Life
In praise of Ben Moon: the man who took rock-climbing to new heights
For anyone who knows or cares about rock climbing — a minority sport if ever there was one, albeit pretty…
Dear Mary: What can I do to make couples split the bill fairly?
Q. I’m a single bloke now and for various reasons don’t foresee any change to that status. I have moved…
Kitty Fisher’s: proof that the PM has good taste in restaurants, if not in friends
David Cameron is too cowardly, or too cynical, to debate with Ed ‘Two or Possibly Three Kitchens’ Miliband — which…
The lost words of John Aubrey, from apricate to scobberlotcher
Hilary Spurling found a certain blunting of the irregularities of John Aubrey’s language in Ruth Scurr’s vicarious autobiography of the…
Battle for Britain
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Just So
Last week in a perceptive piece for the Times, Will Pavia animadverted upon the fact that the USA appears to…
No. 354
White to play. This is from Pillsbury-Tarrasch, Hastings 1895. White has only one move to bring his kingside attack to…
Men behaving badly
In Competition No. 2889 you were invited to submit an extract from an imaginary novel written from the perspective of…
Your problems solved
Q. I’m a single bloke now and for various reasons don’t foresee any change to that status. I have moved…
Kitty corner with the PM
David Cameron is too cowardly, or too cynical, to debate with Ed ‘Two or Possibly Three Kitchens’ Miliband — which…
New heights
For anyone who knows or cares about rock climbing — a minority sport if ever there was one, albeit pretty…
Going for Gold
Irish racing guru Ted Walsh was asked at the start of Gold Cup day if retiring champion jockey Tony McCoy…
Where Alcibiades once walked, amateur tax spies are trying to entrap poor pistachio-sellers
Athens I am walking on a wide pedestrian road beneath the Acropolis within 200 meters of the remaining Themistoclean wall…
Lunch with Max Beerbohm’s brother’s grandson
It’s a silly, chippy complex, I know, but I often feel, on the rare occasions that I am induced to…
A lot of animal lovers go on about how great it is to rescue a horse from the racing industry
All was going suspiciously well with the thoroughbred. I suppose it had to be the calm before the storm. I…
It’s a pointless waste of time for David Cameron to resurrect the hunting debate
Of all the election promises politicians make in the run-up to a general election the one most certain to remain…
Bridge
Why do men always yell at the television or keep up a running commentary while watching sport? My husband does…
Bright blues
The boat race for the brain, as it has become known, took place at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall,…
No. 353
Black to play. This is from James-Sugden, -Cambridge 1972, as featured last week. It’s a win by the Cambridge player…
Acrostic
In Competition No. 2888 you were invited to submit a poem in the style of a well-known poet, the first…
2202: Problem XI
Seven unclued lights (one hyphened) are 23: 7A + 17 + 40 + 5 + 6 + 31 = 36.…
To 2199: TV Comedy
The unclued lights can be arranged to give: ‘I decided to sell my Hoover … well, it was just collecting…
Could my son Charlie become a Premier League footballer?
My son Charlie was scouted by QPR last week. I say ‘scouted’, but that’s not quite accurate since he’s only…
Battle for Britain
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How to make Ukip supporters love green policies
Few people know this, but hidden within the FedEx logo, between the E and the x, there is a small…
