Puzzles & games

Bridge

Bridge | 25 April 2019

Jonathan Harris is a man of principle. He and his wife Jenny had each entered a team for the Venice International Festival of Bridge earlier this month. Five days of Pairs and Teams in a wonderful setting: beats working. Then came the news that Fulvio Fantoni, who had been found guilty of cheating by the

Chess

Venit, vidit, vicit

India is quite possibly the birthplace of chess, with the four branches of the ancient Indian army, infantry, cavalry, chariots and war elephants, morphing into the pawns, knights, rooks and bishops of the modern game. The most celebrated protagonist of Indian chess is former world champion, Viswanathan Anand. Nevertheless, behind him are surging younger generations

Competition

Praise be

In Competition No. 3095 you were invited to submit an elegy by a poet on another poet.   The prompt for this challenge was ‘Adonais’, Shelley’s celebrated 55-stanza tribute to Keats. Frank McDonald imagined Keats responding in kind:   My heart aches for you, brother Percy Bysshe, Who wept for me although my name was

Crossword

2405: Satanic

Doc writes: welcome to Smurf as our third new compiler joining our team.   One unclued light, the heart of which is of essence, is linked with eight other unclued lights, verifiable in Brewer. Two further unclued lights are appositely characteristic. One other light is abbreviated. Ignore an apostrophe.   Across 4    No can do?

Crossword solution

Solution to 2402: Test Pilots

BOYCOTT (24), GOWER (25), MAY (40), GRACE (2), STRAUSS (23), HAMMOND (27), CLOSE (34), and ROOT (36) have all held the England Test CAPTAINCY which solvers had to highlight.   First prize Ken Rae, Shetland Runners-up Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham; Anthony White, Folkestone, Kent

Puzzles

no. 551

White to play. This position is a variation from Vitiugov-Duda, Prague 2019. How does White exploit the greater activity of his pieces? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 30 April or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a