Life
Cyrus the Great
I think I hold the world record for the greatest number of chess books written (or co-written) and published. At…
No. 409
White to play. This position is from Dubov-Yandemirov, Russian Team Championship, Sochi 2016. How can White exploit the unfortunate placing…
Wild thing
In Competition No. 2948 you were invited to step into the skin of a species of your choice and provide…
Your problems solved
Q. My super successful son kindly gave a birthday dinner party for me in a glamorous London club. I have never…
Nicholas the miraculous
Miracles are not ceased. A few years ago, a kindly educational therapist took pity on John Prescott and set out…
High life
New York I have never seen anything like it. If Adolf Hitler were running for president, he would match…
Low life
A fresh start in a new gym in a foreign country. The serious young gym attendant didn’t speak a word…
Low life
A fresh start in a new gym in a foreign country. The serious young gym attendant didn’t speak a word…
Exclamation marks
‘Like eating in the street,’ said my husband. Astonishing! He’d said something not only coherent in itself but also connected…
Real life
Some people call their house Dun Roamin’ to sum up their state of mind. After ten weeks ministering to my…
My soppy, dopey, deadly predator
Leo, the Hungarian Vizsla my wife brought home unexpectedly last year, is approaching his first birthday and not getting any…
My soppy, dopey, deadly predator
Leo, the Hungarian Vizsla my wife brought home unexpectedly last year, is approaching his first birthday and not getting any…
How your brain buys a sofa
Almost every popular commercial product owes its success to two different qualities. First, it does the job it is ostensibly…
Wild life
Nairobi The gangsters hadn’t heard of Brexit. ‘What is this “Breaks it”?’ they asked my friend hours after kidnapping…
Bridge
Sometimes Janet teases me that this should be called the David Gold Column, as I mention his name so frequently.…
Anna Wintour has dragged the Met Gala into the gutter
New York It was the best of times — downtown — and the worst of times — uptown. Let’s start…
The members of White’s fall into two categories: shits and bores
On Sunday we were invited for lunch at Chez Bruno, an unbelievably posh restaurant in the south of France. At…
Why menopausal women need guide dogs
Hello, Cydney spaniel here. She’s lying in a darkened room so I’m to tell you what happened. To cut a…
How to make a mint at the races this summer
It has been a little like scraping from the plate as slowly as possible the last traces of Mrs Oakley’s…
Bridge
It’s the beginning of May and I have a feeling I am about to write the same opening sentence as…
Magna cum laude
World champion Magnus Carlsen has taken first prize in the Norway tournament at Stavanger which finished last month. Carlsen had…
No. 408
White to play. This position is a variation from So-Kasparov, St Louis 2016. What is White’s quickest kill? Answers to…
Olden but golden
In Competition No. 2947 you were asked to submit a poem in praise of old age. Old age gets a…
2260: B & B
One clue lacks a definition part; its answer is a film title. One unclued light (three words) is the title…
2257: A spree
SHAKESPEARE — indicating the action required to create 9, 11, 32, 18 plus 24, and the puzzle’s title — is the name…
