The news that two German doctors have been found guilty of cheating at the world bridge championships in Bali last year — by dint of some well-timed coughs — has made headlines around the world. In fact, no one on the international bridge scene is too surprised: Michael Elinescu (61) and Entscho Wladow (71) have
The Candidates tournament has been won by Vishy Anand who adopted the safety-first policy of winning two of his first three games and then drawing most of the rest. By avoiding defeat, Anand more or less coasted to victory, since all of his rivals slipped up on various occasions. Anand, at the age of 44,
In Competition 2842 you were invited to compose the most off-putting book blurb that you could muster. There’s just space to say that I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy Jonathan Friday’s ‘groundbreaking exploration of the neglected beauty of bodily fluids and excreta’, which features ‘a striking array of scratch’n’sniff imagery’. G.M. Davis,
Round the perimeter clockwise from 1 run six lights of a kind (7,9,10,9,9,8): if the grid were a 13/12, they might collectively suggest the title of a song famously 22 19 years ago. Corner letters are held in STRONG REGARD. A relevant name (5) will appear in the completed grid and must be shaded. Elsewhere,
The MUSICAL (33) BARON (29) Lloyd-Webber’s BIRTHDAY (40) was on 22nd March; he was 66 (hence the title). His works include EVITA (16A), MEMORY (24) and ANY DREAM WILL DO (1D). WELL-BRED BOY (7/22A) is an anagram of LLOYD-WEBBER. First prize Christina March, Windsor Runners-up Dr Simon Shaw, Goosnargh, Lancs; Emma Staveley, London SW15
White to play. This position is from Mamedyarov-Aronian, Khanty-Mansisk 2014. White’s next was an ingenious way to demonstrate that his passed pawn on g7 was stronger than Black’s on c3. What did he play? Answers to The Spectator by Tuesday 15 April via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner
