Puzzle no. 379
Black to play. This position is a variation from So-Nakamura, St Louis 2015. How can Black conclude the attack with…
Arty limericks
In Competition No. 2915 you were invited to submit limericks featuring a well-known artist and a destination of your choice.…
Your problems solved
Q. Some years ago, while appearing as a barrister before a bench of three magistrates in the youth court, I…
Foodies without the faff
I cannot review the Gay Hussar every time the Labour party behaves like a self-harming teenager (‘I don’t want to…
The right answer
David Cameron might not be remembered as the best prime minister in modern British history but he will probably be…
Long life
How do you address extraterrestrials in outer space? The main problem with this is that there may not be any…
Long life
How do you address extraterrestrials in outer space? The main problem with this is that there may not be any…
Low life
The staples of my daily alcohol consumption on the cruise were champagne, gin, red wine and Polish vodka. One morning…
Low life
The staples of my daily alcohol consumption on the cruise were champagne, gin, red wine and Polish vodka. One morning…
Twitter speak
‘Tweeting’s like text messaging, isn’t it?’ said my husband confidently, though not, as usual, from any knowledge of the matter.…
Real life
‘Are you afraid of falling over?’ asked the bored young radiologist, as he started filling out the forms. I had…
Clashes of the titans
A thumping physical confrontation testing mind, muscle and sinew to the ultimate degree, and from which there could only be…
My obsession with litter is bordering on mental illness
It’s no good. I’ve tried to resist it, but I’ve succumbed. I’m now a full-blown litter Nazi. Whenever I leave…
My obsession with litter is bordering on mental illness
It’s no good. I’ve tried to resist it, but I’ve succumbed. I’m now a full-blown litter Nazi. Whenever I leave…
Squeezed middle
It’s a tough old business, this racing. Hayley Turner is the best woman rider we’ve ever seen in this country.…
Squeezed middle
It’s a tough old business, this racing. Hayley Turner is the best woman rider we’ve ever seen in this country.…
The relative experience of consuls and Corbyn
One of the justifications of the House of Lords is that it embodies ‘collective experience’. That is not a quality…
Barometer
It’s their party Jeremy Corbyn won the Labour leadership contest with 60% of the vote among four candidates in the…
Diary
With four days to go until the result of Labour’s leadership election, a call from the Sunday Times. Would I…
Time to tax
From ‘The coming budget’, The Spectator, 18 September 1915: At present the large majority of householders and electors pay no direct…
Portrait of the week
Home In the shadow cabinet chosen by the new Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, the Exchequer went to John McDonnell, a…
High and mighty
‘Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side,’ sang Miley Cyrus. ‘It’s the climb.’ She’s not usually a musician to…
There will be blood
If you don’t want to spend hundreds of euros on a good seat, the best place to watch the Palio…
Fighting talk
If there’s one thing scarcer than hen’s teeth in serious choreography nowadays, it’s a light heart. When was the last…
