Holiday over – and I hopped on the plane home dribbling with excitement. I was going straight to Young Chelsea to play the Friday night IMPs duplicate with my Polish friend, whose unpronounceable name has metamorphosed into Saucepan. It was heaven to be back, even though we did not exactly shine — unlike Tim Gauld.
Nowadays it is standard, when publishing a chess game, to give the names of both players. This was not always the case. In the 19th century it was quite common to reveal the winner’s name while leaving the loser identified solely as ‘anon’ for anonymous. Occasionally this was for the perfectly good reason that the
In Competition 2813 you were invited to submit an application in verse, from the poet of your choice, for the position of poet laureate. There were robust bids from poets who were passed over for the laureateship on account of their questionable politics — Pope, for example, and Milton — as well as from those
The unclued lights, individually (each of two words), or paired, are of a specific kind, verifiable in Brewer 17th Edition revised. Ignore a diacritic in the solution at 6 Down. Across 10 Make an impression as a sculptor? (10, three words) 12 Grim death of a harvester (6) 13 Wise men deck out, when
The chain of anagrams is as follows: 40, 8, 18, 25, 22, 23, 21D, 19, 1A First prize Robert Hirst, Twineham, West Sussex Runners-up Philip Berridge, Spalding, Lincolnshire; R.B. Briercliffe, Isle of Man
White to play. This is from Johnson-Anon, internet game 2013. Black’s problem is that his king is marooned in the centre with no prospect of finding safety quickly. How did White capitalise with an ingenious tactical blow? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 10 September or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax
