To over-ruff or not to over-ruff? THAT is the question. Terence Reese said: ‘When you’re offered an over-ruff, think twice about it, and then reject it.’ If you have a natural trump trick, it’s usually wrong to waste it on an over-ruff, but when you don’t, it can be hard to resist. Good old Terence
England teams brought home a raft of medals from the European Senior Teams Championship, held last month in Swidnica, Poland. England’s first team were top seeds in the over-50s event, with an all-grandmaster lineup (Mark Hebden, John Emms, Keith Arkell, Glenn Flear and Chris Ward). They faced a serious challenge from Slovakia, whom they defeated
White to play. Steiger-Stebbings, European Senior Team Championship, 2023. White played 1 h2-h4, and a draw was agreed a few moves later. What opportunity did he overlook? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 28 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a
In Competition No. 3313, you were invited to supply a poem about the worms that were resurrected by scientists after being frozen in the Siberian permafrost for 46,000 years. The tiny roundworms, buried deep underground since the late Pleistocene, were brought back to life by being immersed in water and transported to Germany – in
The unclued lights, (four of two words), when arranged correctly, yield a famous TV quotation. One word does double duty; ignore an apostrophe too. Across 4 Oblige to provide lodgings? (11) 11 Spanish food of peas cooked with everybody inside (7) 14 Gave a present that’s not about to be old-fashioned (5) 19
The thirteen unclued lights are the name of COMPOSERS whose initial letters are A to M. First prize Stephen Rice, London SW1 Runners-up C.R. Haigh, Hassocks, West Sussex; Lynne Gilchrist, Willoughby, NSW, Australia
