Life
Bridge
This summer was the longest I have gone without playing bridge since I began about 20 years ago. Not one…
Study in obsession
Genna Sosonko is a writer and grandmaster who straddles two great chess cultures, Holland and the USSR, his chosen and native…
No. 474
Black to play. This position is from Carlsen-Bu, Fidé World Cup, Tbilisi 2017. Can you spot Black’s winning coup? Answers…
2327: Exhibition
Five unclued lights are titles of works by a person whose name is formed by two unclued lights. Three clues…
2324: In the frame
11, 42 and perimeter entries are titles of COMPUTER-ANIMATED FILMS. First prize B. Midgley, Ettington, Stratford-upon-AvonRunners-up Arabella Grandage, Bradenham, Bucks;…
High life
I’m in Venice for the film festival that just ended and, as an American humorist once wired his paper: ‘Streets…
The Battle for Britain
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Low life
The army patrols at Nice airport go around three abreast, steely-eyed, fingers on the trigger. They walk slowly and scrutinise…
Why did you do it, Roy?
Poor old Roy Hodgson, why did he take on Crystal Palace? He was having lunch at a Côte in a…
Do what they do, not what they say
Last month, two law professors named Amy Wax and Larry Alexander published a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer praising ‘bourgeois’…
The turf
Racing moves off the back pages only when its opponents have bad news to gloat over. Two examples lately have…
In silent misremembrance
Foxlow is near Golden Square in west Soho, where drunken hacks used to take long drunken lunches before having stupid…
From me to you
In Competition No. 3014 you were invited to submit a love poem written by one contemporary politician to another. …
Dear Mary
Q. Some rather flashy new neighbours of ours — I won’t mention their names as his will be familiar to…
Go ballistic
I had always thought that to go ballistic was the same as to go nuclear, metaphorically. But the ballistic figure…
Thank Evans for good wine
There was an entirely forgotten leftist called Allen Ginsberg, a so-called beat poet (surely an oxymoron) who once produced a…
Migration is complicated. Don’t pretend it’s not
I expect you’ve already noticed it, but in case you’ve been living in a cave or an economics faculty for…
Bridge
Aren’t the Irish supposed to be lucky? The Irish open team are having no luck at all at the moment.…
David and the Giants
The overall scores of the exceedingly strong combined rapid and blitz tournaments in St Louis were as follows: 1. Aronian 24½;…
no. 473
Black to play. This is from Kasparov-Navara, St Louis Blitz 2017. White has just given what appears to be a…
2326: ‘Suits you, sir!’
The unclued lights are of a kind. Elsewhere, ignore one apostrophe. Across 2 Means to call poor chaperone about…
to 2323: alphabetical jigsaw
A Ambition, A Aorist, B Battledore, C Caret, C Cashed, C Coact, C Coalman, C Cuttoes, D Dioxan, D Disaccharides,…
Real life
Stefano the Albanian turned up in a brand new Audi off-roader, cutting quite the dash. He looked older, with some…
Battle for Britain
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Low life
‘Have you ever thought of having some colour put in, love?’ said Julian as he shaved my neck with a…
