Gunnar Hallberg is a tall, big-boned Viking of a player, who, three decades ago, decided to cross the North Sea to raid the high-stake bridge clubs of England. He’s lived here ever since, and Sweden’s loss, it turns out, has been our gain. He’s gone on to represent England numerous times in European and world
Magnus Carlsen slammed the table with such force that the pieces jumped from the board. Immediately, he resigned his game against teenage world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, who thereby achieved his first victory in a classical (slow) game against the world no 1. His comment on Carlsen’s pique was typically gracious: ‘I’ve also banged a lot
White to play and win. In this classic endgame, promoting the pawn to a queen allows a knight fork, with a draw. A king move is needed to win – but which one? Email answers (first move only) to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 16 June. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for
Competition 3403 invited you to provide an extract from a prequel to a well-known work of prose or poetry. It was a stellar haul this week, with prose and poetry represented equally. I was sorry not to have space for Ralph Goldswain’s ‘Eleventh Night’, Brian Murdoch’s The Lion, the Witch and the Trip to Ikea,
Twelve unclued entries can form six new words (not in the grid) Across 4 Each Chrome browser’s opening changes online site for self-validation? (4,7) 12 No charge for these new dancing routines (9) 13 Goblin at last living in tree trunk (5) 14 Cover turned over, novel is Catch-22? (7) 15 Observe small branch (4)
The words are ‘bomb’ (suggested by BLOCKBUSTER (1A) and EGG (7A)), ‘comb’ (SLADE (18A) and DISENTANGLE (41A)) and ‘tomb’ (SHRINE (20A) and SPEOS (10D)). Together they form EYE-RHYMES (40A-25D) only. OMBRE (31D) is to be shaded. First prize Neville Twickel, Shipston-on-Stour, Warks Runners-up Seonaid Chapman, Brampton, Cumberland; Kenneth Mills, Londonderry
