Life
Real life
‘Question 2. In which year did the Berlin Wall come down?’ shouted the quizmaster. And then he repeated this with…
Long life
My house in south Northamptonshire looks out over parkland on which Henry VIII used to hunt deer with Anne Boleyn.…
A Cheltenham of contrasts
No sporting event anywhere compresses so much drama, emotion and character into a single venue as the Cheltenham Festival. It…
Bridge
A number of young Israelis are taking the International bridge world by storm. All in their twenties, their achievements so…
True Blue
The Oxford v. Cambridge Varsity Match held at the Royal Automobile Club two weeks ago ended in a draw. This…
No. 306
Black to play. This position is from Miles-Hodgson, Zaragoza 1993. Black has a powerful build-up on the kingside. How did…
Art of darkness
In Competition 2839 you were invited to submit a poem about the darker side of spring. There were references in…
2154: Clickety click
This puzzle marks the 40 of a 33 29. 16A, 24 and 1D (four words) are three of his works.…
Solution to 2151: Sources
The three theme words are CHAMBERS (12A, 16A, 40A), OXFORD (colleges) (24A, 4D, 8D), and (works by Wilkie) COLLINS (9D,…
Defenders of a free press should throw in the towel
It looks as though Hacked Off has finally won its three-year battle for tighter regulation of the press. Why do…
Battle for Britain
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Whisper it, but could England win the next Rugby World Cup?
There are many eternal questions. Why do all aircraft, no matter how much your ticket cost, where you’ve come from,…
Dear Mary
Q. I am always making or receiving phone calls which get cut off. When I ring the person back their…
Lamb rump without the prince
Highgrove is the country house of the Prince of Wales. I write about Highgrove because, although it is not a…
Mandorla
‘Ask your telephone,’ said my husband satirically when I made an innocent enquiry on a point of fact. My telephone…
Lamb rump without the prince
Highgrove is the country house of the Prince of Wales. I write about Highgrove because, although it is not a…
Whisper it, but could England win the next Rugby World Cup?
There are many eternal questions. Why do all aircraft, no matter how much your ticket cost, where you’ve come from,…
A Cheltenham of contrasts
No sporting event anywhere compresses so much drama, emotion and character into a single venue as the Cheltenham Festival. It…
High life
Gstaad The American newspaper that prints only news it sees fit to poison good things recently announced ‘The end of…
Low life
The catheter stung exquisitely when I lay down. So I stood up. All night I stood by my hospital bed,…
Real life
My gay best friend is cheating on me with another woman. I saw him with her the other day and…
Long life
In February each year the Oldie magazine gives ‘Oldie of the Year Awards’ to people who show unusual vigour and…
Bridge
The Night of the Stars charity bridge event, held in West London a couple of weeks ago, was every bit…
War fever
It is a little known fact that Emanuel Lasker, the German world chess champion, who reigned from 1894 to 1921,…
No. 305
White to play. This position is from Teichmann-NN, Simultaneous Display, Berlin 1914. Can you spot White’s fine finish? Answers to…
