Life
Chinese puzzle
As I write, the final results of the Baku Olympiad are still not in. England are fighting for a possible…
no. 426
White to play. This position is a variation from Li Chao-Short, Baku Olympiad 2016. White has various ways to win…
Selfie
In Competition No. 2965, an enormously popular one, you were invited to write a poem about a verse form, written…
Dear Mary
Q. At a recent party I was delighted to find my hosts had put me next to one of their…
Not much to smile about
CBeebies Land is a small dystopia inside Alton Towers, a theme park where people sometimes get their legs chopped off…
High life
I’m jittery and fragile but free of plaster and in the dojo, slowly turning lean and muscular. Never listen to…
Long life
It’s been a very patriotic weekend, ablaze with Union flags. In London there was the Last Night of the Proms…
Long life
It’s been a very patriotic weekend, ablaze with Union flags. In London there was the Last Night of the Proms…
Low life
Last week in Ladakh I went panting from one Buddhist monastery to another. Culturally, racially and historically, Ladakh is Tibetan,…
Low life
Last week in Ladakh I went panting from one Buddhist monastery to another. Culturally, racially and historically, Ladakh is Tibetan,…
Va-t’en, Satan
What do you say to someone who is killing you? It is seldom possible to decide in advance. We are…
Real life
‘This is the last straw. Never again,’ I thought, as I sat in the carpark of a Little Waitrose eating…
This looks like the greatest rugby side ever
British Lions fans of anervous disposition should avoid the telly of a Saturday morning. Live before your very eyes, as…
Are grammar schools more meritocratic?
‘It is highly unlikely the Prime Minister has read the book,’ my father harrumphed, commenting on the appropriation of the…
Are grammar schools more meritocratic?
‘It is highly unlikely the Prime Minister has read the book,’ my father harrumphed, commenting on the appropriation of the…
The turf
Say what you like about the St Leger — and I like it a lot — Doncaster’s finale to the…
The turf
Say what you like about the St Leger — and I like it a lot — Doncaster’s finale to the…
Bridge
The 15th World Bridge Games (formerly known as the Olympiad) began on 3 September in Wroclaw, and is providing more…
The Battle for Britain
The post The Battle for Britain appeared first on The Spectator. Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment…
Bridge
There are three reasons why I never make ‘psychic’ bids. First, because I’m a wimp. Second, because I often play…
No idea
In Competition No. 2964 you were invited to suggest a really bad idea for one, or several, of the following:…
Watch out for Chesterton’s fences
There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a…
Back to Baku
The 42nd Chess Olympiad is now underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, and English grandmasters are making their best efforts to recapture…
to 2274: round and round
The unclued lights are stations of the London Underground CIRCLE Line. BAYSWATER is the paired theme-word. Solvers had to highlight…
Dear Mary
Q. We recently stayed for a Saturday night with an old friend and were warned before we arrived that my…
