Life
Low life
It’s a disgrace! I went up to London from Devon, a hick up from the sticks, to Annabel’s in Berkeley…
Real life
Emmylou Harris and the McGarrigle sisters wrote a song called ‘All I left Behind’. My version is called ‘All They…
Long life
John Thompson, who died last week at the age of 93, could have been editor of The Spectator if he…
Dirty rotten scoundrels
In one of those old Mae West films a girl admires her friend’s jewellery: ‘Goodness, what lovely pearls,’ only to…
Bridge
One of the most dramatic events of the Spanish American War was the sinking of the cargo ship Merrimac. Early…
London classics
This year’s London Classic tournament, organised by the indefatigable Malcolm Pein, who also heads up the charity Chess in Schools…
7 December
Black to play. This position is a variation from Evans-Staunton, London 1845. Can you spot Black’s fine finish to the…
Winter’s tale
In Competition 2826 you were invited to submit nonsense verse on a wintry theme. The line between sense and nonsense…
2142: Wintry
Each of seventeen clues comprises a definition part and a hidden consecutive jumble of the answer including one extra letter.…
to 2139: Separated
The key word is BUTTERMILK (8), which can be separated into words defined by 15, 27, 40; 4, 23, 25;…
How I lost the battle of the cards
I’ve just had a massive row with Caroline about Christmas cards. We usually send about 120 and this year we’ve…
Dave
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More Grand Theft Auto, less crime
It was about a week ago, at 8 p.m., when our blackout happened. In the 1980s people would have headed…
Dear Mary
Q. Six years ago a rather glamorous man bought the house opposite me. Although he always responds to requests for…
Claret’s class war
Claret has a commercial advantage over Burgundy. Thanks to the grandes lignes of châteaux and vintages, you know where you…
Push back
Something funny happened when my husband yawned. I yawned. That wasn’t the funny thing. The funny thing was that I…
Claret’s class war
Claret has a commercial advantage over Burgundy. Thanks to the grandes lignes of châteaux and vintages, you know where you…
Dirty rotten scoundrels
In one of those old Mae West films a girl admires her friend’s jewellery: ‘Goodness, what lovely pearls,’ only to…
More Grand Theft Auto, less crime
It was about a week ago, at 8 p.m., when our blackout happened. In the 1980s people would have headed…
High life
New York Nature is at her best right now, the leaves still holding, Central Park awash in golden browns…
Low life
Can it be that the one single agreeable thing about getting old is that one loses one’s pot paranoia? No.…
Real Life
Everything is a journey now, especially if it involves failure. The X Factor rejects, people having disasters as they build…
Long life
Back home from a week in Italy, I almost feel that I haven’t left. For I go almost at once…
Bridge
‘Yikes! I’ve been Grosvenored!’ This is a wail you will hear from time to time when a Declarer has been…
Song of Norway
Magnus Carlsen has become the 16th world chess champion, taking the title with three wins, seven draws and no losses,…
