The rubber bridge world has lost one of its best and most flamboyant players; David Herman was an emaciated, elegant American lawyer who made TGRs his second home. If David wasn’t in the club, you knew he was either travelling or sick. I last saw him the day before lockdown in March. He got into
Writing in January, I described internet bullet chess, where the players have one minute for all their moves, as ‘popular, addictive and pointless’. Bullet games are shallow and unwholesome because if you stop to think, you lose the game on time. Never mind a junk food tax: taxing bullet chess is the real social imperative
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Sam Loyd, 1857. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 23 November. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Qg7+!!
In Competition No. 3175 you were invited to submit a prequel to a well-known poem. C. Paul Evans’s opening to a prequel to the nation’s favourite poem caught my eye: My publishers had telephoned to askFor something inspirational and spiffy:I told them I would think about the task,But mentioned I was feeling somewhat iffy… As
The unclued lights are of a kind. Across 9 Go in with force, showing initiative (10) 14 Cast is enormous, but not good (3) 16 China’s new restrictive measures (6) 17 Girl showing leg in meadow (5) 18 Best buddies regularly skipped study (5) 20 Mites and ticks from a vehicle by Cretan mountain (7)
The octet associated with CHERRY STONES (19) is: tinker (1A), tailor (40), soldier (20), sailor (15), rich man (6A), poor man (23), beggar man (1D), thief (32). First prize Anthony Briggs, Brinkworth, WiltsRunners-up Donald Bain, Edinburgh; G.R. Greig, Victoria BC, Canada
