Life
The maestro
‘Had I not become a composer, I would have wanted to be a chess player, but a high-level one, someone…
Puzzle no. 614
White to play. Stefano Tatai–Spyridon Skembris, Budva Zonal 1981. Morricone’s teacher found a delightful conclusion to this attack. What was…
2467: Girl talk
Ten of the eleven unclued lights are of a kind and consist of singleton of two words, three pairs and…
Solution to 2464: TOPSY-TURVY
14 Down, TAPSALTEERIE, yields TAP 10, 15 and 35, three anagrams of SALTE (16, 32 and 36) and ERIE and…
The Turf
When I first began racing, few jump jockeys reckoned their careers would last beyond the ages of 32 or 33.…
Beauty, brutality, cricket and wine
In one respect, there has been a reassertion of normality, though this is nothing to do with the virus. Although…
Cancel culture
The cancel culture wants to obliterate people who do, or more often say, the wrong thing (for example, that there…
My plans for a Covid inquiry
The public inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis has already started. Not the official one, which won’t…
Bridge
Gunnar Hallberg moved to England from Sweden 25 years ago to play professional bridge, and made such a success of…
Low life
Phone calls aside, the only human contact I had on my ten-day Somme battlefield tour was with the lady who…
Real life
‘I need an ambulance!’ yelled the builder boyfriend into his mobile phone as the cyclist lay bleeding from a head…
Dear Mary
Q. Our daughter is going ahead with her wedding despite the restriction on guest numbers. Although it is a relief…
High life
The enforced boredom of lockdown has been replaced by a feeling of loss. My nephew by marriage, Hansie Schoenburg, died…
Patently wrong
In the past 30 years, I have driven about 8,000 miles in France in right-hand-drive cars. And I would be…
The Battle for Britain
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Watching the detective
In Competition No. 3158 you were invited to supply an extract describing a well-known fictional detective who finds themselves catapulted…
How did I end up in Epstein’s black book?
Every time Jeffrey Epstein is in the news, I start getting calls from strangers wanting to scream abuse at me.…
The Battle for Britain
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The ugly side of the beautiful game
So all that sound and fury about Manchester City’s sins signified precisely nothing. Well, a €10 million fine isn’t nothing,…
Deadweight
I was trying to understand what they meant on the wireless by deadweight costs. These were something to do with…
Comfort eating
Brasserie Zédel is a grand salon under Piccadilly Circus and the only place I desired when lockdown (or lock-in) ceased…
High life
Gstaad Are any of you tired of reading about Ghislaine Maxwell and her sleazy life? Bored by old news repeated…
Low life
They are starting to cut the corn. But apart from combine harvesters and tractors, the roads up here on the…
Real life
‘What are you going to put on my head to protect me?’ said the man outside the barber’s shop to…
Glasto and Glynders
In Competition No. 3157 you were invited to describe a visit to Glastonbury or Glyndebourne in the style of an…
