Life
Long life
Winslow Hall is a large and handsome country house in Buckinghamshire, built in 1700 by Sir Christopher Wren, which Tony…
Wild life
England We dropped off our daughter Eve at her new school in the Midlands and started the long journey…
Bridge
There aren’t many instantly recognisable stars in the bridge world, but Andrew Robson is definitely one — as he was…
Scotch miss
This week, a tribute to the one major Scottish contribution to chess, the invention of the Scotch game, later to…
No. 333
White to play. This position is from Yu–Ganguly, Indonesia 2012. This encounter also started with the Scotch Game opening. Both…
Prose poem
In Competition No. 2866 you were invited to pick a well-known poem and write a short story with the same…
I’m the moody one in this marriage
Women spend ten days a year in a grumpy mood, according to the Daily Mail. The top triggers include being…
Battle for Britain
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The psychology of either/or
It is a trick which often works on children. Do not tell them to eat vegetables; instead ask whether they…
Dear Mary
Q. The Idler Academy is within walking distance of my house and I note from the programme of autumn events…
For the love of the Loire
Rivers are the cradles of civilisation and the Loire is an outstanding example. It is one of the head-waters of…
The Islamic State
I’m puzzled by the dropping of the one part of the name of the Islamic State that seems certain. That…
For the love of the Loire
Rivers are the cradles of civilisation and the Loire is an outstanding example. It is one of the head-waters of…
The psychology of either/or
It is a trick which often works on children. Do not tell them to eat vegetables; instead ask whether they…
Wild life
England We dropped off our daughter Eve at her new school in the Midlands and started the long journey…
High life
Next time you read about an auctioneer’s gavel coming down on a $150 million painting bought by some flunkey representing…
Low life
I’m round at Amy and Bill’s for Sunday afternoon tea. Amy and Bill are my in-laws, kind of. When I…
Real life
After a rush of blood to the head, I decided it might be a good idea to ask some awkward…
Long life
Sometimes I say I’m Scottish, a claim often greeted with understandable derision. I was born in England, in Hertfordshire, went…
Money, money, money
While Mrs Oakley was patrolling the aisles in Waitrose one day recently, I slipped off into my local betting shop.…
Bridge
Many top bridge players are also keen poker fans, and when a poker star infiltrates their backyard there is a…
Double trouble
The importance of pawn structure cannot be overestimated when planning chess strategy. Although Philidor (18th century) understood the importance of…
No. 332
White to play. This position is from Nimzowitsch-Rubinstein, Berlin 1928. White’s passed pawn and active pieces guarantee a winning advantage.…
Selfie
In Competition No. 2865 you were invited to compose a poet’s elegy for him or herself. This challenge took you…
2180: Superfluous
Each of nine clues contains a superfluous word. Initial letters of these words spell a word which can be read…
