Puzzles & games

Bridge

Bridge | 23 April 2015

Congratulations to the Welsh women’s team, who staged one of the most spectacular comebacks I’ve ever seen at last weekend’s Lady Milne (the women’s home internationals). They were languishing in bottom place on Sunday morning, but managed to claw all the way to the top by the end of the day. You can imagine the

Chess

So there

Hikaru Nakamura has won the US Championship in convincing style with 8/11, ahead of Ray Robson and Wesley So. Things might have turned out differently had So not been disqualified after just six moves of his game against Akobian. These moves were: 1 d4 e6 2 c4 d5 3 Nc3 c5 4 cxd5 exd5 5 Nf3

Competition

Verses on horses

In Competition No. 2894 you were invited to submit a paean to a famous racehorse. Thanks to David Pearn, who suggested what proved to be an excellent competition. P.C. Parrish, Roger Theobald and Peter Goulding impressed, but I could almost hear the thunder of hooves as I read Chris O’Carroll’s bonus-fiver-winning entry. His fellow winners

Crossword

2208: Mort

Two words form the name of a fictional 28, described by his creator as a ‘22A/31/26’. Remaining across unclued lights are associated with the first word and down ones with the second. Elsewhere, ignore an accent.   Across   1    Jackanapes swimming away from Jamaica belly-flops (8) 6    Taxmen laugh at seventy retired coppers (6)

Crossword solution

To 2205: In shape

Unclued lights were set out in the form of two squares in the grid (shown here in red). The theme word was 18. 1, 10, 12 and 38 are defined by it in one sense; 15, 19 and 43 in another. Highlighting TIMES (square) gave the fourth example of a city square. First prize K.D.

Puzzles

No. 359

Black to play. This position is a variation from Troff-Nakamura, US Championship 2015. How can Black conclude his kingside attack with a standard tactic? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 28 April or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct answer out of