Life
Romans always love a Vatican scandal. But what if this time they're right?
The people of Rome have always liked to believe the worst of their bishop. When I was a correspondent in…
A binge on alcohol and meat, plus hired sex and lodging — all for £1.50
Kenya Home is beyond the perimeter of modern Kenya and way off the grid. When the ancient generator goes off…
Bridge
Friday 19 July saw Young Chelsea’s last duplicate at the old premises in Barkston Gardens. And what a swell party…
100 not out
On Monday next week the centenary British Championship commences at the Riviera International Centre in Torquay. The leading contenders are…
No. 276
White to play. This position is from Moiseenko-Pasiev, Fidé World Blitz 2013. White’s next move set up a winning tactic.…
Hatchet job
In Competition 2807 you were invited to submit a hatchet job by a well-known author of your choice on a…
2123: Go on then!
The unclued lights, (one individually, one of two words and three pairs), are of a kind. Across 4…
Solution to 2120: Urban — or what?
The unclued lights are foreign cities, as known in their own countries. First prize Vicky Thomas, Apokoronas, Crete Runners-up …
Royal reporters make it all up - doesn't everyone know that?
Seeing the royal hack pack in full cry on Monday reminded me of the week I spent with the late…
Dave
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Can anyone save Aussie cricket?
Insomniacs, invalids and cricket obsessives (step forward yours truly) were probably the only people who stumbled on it, but BBC4…
Dear Mary: What must I do to reclaim the best poolside chair?
Q. I know this seems petty but last year, on our villa holiday, my brother-in-law always took the best chair…
Tanya Gold on eating at the Shard
What to say about the Shard that isn’t said by the fact it is 1,020 feet high and looks like…
Mind your language: Who says there's a 'correct name' for the penis?
In a very rum letter to the Daily Telegraph, the Mother’s Union of all people joined with some other bodies…
Eating the Shard
What to say about the Shard that isn’t said by the fact it is 1,020 feet high and looks like…
Can anyone save Aussie cricket?
Insomniacs, invalids and cricket obsessives (step forward yours truly) were probably the only people who stumbled on it, but BBC4…
Wild life
Kenya Home is beyond the perimeter of modern Kenya and way off the grid. When the ancient generator goes off…
Taki: High life
I am about to leave for karate camp in Thun, Switzerland, four days of double sessions lasting one hour and…
Jeremy Clarke: I don't want to lose my grandsons
We were watching Top Gear. I was sitting on a wobbly fold-up chair at a rickety garden table in a…
Melissa Kite: I can turn a picnic into a panic attack
You know you’re in bad shape when you need to make a list before you go to the GP. Admittedly,…
Alexander Chancellor: Seduced by a Benson & Hedges packet aged 16
The government has done a puzzling U-turn over its plan to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes. It had seemed determined…
It helps to have a sense of humour when handling horses
Clive Cox, once a conditional jockey in Lambourn, fell at the first fence one year in the Grand National. ‘Mind…
Bridge
There was a particularly juicy deal during the recent European Open Mixed Teams in Ostend, which led to many pairs…
Ivanchuk the Terrible
Although he has never won the World Championship, Vassily Ivanchuk is the scourge of the world’s elite. In his day…
Puzzle No. 275
White to play. This position is from Ivanchuk-Kramnik, Moscow Blitz 2007. What is the most accurate way for White to…
