The brilliant American bridge writer and former world champion Eddie Kantar once overheard two wives in his bridge class arguing about which of their husbands was the worse player. The first wife said, ‘Look, there’s no contest. Last night, my husband was in 7NT with 11 top tricks, and dummy had the ♥AQ with the
As I write, young Jonathan Hawkins has stormed into the lead in the British Championship in Aberystwyth with the tremendous score of 6/6. This is not quite a record since in the British Championship of 1976, won by Jonathan Mestel, the new champion won his first nine games, a record unlikely to be surpassed.
In Competition No. 2858 you were invited to imagine that a well-known figure from 20th-century history was a secret poet and to submit a recently discovered example of their versifying. Politicians featured prominently in the entry: there were poignant lines from the pens of Edward Heath and Michael Foot, and here is Adrian Fry’s John
The unclued lights are of a specific kind. Across 11 Top flier backs help for sloth (6) 12 Birds on the barriers (5) 14 Mayfly larva on cobras, dead (5) 15 The head that’s characteristic of the Russian Church (5) 17 Lay claim to 32s somehow (6) 19
The unclued lights are the titles of the six movements of Nuits d’Eté (Summer Nights in translation) by Hector Berlioz: 38, 10/6D, 30/25, 19, 15, 12/18. First prize Philip Berridge, Spalding, Lincolnshire Runners-up Richard Foden, Vesenaz, Switzerland; Mrs E.J. Simmons, North Wembley, Middlesex
White to play. This position is from Rogers-Milos, Manila Olympiad 1992. White is a mass of material down but the black forces on the kingside are irrelevant. Can you spot the brilliant finish? Answers to me at The Spectator or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will
