Life
A cow is better than a bank balance
Laikipia, Kenya A minotaur head glowers at me through the bathroom window while I am brushing my teeth in…
Bridge
When my talented friend Paula Leslie and I decided to put a team together for the Hubert Philips Bowl (England’s…
The Caruana conundrum
Over the course of this year Fabiano Caruana has scored splendidly in tournaments with classical time limits, notching up first…
no. 512
White to play. This position is from Anand-Caruana, Leuven Blitz 2018. How did Anand achieve a winning material advantage? Answers…
Double vision
In Competition No. 3054 you were invited to compose double dactyls about double acts. I didn’t include the rules about…
2365: Beds
One of the clued lights below reveals the theme which Brewer confirms. One of the unclued lights is not paired…
to 2362: MEN OF NOTE IV
The unclued lights are COMPOSERS whose surnames begin with the letter D. First prize E.C. Hynard, GuernseyRunners-up Geran Jones, London…
The problem with deciding that popular culture is ‘problematic’
A controversy has erupted in Folkestone over a forthcoming screening of Zulu, the classic British war film. A charity has…
The Battle for Britain
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Never mind VAR – this is a fabulous World Cup
Let’s talk about VAR, why don’t we? We love the World Cup though the football is getting bonkers. The scoring…
Dear Mary: How can I stop a controversial columnist from being sacked?
Q. A close friend is an elderly writer who has contributed, as a monthly columnist, to the same publication for…
Wedge salad in the shadow of the Tudors: Sargeant’s Mess reviewed
Sargeant’s Mess (2018) is a tourist catcher’s net in restaurant form by the Tower of London (c. 1078). It has views…
The origins of the famous blue tiles of Portugal’s buildings have been misunderstood
A friend sent a nice postcard from Portugal showing the outside of a church covered with old blue tiles. She…
The Bible’s #MeToo problem
New York I write this on my last day in the Bagel, and it sure is a scorcher, heat and…
Cancer? I wouldn’t have missed it for the world
Homesick for England, family and friends, I flew back, and the next day went for a long walk with my…
The hidden costs of dogging
Every day in every way we are paying for more and more. I realise this increasingly. Things we took for…
How to handle fickle racehorse owners
On the famed Whitsbury gallops, as corn buntings and stonechats fluttered from the fence posts, a dozen of Marcus Tregoning’s…
Bridge
Ostend has been host to hundreds of bridge players representing their various countries in the European Teams Championships. The ten-day…
Altibox
Fabiano Caruana has won the elite Altibox tournament ahead of world champion Magnus Carlsen. This result might appear to give…
Puzzle no. 511
White to play. This position is a variation from So-Carlsen, Norway Chess 2018. The world champion suffered a reverse in…
#MeToo lit
In Competition No. 3053, an assignment prompted by Anthony Horowitz’s reflections on creating female characters for his latest Bond novel,…
2364: Frolicsome Threesome
2/11/12 is a four-word quotation in Chambers. Remaining unclued lights (all appropriate to the language the quotation is in) are…
to 2361: Snoot
The unclued lights are anagrams of the names of Scottish towns. Dalry (12), Dundee (14)), Brechin (27), Kelso (1D), Peterhead…
Battle for Britain
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This junk study proves nothing about helicopter parenting
An academic paper by a group of child psychologists caused a stir earlier this week. ‘Helicopter parenting is bad for…
