I’ve always relished the raw emotion of bridge. Its old image as a gentle game for genteel people – what rubbish. It’s a game of passion; people explode, tables are upturned. That’s why we we love it so much. True, every bridge writer stresses the importance of partnership harmony, of never shouting, never blaming. But
Can ChatGPT play chess? A few weeks ago, when the AI chatbot was making headlines, someone had the cute idea of getting it to play a game against the popular chess engine Stockfish. At the start, it followed a standard line of the Ruy Lopez opening. But soon the illegal moves began – ChatGPT tried to
White to play. Vallejo Pons-Santos Latasa, Leon 2018. The choice is between 1 Ke6 and 1 Rh8+. White calmly played the wrong one and Black resigned immediately! But which move wins the game? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 6 March. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a
In Competition No. 3288, you were invited to supply a sonnet on an embarrassing ailment. To make space for as many winners as possible, I’ll keep it brief: in an amusing and accomplished entry, the sonnets below nosed ahead of the pack and earn their authors £15. They flee from me that sometime did me
Eight unclued lights spell out the second half of a poem: ‘8 (4,5) 37; 1D (6,4); 39 (3,6) 40; 10 (3,5,2) 24 25.’ The title cryptically suggests its author. Across 1 Gossipy quartet of bridge players play at last (5) 4 Accompanying Ford, Maggie’s oddly withdrawn (9) 11 Duty of French king
The theme word was FORD (in line 4), and the sets of unclued lights were 1A, 20, 21 (makes of car), 18, 39, 43 (US presidents), and 11, 31, 33 (characters in The Merry Wives of Windsor). First prize Sue Pounder, Ashton-under-Lyne Runners-up Michael Moran, Penrith, Cumbria; Lucy Robinson, London N16
