Another long weekend, another bridge tournament. This time in Bournemouth where the groupetto and I decided to go for the Monday teams event. We all piled excitedly into the car, buckets and spades at the ready, and hurtled down the M3 full of optimism and bonhomie. Needless to say that didn’t last long. The arguments
As a result of the London Candidates tournament, Magnus Carlsen will challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Championship in Chennai in November, with a match budget exceeding $5 million. Between now and then I shall give occasional extracts from heroic deeds from past world title clashes. This week’s game comes from the marathon series of
In Competition No. 2799 you were invited to submit a poem about smells. Edward Thomas’s wonderfully evocative poem ‘Digging’ inspired this challenge: ‘Today I think/ Only with scents, — scents dead leaves yield,/ And bracken, and wild carrot’s seed,/ And the square mustard field…’ Thanks to Brian Allgar, who submitted an entry that missed the
Each of seven definitions contains one misprinted letter. Corrections of misprints spell an alternative title for the puzzle, defining the unclued lights. Across 1 Anticipating trick by director in compilation, sons squeal (14, hyphened) 9 Right covering round gnat (4) 11 Mad lord, never a traveller across country (10) 12
Extra letters in clues give cancrine and Sotadean, both meaning PALINDROMIC, which describes each of the unclued lights and also the number and title of the puzzle. First prize Chris James, Ruislip Manor Runners-up P. and R. Dacre, York; Hugh Schofield, Paris
Black to play. This position is a variation from Bogolyubov-Alekhine, Germany (Game 8) 1929. Here 1 … Nxf1 is not bad but Black actually has something much stronger. Can you see what it is? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 4 June or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681
