Life
Why Kenya matters
Laikipia Flying home across Laikipia’s ranchlands with Martin after a farmers’ meeting, I see the plateau dotted with cattle…
Bridge
Call me middle-aged, but the days when I enjoyed playing bridge all night are long gone — which is why…
Chigorin lives
Nigel Short, who challenged Garry Kasparov for the world title in 1993, has made a reputation for employing slightly offbeat…
no. 481
White to play. This position is a variation from Bologan-Short, Crete 2017. How can White now penalise Black for his…
A poem for Boris
In Competition No. 3022 you were invited to compose a safe poem that Boris Johnson could have on hand to…
2334: Sweet variations
5 (hyphened) and 14 are types of 37. Remaining unclued lights are other types of 37, given in a form…
to 2331: Anagrams
The suggested words were ESTER (1), REEST (20), TERSE (24), TREES (43), TERES (6D), RESET (9), TEERS (23), STERE (30)…
Teach First has turned me into a free speech martyr
I had the unusual experience last Sunday of appearing on a panel to defend free speech having been the victim…
The Battle for Britain
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How to stop the Grenfell Tower disaster from happening again? Ask the air industry
It took a spate of air disasters in the late 1970s, in particular the Portland crash of United Airlines Flight…
Mary answers your problems: How can I stop guests from showing up early?
Q. Twice in one week I have been found unready for my guests. Occasion one: in the garden, finishing my…
We discussed wine, horses and painting at Franco’s in Jermyn Street
An artist ought to draw on broad human sympathies and an intense commitment to his craft. In both respects, Charles…
Medicine
John Farquhar of Salisbury writes to say he is irritated. He is not just irritated, he has long been long…
High life
I hate to say this, but the quality of life in the Bagel has crashed in a Harvey Weinstein-like way.…
Low life
Last May we had dinner with a comic who reads a lot and his wife. At one point, he told…
Real life
The Albanian builders have started a turf war in my kitchen. The hostilities broke out suddenly. One minute the builders…
The turf
Racing’s finances depend on as many people as possible betting, so it seemed a touch ironic that Responsible Gambling Awareness…
Bridge
When I started playing bridge in earnest, the first tournament I entered was the EBU’s Autumn Congress, which back then…
Brief encounter
Books on the world championship matches used to appear regularly, with some having multiple written accounts. In recent years, though,…
no. 480
Black to play. This position is from Arda-Melia, Antalya 2017. How can Black win? Answers to me at The Spectator…
Northern frights
In Competition No. 3021 you were invited to compose terrifying lullabies. Lorca wondered why ‘Spain reserved the most potent songs…
2333: Unchangeable
One unclued light is a three-word phrase indicating the way in which each of the answers to clues in italics…
to 2330: IMAGE
The poem ‘The Red Wheelbarrow’ (originally ‘XXII’) by William Carlos Williams is considered perhaps the foremost example of IMAGISM. First…
The tyranny of the bedtime story
All surveys carried out by retail businesses with a view to generating press coverage should be treated with extreme caution,…
The battle for Britain
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