The turf
Racing’s New Year began well with the award of OBEs to both Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, showing that they…
Bridge
Sad to say, the length of time you’ve been playing bridge is no indication of how good you are. Indeed,…
More than a game
Cars, computers and cadavers: taking them apart is normally reserved for experts and the pathologically curious. In his new book,…
no. 588
Rowson-Yermolinsky, World Open 2002. This position arose after a tactical skirmish. White has only one good way to meet the…
Bizarre books
In Competition No. 3132 you were invited to submit an extract from one of the following books: Noah Gets Naked:…
2441: To and fro
28 2, born in 36, is best known for 10 41 (four words). He also produced a 19, 11 (two…
to 2438: Shining Bright
The unclued lights can be linked with GOLDEN, at 30D, which had to be highlighted. The trio is GOLDEN EYE…
Why we still need Orwell
I’ve been reading a new biography of George Orwell that’s been published to coincide with the 70th anniversary of his…
The great train robbery
Outside mathematics, the word ‘commute’ can mean two things. Mostly it refers to the act of making a daily journey…
Dear Mary
Q. When my mother-in-law visits, she puts newspaper on a dining chair before sitting down. I’m so speechless that someone…
A toast to Roger Scruton
In clubs and other admirable locations throughout the civilised world, glasses have been raised and toasts proposed. But this was…
Hyphenated names
When Francis Hurt inherited the Renishaw estate in 1777, he changed his surname to Sitwell. His eight-year-old son and heir…
The six shades of Australian fire lighters
Australian fire-lighters come in six colours – yellow, black, white, blood red, dark green, and light green. All are relevant…
How I learned to stop worrying and love CO2
Scientists will soon be turning carbon dioxide into gold
Brown study
After weeks of tough negotiating and heart-wrenching self-examination, I am delighted to announce that I am embarking on a transition…
White House gossip
When the brilliant American biographer, Robert A. Caro, first approached the task of writing a biography of the 36th President…
Boris Johnson won’t dance to the tune of big business on Brexit
Now that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill has received royal assent and become law, the UK will leave the EU at…
It’s time to end the madness passing as politics
No one who was in Parliament House on the morning of October 3, 1997, will forget when they heard a…
Gillian Triggs is now at the United Nations – UN for unreliable on human rights?
How would you feel discovering that your local or state government had entered into an agreement with, say, McDonald’s to…





