It’s a great idea to set a thriller in the world of high-stake bridge, and my friend Helen Erichsen has pulled it off brilliantly. Her debut novel, Murder by Natural Causes (Muswell Press), is about a young, amoral contract killer named Cilla, who the reader can’t quite help rooting for. It’s a page-turner from start
One of the quirkier books on my shelf is titled Kingwalks: Paths of Glory (Seirawan & Harper, 2021, Russell Enterprises). King safety is a fundamental imperative for chess – after all, checkmate is the aim of the game – so the exceptions where that instinct is best overridden tend to be rather appealing. Probably the
White to play. Nunn-Gaprindashvili, ECU Senior Championship, Acqui Terme 2023. The former women’s world champion Gaprindashvili has just played 16…Nc6-a5. Which move did Nunn play to capitalise on this mistake? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 12 June. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat.
In Competition No. 3302, you were invited to compose a dating app profile for a writer of your choice. To mark the centenary last year of Philip Larkin’s birth, the poet Imtiaz Dharker wrote ‘Swiping left on Larkin’ in which she imagined how, given his complicated relationship with intimacy, the poet would present himself on
Ten symmetrically placed un-clued lights can be entered given consistent support. Across 1 Left old murder victim in slip (5) 10 An historic fancy Greek vestment (10) 11 Snowdrift BBC DG once reported (6) 14 Runs into show behind dimwit (5) 15 Good spicy food omitting cold fish offal (5) 16 On a pump, perhaps
The unclued lights can all be followed by STREET. First prize Ken Rae, Nordstrand, Wadbister, Shetland Runners-up Colin Boyce, Heathfield, East Sussex; Margaret Lusk, Fulwood, Lancs
