Joy of chess keeps dark times in check | Brief letters

Flicking through the paper, I remarked that it was all bad news and upsetting items. Then I came across the centrefold photograph taken in Erzurum, Turkey and found myself close to tears. Young and old chess players together in a coffee house. What a great picture.Carol TaylorDarley Dale, Derbyshire Regarding unusual measurements (Letters, 15 March) my Scottish mother used to send me to the local Co-op to purchase a forpit of potatoes: a fourth part of a stone, ie three and a half pounds

Broncos reportedly send first-round pick to Dolphins in return for receiver Waddle

The Denver Broncos have reportedly traded for Miami Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle, a move that would add offensive firepower to a team that fell one win short of the Super Bowl last season.ESPN reports that the Broncos will send first-, third- and fourth-round picks in this year’s draft to the Dolphins in return for Waddle. The Broncos will also receive Miami’s fourth-round pick as part of the deal. If the deal is confirmed, the Dolphins will own the 11th and 30th picks in the first round of this year’s draft as they attempt to build around newly acquired quarterback Malik Willis.The Dolphins selected Waddle with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, reuniting him with his college quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was released by the Dolphins earlier this month

‘That’s why we wear USA’: US players embrace military ties before WBC final against Venezuela

The US will play Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic final on Tuesday, a meeting that comes after recent tensions between the two countries.In January, Donald Trump ordered a military operation that captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Since then, the US has launched a war against Iran, during which the American players have paid tribute to their country’s military. Players have saluted each other after victories and the team invited Robert J O’Neill, a former navy Seal who claims he killed Osama bin Laden, to give a locker room speech. Two of the team’s pitchers, Paul Skenes and Griffin Jax, played at the Air Force Academy and have spoken of the importance of honoring the military

The Breakdown | From Ramos to Carré: selecting the best XV of the 2026 Six Nations

The champions France lead with five players but every side is represented in pick from a tournament to savour15. Thomas Ramos FrancePlays like the lovechild of Mike Brown and Thomas Castaignède with Jonny Wilkinson levels of marksmanship thrown in. There was never any doubt he would nail that decisive final winning penalty in Paris, just as he did against England in Lyon two years ago. The 30-year-old is the first player to be the top points-scorer in four successive championships and now tops France’s all-time list.14

‘Everyone in Nashville is a Vandy fan’: how Shea Ralph sparked a women’s basketball revival in Music City

Shea Ralph’s decision to storm the court during the fourth quarter of Vanderbilt’s quarter-final against Ole Miss last Friday at the SEC Tournament wasn’t premeditated. Ralph, who up to that moment had never been thrown out of a game in her lengthy career, just did what she thought was right in arguing a questionable foul call.“I wasn’t trying to get kicked out,” Ralph told reporters after the game. “I know where I was on the court. But I also think that at that time what I said was warranted, and the action I took was warranted

‘I was struggling to feel my hands’: Aston Martin’s problems laid bare by Alonso’s woe in China | Giles Richards

The next round of the Formula One world championship in Japan will be the home race for the Aston Martin team’s engine manufacturer, Honda, at the Suzuka circuit. A celebratory affair, however, is not expected amid painful days for Honda, whose return to F1 has been marked by a failure to make the grade.Its engine’s shortcomings were exposed for the second successive race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. Fernando Alonso retired after 32 laps because the vibration from the engine was so severe he was losing feeling in his hands and feet. Hit teammate Lance Stroll had retired after 10 laps with a battery problem, an element of the hybrid engine that has plagued the manufacturer from day one