Chequers is the official country house of the British prime minister. It stands in the English countryside, about thirty miles northwest of London, in Buckinghamshire. The prime minister goes there at weekends, to rest, and to meet other leaders in a quieter place than 10 Downing Street in the city. When British news says the prime minister is at Chequers, they mean this house. It was given to the nation for that use. Though actually, the name has nothing to do with the board game, and it is not just another spelling of checkers. It comes from a family who once owned the house. Their surname pointed back to the Exchequer, the old office that looked after the country’s money. Capital C, always: it is a place name.