I have always thought the term ‘bridge holiday’ was an oxymoron. When I travel with my team to various events, we play highly competitively for about eight hours every day — a holiday it ain’t. Concentrating all the time is exhausting and (for me) impossible. Then there is the inevitable insomnia and the resulting ridiculous
Sixty years ago, the great Mikhail Tal won the Candidates tournament by a massive margin to qualify for a world title match against Botvinnik, which Tal also won, equally convincingly. This week, in homage to Tal, one of his four zero wipeout games against Bobby Fischer, with notes based on those of eyewitness Harry Golombek
In Competition No. 3107 you were invited to provide an extract that is a mash-up of two well-known works of literature. The germ for this challenge was the discovery that Middlemarch was originally two separate works — a novel about the townspeople (the Vincys, Bulstrode, etc) and a short story called ‘Miss Brooke’, which focused
One of the unclued entries (two words) can be followed by each of the others (two of three words, one of two words), according to Brewer. Across 1 Clean turns into crashes – rash? (8) 8 What goes up, to go down like a lead balloon? (4) 14 Sinn Fein resisted revolutionary drinks (7)
Conrad HILTON (2), Michael WILDING (37), Mike TODD (24), Eddie FISHER (3), Richard BURTON (30), John WARNER (31) and Larry FORTENSKY (40) were all married to ELIZABETH TAYLOR (4A/17). First prize Frank Whiteman, Eastbourne, East Sussex Runners-up Isaac Thompson, Urmston, Manchester; Mrs E. Knights, Wisbech, Cambs
White to play. This position is from Tal-Rantanen, Tallinn 1979. This game features a typically brilliant Tal finish. Can you spot his amazing coup? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 23 July or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please
