Stars in their eyes
And how Russian mysticism powered the Soviet Union’s dreams of space exploration
Indiscreet astronaut
Gysin exhibited with Duchamp, introduced Burroughs to the cut-up and invented the Dream Machine. Now the art outsider’s paintings are on show at the October Gallery
Melting pot
‘Celts: art and identity’ is an exhibition that is both visually seductive and intellectually complex
The big chill
Plus: a new show about education at the Old Vic that makes you want to sack the teaching profession
Fossilised Figaro
Plus: a bold choice of double bill from British Youth Opera that places too-heavy a burden on their young shoulders
Talk of the devil
Plus: ‘Britain as Seen on ITV’ plunged us into the era when blokes with eccentric hobbies were a TV staple
Long life
Editors, like publicans, apparently have some of the hardest jobs to automate. But the robots are probably coming for you
Bridge
This has been the most shocking saga in the entire history of bridge. In the face of overwhelming evidence that…
Coincidence
My grandmaster colleague James Plaskett has two passions, the pursuit of the mythical giant octopus (ongoing) and a fascination with…
No. 380
Black to play. This position is from Abramciuc–Nevednichy, Chisinau 2014. How can Black simplify down to a winning endgame? Answers…
Rebranded classics
In Competition No. 2916 you were invited to recast a well-known scene from literature to reflect the fact that its…
Corbyn sets off on the wrong track
He’d have to stay in power for decades to carry it through – but the very idea is already causing damage
From A to B, differently
The benefits of forced experimentation quickly outweigh the temporary costs
Fuckebythenavele
An exciting discovery in the records of the County Court of Chester – but it’s probably not the oldest F-word
Autumn
Each year when I see the first conker of the autumn I think: fire up the ancestral ovens! This incendiary…
