Bridge
I was talking to the brilliant 27-year old Israeli player Alon Birman at the recent Brighton Congress, when suddenly there…
Olympiad highlights
To round off my coverage of the chess Olympiad in Tromsø, which saw a total of 313 teams in the…
No. 329
White to play. This position is from Lee-Croes, Tromsø Olympiad 2014. White’s position is overwhelming and he now found a…
Dark thoughts
In Competition No. 2862 you were invited to submit a poetic preview of when the lights go out. Submissions were…
2177: Amaze
The titles of four of an artist’s works (9,7; 6,6; 6,2,4; 12) read clockwise round the perimeter from a square…
To 2174: Difficulty
The key phrase is KNOW WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES (12 38 43). Each of the partially indicated answers is pinched…
Facts aren’t created equal
There will always be a connection between ‘book learning’ and power. The solution is to spread that knowledge, not to pretend it doesn’t matter
The kick of the habit
Stats from an anti-smoking group suggest that vaping is the very opposite of a gateway drug
Australian letters
Placing refugees Sir: Tony Abbott seems to have fooled The Spectator. Your editorial (23 August) gives plaudits to the Australian…
Thought bubbles
It is not really a surprise that political parties produce a certain number of oddballs; the scary thing is that…
Culture Buff
Oh dear, the Helpmann Awards have come round again. The winners were announced in Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, a most appropriate…
Mavericks and ratbags threaten the NZ Nationals
A coalition of cartoon-like characters and events could spell the end of John Key’s conservative government
Gorton vs McMahon: the secret memo
The bitter rivary between two Prime Ministers exposed - over penning stories in the press and cabinet solidarity
