‘There are only three kinds of Bridge players; those who can count and those who can’t.’ And there are only two types of reader: those who find this funny and those who, like me, don’t. It’s not so much that it’s hard to count to 13 – it isn’t really – it’s just that there
The final weekend of the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) took place on the early May bank holiday, and promised a close race between the defending champions Wood Green and the strong Manx Liberty team, who began the weekend a couple of match points in front. The league looked likely to be decided in a
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Joseph Cowley, The Chess Bouquet, 1897. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 9 May. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery.
In Comp. 3402 you were invited to submit a poem or passage about an unusual predilection. The quirks ranged from wildly fantastical to having the ring of truth. Mike Morrison, Paddy Mullin, David Shields, Elizabeth Kay, Adrian Fry and Nick Syrett were close contenders, but the vouchers go to those below. In supermarket checkout queues,
The unclued lights, all but one being two or more words and some could include a hyphen, are of a kind. Across 6 Powers which followed BL in Texas (6) 12 Loathed nerd having left one-armed bandit damaged (10) 13 Blackwood, bridge player, rather gaunt (5) 15 Graham is on manoeuvres with NZ crime writer
The unclued lights each contain E as their only vowel four times. Down solutions at 4, 5 and 36 include three Es and those at 6, 10 and 38 include two Es. First prize Alison Howard, Tunbridge Wells Runners-up A.C.R. Bull, Canterbury; Wyn Lewis, Carmarthen
