Puzzles & games

Bridge

Bridge | 7 April 2016

Well done to Janet and her team for their victory at the London Easter Congress. My own team — David Gold, Peter Taylor and Ingar Hansen — were lying first equal at one point, but ended up slipping to tenth after Janet and her crew beat us in our head-to-head match. I seem to have

Chess

Sergey’s sensation

Sergey Karjakin, who in 2002 became the world’s youngest-ever grandmaster at the age of 12 years and seven months, has won the Moscow Candidates tournament and has earned the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen for his world title later this year. It was thought the match would take place in New York, but given Karjakin’s

Competition

Gender reassignment

In Competition No. 2942 you were invited to submit a rhyme incorporating the lines ‘What are little girls made of?’ and ‘What are little boys made of?’ This challenge was a potential minefield, given how high feelings run nowadays when it comes to the thorny issue of gender identity. Still, those brave souls that took

Crossword

2255: In the pink

Four unclued lights (eight words in all) form a phrase describing an activity. The other unclued lights give the author, and names of three participants   Across   9    Grow variable and impressionable (4) 10    Country in bad state, one further reduced (9, two words) 17    Watch acceleration in speed, say, when reversing (5) 18   

Crossword solution

To 2252: Writer deploys me

The works were Striding Folly (anagram of 11/22), Whose Body? (36/1D), The Nine Tailors (2/48), Strong Poison (9/30) and Gaudy Night (17/46). DOROTHY L. SAYERS (diagonally from the SW corner) was to be shaded. Title: anagram of LORD PETER WIMSEY who features in all five works. First prize Mark Rowntree, London SE10 Runners-up Mrs S.

Puzzles

No. 403

White to play. This is a variation from Aronian-Svidler, Moscow 2016. In this game Aronian misplayed his attack and Svidler ended up winning. The puzzle shows a possible conclusion if Svidler had defended inaccurately. How can White win? Answers via email to victoria@-spectator.co.uk by Tuesday 12 April. There is a prize of £20 for the