Playing rubber bridge the other afternoon for higher stakes than usual (£20 per hundred), I had a memorably miserable time. I just couldn’t pick up any points, and began losing money at such an alarming rate that I told myself I’d play one more rubber, then quit if my cards didn’t improve. What was
The Grenke Chess Classic, played in Karlsruhe and Baden Baden, has been won by Fabiano Caruana, who also won the World Championship Candidates tournament in Berlin (see Chess, 21 April). In his most recent success Caruana finished ahead of the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, by a clear point. Although Carlsen must remain the favourite for
In Competition No. 3046 you were invited to supply a poem beginning with the last line of any well-known poem and ending with its first line, the new poem being on a different subject all together. This was a wildly popular comp, which elicited a witty and wide-ranging entry that was both pleasurable and
Unclued lights make five pairs with something in common. Across 1 Fragrant nuts announced (5) 4 Neat workers secure line for pole holding basket (9, hyphened) 9 Unsuitable papal rooms exchanged (10) 11 Incitement to hold round dance (5) 15 Proud to pull tons (5) 21 I waited outside as daughter went for some
Parts indicated in clues in italics must each BREAK NEW GROUND (1A 4A), creating entries at 6, 13, 26, 39 and 40; definitions of these entries are 2, 15A, 33, 27 and 20. First prize Chris Edwards, Pudsey, Leeds Runners-up Sebastian Robinson, Glasgow; Chris Butler, Borough Green, Kent
White to play. This is a possible variation from Meier-Carlsen, Grenke 2018. Meier could have forced a win in this game but missed his chance. What is White’s most accurate winning move? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 8 May or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk. There is a prize of £20 for the
