5 h. ago I was a chess prodigy trapped in a religious cult. It left me with years of fear and self

Growing up dirt poor in Arizona’s Church of Immortal Consciousness, I showed an early talent for the game. Soon the cult’s leader began grooming me to become a grandmaster – even if it meant separating me from my mother When I first discovered chess, after watching the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer on HBO, I was a nine-year-old kid living in a tiny village in the mountains of Arizona. Because of its title, many people think the film is about Bobby Fischer, the reclusive chess genius who bested the Soviet Union in 1972, defeating Boris Spassky to become the first US-born world chess champion in history. Really, it’s about how the American chess world was desperate to find the next Bobby Fischer after the first one disappeared. The story follows Josh Waitzkin, a kid from Greenwich Village in New York, who sits down at a chess board with a bunch of homeless dudes in the park one day and miraculously discovers that he’s a child prodigy – at least that is the Hollywood version of the...

Politics

46 h. ago Air ambulance lands on tiny roundabout in middle of Valleys village

Emergency services were called to the middle of Tylorstown, in the Rhondda, on Friday morning

Politics

4 d. ago The tiny eastern European village overrun by Chinese tourists for its famed snack

Momchilovtsi hosts an unique festival annually celebrating its local yoghurt

Politics

5 d. ago The tiny village bolthole that sells one of the country's best sandwiches

Wright's Food Emporium, is a cafe, deli, and wine store that's rarely not busy - and it's easy to see why

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6 d. ago Tiny village bolthole sells one of Wales' best sandwiches and I have to stop on every drive west

And everything else is ridiculously delicious too at this Carmarthenshire restaurant icon

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1 week ago Tiny UK seaside village with 'exceptional' beach that 'still feels like a secret'

This coastal corner of the UK offers 'something special' with cute towns and villages, incredible landscapes, and spots that almost redefine the word beauty

Society

1 week ago Waterfall in tiny village draws huge crowds but everyone has the same complaint

The village is home to one of the most famous waterfalls in Europe, but locals have been left frustrated by the constant flow of tourists to the 'stunning' area

Politics

1 week ago Huge crowds flock to waterfall in tiny Welsh village and locals are furious

There has been such a stampede of visitors for the 'most famous' waterfalls in Europe that the local village has been brought to a standstill and locals have been left trapped in their homes.

Politics

1 week ago Tiny Scottish village with just five residents where cars and bikes are banned

The coastal village is only accessible on foot and the few remaining residents transport groceries using wheelbarrows

Events

1 week ago This affordable harbour hotel is one of the best in Wales and has amazing seafood

Despite its four-star status and stylish interiors this harbourside hotel is surprisingly affordable

Society

1 week ago The tiny Stirling village that is home to 'best campsite in Scotland'

It was called "an ideal base" to explore the surrounding area.

Politics

4 w. ago Cotswolds village dubbed Britain's Beverly Hills has just one pub and a cafe

The tiny chocolate box village of Great Tew in Oxfordshire has just 156 residents and is served by one pub and a small cafe - but A-listers are moving in in their droves

Politics

4 w. ago Tiny village has a pub and a campsite where you can eat spectacular seafood by one of Wales’ best beaches

Pan-fried seabass, rich lobster tails, and native oysters slurped straight from the shell, Wales is having an absolute moment when it comes to seafood

Society

last month ‘Who needs the scorching Med?’ Readers’ tips for cooler European coastal holidays

From the deserted Danish Riviera to the unspoilt beaches of Poland, our readers share their favourite, more chilled European coastlines• Tell us about your favourite rail holiday – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherSpend some time on Rügen, Germany’s largest island, on its Baltic coast. White sandy beaches and darker history await. Visit Lauterbach, by the sea. From there, catch the coastal ferry to the tiny fishing village of Baabe, a near three-mile (5km) walk/cycle through rolling countryside and catch the “Raging Roland” steam train back again. Not far away, you can walk the cliffs that inspired Caspar David Friedrich. For a very different day, visit Prora and its massive beachside concrete apartment blocks, originally planned as a Nazi holiday complex, before becoming a Soviet army barracks, and now a part ruin, part reunification commercial and residential redevelopment.Richard Continue reading...

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