TGR’s Bridge Club in Paddington is the daily home to those of us who want to play bridge but cannot always adhere to the times of local duplicates. There is a game every afternoon and from time to time there is also an evening Goulash game; any contract at the one level (or passed out)
What distinguishes the expert from the amateur in chess is partly tactical fluency, but also the ability to map out long-term patterns, in other words to visualise a distant goal. Some champions were distinguished by their talent for rough-and-tumble tactics; among such illuminati one could mention Alekhine, Tal and Kasparov. Others, such as Capablanca, Reti, Nimzowitsch,
In Competition No. 3109 you were invited to submit a short story entitled ‘The Last Bumble Bee’. The buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, was once voted Britain’s favourite insect, and this challenge seemed to strike a chord, inspiring stories that ranged from the topical to visions of a near-future of drone pollinators and enforced entomophagy. The
The unclued lights (individually or one pair) are of a kind. But, before entry into the grid, all but one has to be adapted figuratively speaking, so that one or two characters appear in an unchecked square. Across 4 Most Britons could become members of a band (11) 11 I’ll join regiment under
Each unclued light contains a SILENT letter (with 11 containing two). First prize P.L. Macdougall, London SW6 Runners-up Sir Graeme Davies, Farndon, Newark; Hugh Schofield, Paris
White to play. This position is from Capablanca-Lasker, Havana 1921. Capablanca was another great champion famed for his ability to plan. How did he finish off here? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 6 August or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of
