In Competition No. 3177 you were invited to submit a well-known fictional person’s view of their author. Highlights in a…
A battle for Eton’s soul
When trying to get my head around the row that has engulfed Eton College in the past two weeks I…
Real life
Now that our social lives are a Venn diagram that only mathematicians can understand I am officially becoming a recluse.…
Roots of happiness
Turnips is an haute cuisine restaurant inside a greengrocer in Borough Market in London. I suspect others will try this…
Dear Mary
Q. Unlike my wife, I am tiring of Netflix. Wanting a project to occupy me during these long dark nights,…
Strange
‘Forget coronavirus,’ said my husband, ‘the word of the year is strange.’ The strange thing is he’s right. This wasn’t…
Solution to 2483: In my soup
Unclued lights are anagrams of animals: PRAENOMINA (1A: Pomeranian), MARTIAN (18: tamarin), LARBOARD (21: Labrador), SHORE (28: horse), PROTEIN (42:…
Chess improvement
The juicy prospect of improvement constantly dangles above a chess player. Those morsels of knowledge one has acquired whet the…
Bridge
Many years ago I remember Tor Helness, the great Norwegian champion, going into the semi-final of a world championship saying:…
Low life
There are several cave houses built into the cliff. Ours is the highest and can be reached only by a…
2486: Ghost companions
In this anniversary year, unclued lights (one of two words) are of a kind. Ignore four accents. Across 1 Regularly…
Puzzle no. 633
White to play. A position taken from Chess Improvement (perhaps from Luchowski–Gridnew, Moscow 1992.) Black’s menacing pieces make the situation…
The Battle for Britain
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High life
New York I received a letter from a long-time Spectatorreader, James Hackett, enquiring about books I am reading. It is…
Rugby must try harder
Remember those lazy, hazy, crazy days of last year’s rugby World Cup, when as perfect a performance by England as…
Aussie Life / Language
Simon Collins Things must be getting back to normal again in Australia if we’re arguing about the wording of the…
2485: Triplets
The unclued lights (all but one either hyphened or of two words) share a distinctive feature. Across 1 Fun and…
Forbidden pairings
Put yourself in the shoes of Aryan Gholami, the teenage master from Iran who was paired with an Israeli opponent…
The turf
Why hasn’t Bristol De Mai become as beloved by the racing public as his fellow greys Desert Orchid and One…
High life
New York There are times, living in this here dump, when I doubt if anyone’s heard of the word magnanimity.…
