A couple of Sundays ago, in London, Zia Mahmood and Demetri Marchessini held the first ever ‘Goulash Individual’ tournament. ‘Goulash’ deals involve wild distributions of suits — and the day was bizarre and fun in equal measure. Several superstars flew in to play, including 86-year-old Benito Garozzo, 13 times world champion, and 28-year-old Marion Michielsen,
George Osborne is a supporter of chess. During the award ceremony at 11 Downing St for last year’s London Candidates’ tournament, he told me that as a teenager he attended the Kasparov v. Karpov world championship at London’s Park Lane Hotel in 1986, which I assisted in organising. Appropriately, the Tory party chairman Sir Jeremy
In Competition 2834 you were invited to submit an extract from a classic of children’s literature rewritten in the style of hard-boiled crime fiction. My word, you were good this week. The entries came flooding in and were a joy to judge. Much-loved children’s classics, filtered through the prism of gritty 1930s urban America, were
Each of the unclued lights (one of two words and one of three) can be preceded by the same word which solvers must state when submitting their entry. All resulting phrases are verifiable in Brewer 19th edition. Across 1 Detached from musical backed by censor (8) 6 Thoroughfares more important than Norfolk waterways,
One 4-letter word is to be placed in the middle of another to yield an 8-letter solution: 6 ÷ 19 = 44: 14 ÷ 8 = 1A; 31D ÷ 37 = 31A; 22 ÷ 25D = 9 First prize John Bartlett, Shirley, Solihull Runners-up Anthony Harker, Oxford; Mrs D. King, Leeds
White to play. This position is from Carlsen-Caruana, Zurich 2014. White’s pin against the black rook and the passed pawn on d7 are the key components of his winning combination. What did he play? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 18 February or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681
