There’s no doubt about it: I’m an addict. A BBO addict. Since the Bermuda Bowl began, nearly a fortnight ago, the first thing I do each morning is log on to Bridge Base Online to follow the action. And I stay logged on until play stops at about 3 p.m. (7.30 p.m. in Chennai). I’m
Joseph Henry Blackburne was the leading British tournament player towards the end of the 19th century. It could be said that he challenged Steinitz for world matchplay supremacy, though he could not hold his own with the great Austrian strategist. A monumental new book by chess scholar Tim Harding represents a huge contribution to chess
In Competition No. 2918 you were invited to submit a poem composed entirely of three-letter words. ‘This is the most difficult comp you have set and has driven me mad!’ said Adrian Fry. It was a nasty assignment, I admit, but it could have been so much worse. Take John Fuller’s wonderful poem ‘The Kiss’:
The unclued lights, in one case paired, are all suggested by a thematic phrase (two words), which is set out in an appropriate form in the grid and must be highlighted. Across 1 Brass and slate vessel (8) 6 Really humid round townships (6) 10 Ham cast chose plays — they cause discomfort (12) 12
The PROVERB (35) (in ODQ), associated with the KENNEDY (19) FAMILY (31), was ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’. EDIT (36) is ‘A rising tide’. WORT (9), POOLS (15D), BUT (21D), GUT (26) and LEEK (39) are ‘lifted’ boats. EDIT was to be shaded. First prize V. Kendall, Ware, Herts Runners-up Geoffrey Telfer, Shipley, W.
White to play. This is from Blackburne-Schwarz, Berlin 1881. What is the best way to deal with the knight check? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 13 October or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct answer out of a hat, and
