I defy anyone, even Tolstoy were he still alive and were he to abandon War and Peace for a bridge column, to avoid a shed load of clichés when describing the final of the Venice Cup in Bali, between the magnificent English Ladies and their American counterparts. Let me make do with heart-stopping. With seven
Grandmasters Pal Benko and Viktor Korchnoi have worn dark glasses to counter perceived hypnotic influence during games. In the recent Sinquefield tournament in St Louis, Hikaru Nakamura resorted to the same measure against Magnus Carlsen. In the past Naka has fared badly against Carlsen, but this time he held the draw. Maybe there is something in
In Competition 2817 you were asked to provide a poem, in the manner of Harry Graham’s Perverted Proverbs, questioning the wisdom of a popular proverb. Graham was an immensely gifted lyricist and poet. In 1903, in the guise of one Col. D. Streamer, he published Perverted Proverbs: A Manual of Immorals for the Many, in
All except four clues contain a superfluous word each. Initial letters of these words spell the titles of four 29D by 39 (two words). The first title defines four unclued lights; the second and third titles are defined by the remaining unclued lights. The fourth title (four words) is a cryptic indication of a sequence
Extra letters in clues give the assertion by HOUSMAN (31) that ‘I could no more define poetry than a terrier can define a rat’. In the grid, the definition RENEGADE eludes seven unclued terriers. First prize J.R. Carrington, Denchworth, Oxfordshire Runners-up Sandra Speak, Dursley, Gloucestershire; Andrew James, Winchester, Hampshire
White to play. This position is from Alekhine-Bogolyubov, World Championship (Game 4), Germany 1934. The black king has been driven out into the open. How can White conclude? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 8 October or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the
