Life
Carlsen’s special brew
Magnus Carlsen has added another trophy to his cabinet by taking the honours at the Grenke tournament in Baden Baden,…
No. 350
White to play. This is from Anand v Kramnik, Zurich Rapidplay 2015. White has two ways to win this position,…
As you liken it
In Competition No. 2885 you were invited to write a sonnet beginning ‘Shall I compare thee to a [trisyllable of…
2199: TV Comedy
Fourteen solutions begin with the same letter as their clues. These letters in order are the initial letters of the…
To 2196: Diverse
The quotation around the perimeter is from 25 — varieties of French cheese are highlighted. First prize Hugh Aplin,…
I don’t know why I’m against tax avoidance (and I bet you don’t either)
On the face of it, the moral case against tax avoidance seems pretty straightforward. If you’re a UK taxpayer and…
Battle for Britain
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The Cricket World Cup needs minnows
Graeme Swann arrived late for the last cricket World Cup. His wife had given birth before the tournament and he…
Dear Mary: How can I stop my elderly host making the bed?
Q. I have regularly stayed with a hospitable friend in London but now hesitate to invite myself. She is seventy-something…
Rowleys is Did Mummy Love Me Really? food – and it’s perfect
I think Rowley’s is the perfect restaurant; but I am really a gay man. Rowley’s is at 113 Jermyn Street…
Dodginess from Tacitus to Ed Miliband
‘I hate Jammie Dodgers,’ said my husband staring disdainfully at a biscuit kindly tucked into his coffee saucer at an…
Beyond the Wall’s
I think Rowley’s is the perfect restaurant; but I am really a gay man. Rowley’s is at 113 Jermyn Street…
Little teams mean a lot
Graeme Swann arrived late for the last cricket World Cup. His wife had given birth before the tournament and he…
The Bradstock mystery
Some mysteries will never be solved, like why planes and boats disappear in the Bermuda Triangle, cats always land on…
At 78 years of age, I can’t keep up with the young shuss-boomers any longer
Gstaad Once upon a time clergymen saw mountain peaks as natural steeples leading them ever closer to God. Doctors considered…
My grandson's getting into the rugby: 'Which one's West Ham?'
My grandson and I had a lovely hour-long swim at the leisure centre. We had the learner pool to ourselves…
Hallelujah! And the children of Vodafone did walk again in the light!
‘Hello, Vodafone customer s…, can I h…you?’ This is typical, I thought. I’m ringing to complain about them charging me…
How the driverless car will liberate us all (except smokers, of course)
I was listening to the radio the other morning to hear people complaining about the huge cuts in the number…
Having oozed optimism for a decade, I am a bit down about the Hopeful Continent
Juba I discovered a 1954 Morris Minor parked outside the Catholic mission station in Mopoi, South Sudan. The car had…
Bridge
Before returning to Australia about a decade ago, Michael Courtney spent several years playing high-stake rubber bridge in London. Those…
Tradewise
The Tradewise Masters in Gibraltar has been won by the American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, with the British co-champion David Howell…
No. 349
White to play. This position is a variation from Bellin-Georgiadis, Gibraltar 2015. White has given up his queen. How does…
Hair brained
In Competition No. 2884 you were invited to submit a poem in praise or dispraise of beards. The beard has…
2198: Tuck in
Each of sixteen clues contains one misprinted letter in the definition part. Corrections of misprints spell the name (three words)…
To 2195: In question
Material from superfluous words in clues gives ‘fingers on buzzers’ (describing 2/20 and 8/33), ‘your starter for ten’ (indicating 31,…
