Three enormous cheers for Thomas Charlsen, Norwegian International and great friend and teammate, for setting up and working day and night to organise the World Bridge Tour ‘hybrid’ invitational, which last week saw the first live tournament held in Sopot, Poland’s Brighton-on-sea. Twelve teams competed at the wonderful Grand Hotel where we stayed and played.
Michael Adams took first place at the Chessable English Championship in Kenilworth last weekend, winning the tournament with 6/7. In the third round, he was on the ropes in the endgame against Mark Hebden, but survived after several unexpected twists. In the diagram position, Adams has two plausible captures available but surprisingly, neither is the
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by David Murray Davey, the Tablet, 1946. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 5 June. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1
In Competition No. 3301, you were invited to delete one letter in the title of a well-known novel and provide an extract from the new work. This one pulled in the punters. Highlights included Russell Chamberlain’s All the Pretty Hoses and Ralph Bateman’s Bleak Hose:‘Water everywhere. Water up the river, where it flows among green
The unclued lights (three coming first and one coming last, two pairs and four of two words) are of a kind. Across 12 One record after another oddly omitted rulers’ postscripts (9) 13 Compact disc’s first seen spinning (5) 15 Omits plan about philosophical belief (9) 16 Impassioned male getting date wrong (6) 20 Resin
The unclued lights are card games, as is the puzzle’s title, SNAP. The pair is 15A/29. First prize Mark Rowntree, Greenwich, London SE10 Runners-up Frances Whitehead, Harrogate, N. Yorks; Alan Pink, Crowhurst, E. Sussex
