Life
High Life
Gstaad I was not aware that there is a group of Spectatorfans who meet in French-speaking Switzerland. They contacted me…
Low life
Seven round the table for dinner. Wild mushroom risotto. I was told to sit next to Michael. Good. Michael makes…
Real life
Mr Benn has been in touch because he wants a right of reply to an article I wrote about my…
The turf
Few jumpers have a better record at Ascot than the Paul Nicholls-trained Cyrname. He triumphed in the Betfair Chase at…
Bridge
I’d love to be a fly on the wall when the Rimstedts and their children get together over supper. One…
Confidence tricks
Three consecutive losses in a tournament is dryly termed ‘castling queenside’, in reference to the chess notation for that move…
No. 592
Black to play, Kateryna Lagno–Ju Wenjun, February 2020. Material is approximately balanced, but White’s king is in serious danger. What…
3136: Love me don’t
In Competition No. 3136 you were invited to submit a lonely hearts ad guaranteed to send those looking for love…
2445: In other words II
41, 1A, 10 (seven words in total) is a description of a phenomenon. Remaining unclued lights, including one of two…
2442: Don’t nod solution
ROTAVATOR (4A), NAURUAN (12), DEED (25), DEIFIED (36), MALAYALAM (39), REIFIER (4D), TERRET (15D), and REPAPER (18) are palindromes as…
Panic attacks at the comedy club
It was on my ‘bucket list’, but that doesn’t mean it was a sensible thing to do. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro…
The Battle for Britain
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Wireless disconnection
In the recent debate over Britain’s 5G infrastructure, one dog didn’t bark in the night. At no point did anyone…
Dear Mary
Q. I see a lot of two of our grandchildren because they live in our London house. We are centrally…
Of the first water
Peaty water ought to be classed as a luxury. You have spent a day on the hill, a’chasing the deer.…
Connectivity
Facebook recently told readers of the Sun that satellites could ‘bring broadband connectivity to rural regions where internet connectivity is…
High Life
Gstaad Lenin Moreno is in trouble, despite his very unchristian first name. For any of you unfamiliar with the name,…
Low life
Last Tuesday a Mistral wind blowing across the Bay of Angels jerked the plane all over the shop as it…
Real life
Being told I am now both short-sighted and long-sighted feels like someone is playing a very bad joke on me.…
Wild life
Death and failure are more integral to farming than any other experience that I’ve witnessed in my life. Some things…
Bridge
The annual Icelandic bridge tournament, held in Reykjavik at the end of January, is one of the best on the…
Beasts of the board
The Dutch artist Theo Jansen has a unique speciality. His ‘Strandbeest’ (beach animals) are kinetic sculptures, which he likes to…
no. 591
White to play, Dubov–Artemiev, Wijk aan Zee 2020. White is pressing here, but Black seems to have everything covered. Which…
Just the job
In Competition No. 3135 you were invited to submit an application letter for a job at No. 10 from a fictional…
2444: Ones in the country
The unclued entries (three of two words, and two hyphened) share an origin Across 1 Put an end to…
