The first weekend of August saw two big pairs tournaments, one in Oslo and one in Eastbourne, with remarkable similarities: both attracted over 200 pairs, both were the same format, Swiss, which means that apart from a random first round you are competing against the pair with the nearest score to you whom you haven’t
A new book on the ingenious Hungarian master Gyula Breyer ranks, in my opinion, at the very top of chess publications, along with Kasparov’s various mega series, Nimzowitsch’s My System, and Alekhine’s books of his best games. It is a compendium of games, discursive digressions, notes, discreet modern corrections, scholarly research, history, theory and perhaps
In Competition No. 3011 you were invited to submit a disgustingly flattering poem in heroic couplets in praise of a contemporary person of power. You were at your bootlicking best this week: Donald Trump, Anthony Scaramucci, Xi Jinping, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin were all on the receiving end of some serious sucking-up. Bill Greenwell’s
Clues are presented in alphabetical order of their solutions. The solutions have then to be fitted into the grid, jigsaw-fashion. A Striving for scope backing number one (8) A Tense lover short of money (6) B Child’s first book and game (10) C Mark in vehicle beside French joiner (5) C Made money around outhouse
When BRIDGE is added to the unclued Across lights and FORD to the unclued Down lights (including each of the three components in 1 Down), they all become names of British towns. First prize Alan Hook, Beverley, Yorkshire Runners-up Chris Butler, Borough Green, Kent; Peter and Jeannie Chamberlain, Rushden, Northamptonshire
White to play. This is from Breyer-Esser, Budapest 1917. White has a multiplicity of tempting options but the best move forces mate in nine. What is it? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 22 August or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of
