Puzzles & games

Bridge

Bridge | 25 July 2020

Gunnar Hallberg moved to England from Sweden 25 years ago to play professional bridge, and made such a success of it he never went back. Now, at 75, he remains a hero to many younger players, not just because of his outstanding talent, but also because of his passion for sharing his knowledge and helping

Chess

The maestro

‘Had I not become a composer, I would have wanted to be a chess player, but a high-level one, someone competing for the world title.’ So said Ennio Morricone, who died earlier this month at the age of 91. Looking back on a lifetime of work, you don’t doubt that he could have done it.

Chess puzzle

No. 614

White to play. Stefano Tatai–Spyridon Skembris, Budva Zonal 1981. Morricone’s teacher found a delightful conclusion to this attack. What was his next move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 27 July. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow

Competition

Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer meets Spock

In Competition No. 3158 you were invited to supply an extract describing a well-known fictional detective who finds themselves catapulted into an unfamiliar milieu. This was a crowd-pleasing comp, attracting a large field of old hands and newcomers alike. But it turned out to be a tricky one too and terrific beginnings were often marred

Crossword

2467: Girl talk

Ten of the eleven unclued lights are of a kind and consist of singleton of two words, three pairs and a trio. The eleventh unclued is thematic when paired with an anagram of the five highlighted red letters. Elsewhere, ignore an apostrophe and an accent. Across 4 Talked of mark on potato magazine (9)11 Little

Crossword solution

2464: Topsy-turvy solution

14 Down, TAPSALTEERIE, yields TAP 10, 15 and 35, three anagrams of SALTE (16, 32 and 36) and ERIE and three Great Lakes (2, 24 and 26) First prize Roger Howell, Lympstone, DevonRunners-up J. Selvidge, St Andrews, Guernsey; Arabella Woodrow, Riddlesden, W. Yorks