Universal records
An artist who dreads unthinking habit seeks new inspirations in his childhood interests
A feast for the eyes
Until 6 July, the Musée Marmottan Monet is even more essential than usual for lovers of the Impressionists
Making history
The celebrations for the Birmingham gallery's 50th anniversary are like a compact history of contemporary art
Austerity measures
English Touring Opera shows it to its best effect, but I still found myself enjoying their Paul Bunyan more
Bring on the young
The end of certain funding is breaking up closed shops – and letting young talent shine
In pursuit of the Prince
Plus: Jonathan Creek's charm is as strong as ever, but Hair should have stayed on the cutting-room floor
Bridge
To any player with even the smallest sadistic streak, squeezing your opponents is hugely satisfying. But there’s something even more…
Ukrainian knights
This week I pay tribute to the chess grandmasters from Ukraine, led by Vassily Ivanchuk, many times a candidate for…
No. 303
White to play. This position is from Moiseenko-Noah, Khanty-Mansisk Olympiad 2010. Even though the game is not yet out of…
All together now
In Competition 2836 you were invited to coin collective nouns for the following: tweeters, hackers, hoodies, WAGS, environmentalists, bankers, MPs…
2151: Sources
Three theme words which must be deduced each suggest three unclued lights (including one of two words and ignoring one…
to 2148: Eighth of February
Unclued lights can each be abbreviated so that together they give the letters of FEBRUARY: FAHRENHEIT (19), EARTH (32), BASS…
How to give yourself a better chance
We’re just not good with probabilities. But perhaps we can learn to be
