All high-level bridge tournaments involve playing with screens placed diagonally across the table — and there are numerous rules to remember. For instance, only North or South may slide the bidding tray under the screen, only declarer or dummy may remove the tray after the bidding, only declarer or dummy may lift the screen’s flap…
Staunton was the most successful British player of all time, winning three matches against European masters in the 1840s which in modern times would certainly have qualified him to be recognised as world champion. On the social medium of Twitter (@HowardStaunton), an anonymous writer has invented a witty and satirically trenchant imitation of Staunton.
In Competition No. 3106 you were invited to submit a poem with an ingenious twist at the end. This challenge, a popular one, was deceptively tricky and while there were many accomplished and enjoyable entries, none of your twists truly blew my socks off. Douglas G. Brown, Max Gutmann and Martin Elster were unlucky runners-up.
The unclued lights share a common feature at least once, different in each case. Across 7 Liechtenstein test about roses and orchids, say (6) 13 Dot’s second kiss (5) 14 Paragons left out for plans (5) 15 Shave with iodine in Eastern part of China (7) 17 Right to hold gun overturned? Confirmation’s needed
The unclued lights are EPISCOPAL SIGNATURES First prize Jason James, Cambridge Runners-up K.M. Robb, Borrowstounness, West Lothian; McNeill, Belfast
White to play. This is from Wassin-Grigorchuk, Izola 2019. Although the game is only just out of the opening, White can engineer a decisive material gain. What is the key move? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 16 July or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk. There is a prize of £20 for the first
