Life
The turf
It was to have been, if not a glorious return, at least an encouraging one. On the Stewards’ Cup day…
Bridge
Stuart Wheeler was a true original. I was lucky enough to be a friend (we met playing bridge), and will…
Crossword 2469: Breadth
Unclued lights are anagrams of Shakespearean characters. These lights are defined by surplus words in eight clues. Across 1 Recreational…
Puzzle No. 616
Black to play. Studer–Naiditsch, Biel, July 2020. White intends to meet 1…Bxb5 with 2 Bxe7 Qxe7 3 Qxb5, with an…
To 2466: Gender bender
The author was GEORGE SAND (19/26), whose original name was AMANTINE LUCILE AURORE DUPIN (25/40/5/16). The perimetric works are INDIANA,…
Short story
In Competition No. 3160 you were invited to supply a short story whose opening sentence is ‘I have no idea…
The view from on high
‘Cabin crew, ten minutes to landing!’ Are there any more exhilarating words? Soon, for a few precious minutes, one can…
Aussie Life
Statue deconstruction is becoming the Anglosphere’s most popular artistic genre. So why are our local avant-garde artists lagging behind? Sculpture…
High life
Athens This ancient city without tourists reminds me of the Athens I once knew and loved, but for the…
Low life
Provence-Alpes-Côte D’Azur A burning ball appears over the brow of the hill at seven o’clock every morning and then…
Real life
From my seat in the greasy spoon café I looked out on a typical English row of shops on a…
Wild life
London Simon, proprietor of the sex shop opposite our Covid-19 testing centre in Soho, insisted on popping a pack…
Bringing Sexy back
Sexy Fish is an Asian fusion barn in Berkeley Square, near the car dealerships and the nightingales, if they are…
Carlos the magnificent
We know about the endlessly jaw-dropping greatness of Ben Stokes (a peerage soon, surely), the furious power of a supercharged…
Dear Mary
Q. I am not expected to pay rent at the cottage which has been lent to me by a super-kind…
The Battle for Britain
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Might
‘I’m with the King,’ said my husband. The king in question was Kingsley Amis, whose choleric The King’s English was…
Tech mate
I am sure I have posed more questions to the chess engine Stockfish than to any living being. I love…
Flying by the seat of our pants
Disaster struck the Young family last Friday. My 12-year-old son Charlie woke up with a temperature. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t matter,…
Bridge
Last week I got an email from one of my readers — the other one is possibly away for the…
Puzzle no. 615
White to play. Stockfish–Leela Chess Zero, TCEC 18, Game 92, July 2020. It looks hard to make progress, despite the…
Read my lipograms
In Competition No. 3159 you were invited to supply a poem that does not contain the letter ‘e’. This fiendish…
2468: Noah entry?
Eighteen clues contain deficient wordplay, the missing elements of which, when highlighted, confirm the theme. Across 1 Party with…
Solution to 2465: Definitely amusing
Unclued lights are Brewer’s ‘Chambersisms’ — words from that dictionary with quirky definitions. First prize Maureen Quarmby, Oldham Runners-up M.…
Aussie Life
Noosa Main Beach is a prime promenade for the fashion-conscious, except at 7am when it belongs to the athleisure and…
