Life
Long life
I always dread Hallowe’en. It may have originated in Europe as a Christian celebration for remembering the virtuous dead and…
Second best
The novelist Anita Brookner once declared that in real life hares always beat tortoises: ‘Every time. Look around you. And…
Bridge
Every obituary written about Tony Priday, who died recently aged 92, said what a class act he was. I would…
Winning hand
Tension has always existed between games of skill, such as chess or draughts, and games seemingly based on chance, like…
No. 338
White to play. This is from Hebden-Mannion, Isle of Man 2014. White’s next move completely destroyed the black position. What…
Two hander
In Competition No. 2871 you were invited to submit a dialogue in verse between man and God. The tone of…
2186: From the off
Unclued lights (two of two words and one doing double duty), singly or paired, reveal some that are to be…
To 2183: Group theory
Extra letters in clues plus 1A give ‘the separation of philosophers into sages and cranks’, an extract from a quotation…
A pivotal moment on a Portuguese beach
I’m writing this from Portugal, where I’m staying with my old friend Sean Langan. His family has owned a farm…
Battle for Britain
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Is Test cricket heading for its last innings?
Lions and weasels The Archers and Test cricket: words you rarely find in the same sentence and more’s the pity…
Dear Mary
Q. I am organising my 21st birthday party at our family house in Italy. It is a fantastic location, but…
Dining with death
Beast is next to Debenhams on Oxford Street and it is not conventionally beast-like; rather it is monetised and bespoke…
Anachronisms
I read C.J. Sansom’s novel Dissolution on the train recently with pleasure. For an historical novel narrated in the 1530s,…
Dining with death
Beast is next to Debenhams on Oxford Street and it is not conventionally beast-like; rather it is monetised and bespoke…
Is Test cricket heading for its last innings?
Lions and weasels The Archers and Test cricket: words you rarely find in the same sentence and more’s the pity…
Second best
The novelist Anita Brookner once declared that in real life hares always beat tortoises: ‘Every time. Look around you. And…
High life
I have always believed that the mission of most movies made after the Fred & Ginger era has been to…
Low life
What a beautiful day, I thought, as I nodded to the porter in the bowler hat and stepped out of…
Real life
After four hours of driving, we should have been in the middle of Dartmoor. And yet we were not. We…
Long life
Perhaps it is because newspapers are going through such hard times that they fill their pages with items that cost…
Wild life
Kenya I perused the brochure produced by Tanzania’s state corporation for livestock ranching, aimed at attracting foreign investors. Under ‘beef…
Bridge
Forget the 5-2 diet. To lose weight the easy way, why not take up competitive bridge? I’ve just come back…
Baku beyond
The irrepressible Fabiano Caruana has added to his laurels by sharing first prize in the Baku Grand Prix, which finished…
No. 337
White to play. This position is from Gelfand-Andreikin, Baku 2014. What is White’s best move? Answers to me at The…
