Times 2 - UK (2020-09-16)

the times | Wednesday September 16 2020 1GT 15

MindGames

© PUZZLER MEDIA

Divide the grid

into square or

rectangular

blocks, each

containing one

digit only. Every

block must

contain the

number of cells

indicated by the

digit inside it.

Enter each of

the numbers

from 1 to 9 in

the grid, so that

the six sums

work. We’ve

placed two

numbers to get

you started.

Each sum

should be

calculated left

to right or top

to bottom.

From these letters, make words of

four or more letters, always including

the central letter. Answers must be in

the Concise Oxford Dictionary, excluding

capitalised words, plurals, conjugated

verbs (past tense etc), adverbs ending

in LY, comparatives and superlatives.

How you rate 12 words, average;

16, good; 21, very good; 27, excellent

 

 

  


  

 

 
 

  

  

 


 

HC

OUZO

BBO

REBATE

IU Y

GABBL E

COMB

HIA

POL LED

KKA

BEVY G

E

Kakuro 2741

Futoshiki 3782 Lexica 5484

Cell Blocks 3951 Set Square 2744 Lexica 5483

Suko 2970

Train Tracks 1122

Word watch

The only winning move is 1

Kd2! which keeps the black

pawns under control. The

following is a typical variation:

1 ... c3+ 2 Kxd3! cxb2 3 Kc2 bxa

4 Kb1. Now the black pawns

are stymied and the black king

must give way. After 4 ... Kg

5 e7 White promotes and wins.

White actually blundered with

1 Kb1? and after 1 ... c3! 2 axb

(2 bxc3 d2 3 Kc2 bxa3) 2 ... d

3 Kc2 cxb2 the black pawns

crashed through

Ojibwa (c) An Algonquin

language

Ojek (a) A trader who

transports goods on a bicycle

Oisivity (c) Idleness

Chess — Winning Move

1 Live

2 Casino

3 Licence

4 Quantum

5 Diamonds

Quintagram

1 Sherwood Forest 2 Hollyoaks 3 Mahatma Gandhi

4 Odin 5 Guys and Dolls 6 King Louie 7 Napolina 8 Jack

Vettriano 9 Earl Grey (Charles Grey) 10 Tarsiers

11 Paul Taylor 12 Günter Wallraff 13 Australian rules

football 14 Armand Duplantis 15 Uxmal

Quiz

Easy 77; Medium 112; Harder 2

Brain Trainer

Yesterday’s answers

cel, cep, clerk, clue, cru, cruel, cue, cup,

cupel, cur, cure, curl, ecru, ecu, luce, luck,

lucre, pec, peck, pluck, plucker, puce,

puck, pucker, rec, reck, ruck, ruckle, ulcer

times2 CrosswordNo 8385 Brain Trainer

AN

S

WE

R

MEDIUM 32 +^8 x 2 – 4^2 +^6 + 4^9 ÷^4

DOUBLE

IT

(^1) / 222
OF IT

• DOUBLE
  IT
  A
  N
  S
  EASY 4 x^6 +^33 +^3 ÷^10 x^3 DOUBLE+ 1^1 WER
  IT
  (^2) + 12
  (^1) / 22
  OF IT


• 
  

  AN
  S
  HARDER WER
  54

  
  

• 12 x 6 ÷ 3 2 – 7 0 ÷ 2 x 4 – 9 0 ÷ 11

(^11) / 22
OF IT

• Across
  7 Fish;sit( 5 )
  8 Llamarelatiiive( 7 )
  9 Painter( 2 , 5 )
  10 Shortpoem( 5 )
  11 Solemnceremony( 4 )
  12 Toanextent( 8 )
  15 Unwantedpost( 4 , 4 )
  16 Withlittlelight( 4 )
  19 Humpeddcreature(( 5 ))
  21 Deviceusedbyyy,eg,asthma
  sufffffferer( 7 )
  22 Repeatedperffformances( 7 )
  23 Feel;one'sreason( 5 )
  Down
  1 Comeintosight( 6 )
  2 Makelighter( 8 )
  3 Impudence( 5 )
  4 Milkprocessors( 7 )
  5 Notdifffffficult( 4 )
  6 Largeareaoftrees( 6 )
  8 Internationalrelationsas
  infffluencedbyphysical
  environment( 11 )
  1113 Promontory( 8 )
  14 Beseech( 7 )
  15 Horseracingrider( 6 )
  17 Ediblepartofnut( 6 )
  18 CapitalofTibet( 5 )
  20 Agreatdeal( 4 )
  SolutiontoCrossword 8384
  1 2 3 4 5 6
  7 8
  9 10
  11 12 13
  14
  15 16 17
  18
  19 20 21
  22 23
  PYTHAGORAS
  C A A A A A H
  REFINED DINGO
  A F K R G G P
  SOAP HOMEHELP
  H I P N T I
  BARYON PROTON
  A L L Y H G
  RESOLVED ORAL
  R N S P M I I
  IDIOT TRELL IS
  E F E O N L T
  REFERENDUM
  Cell Blocks No 3952
  © PUZZLER MEDIA
  Polygon Set Square No 2745
  Please note, BODMAS does not apply
  Killer Tricky No 7350 Solutions
  Killer Deadly No 7351
  As with standard Sudoku, fill the grid so that every column,
  every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Each set
  of cells joined by dotted lines must add up to the target number
  in its top-left corner. Within each set of cells joined by dotted
  lines, a digit cannot be repeated.
  Need help with today’s puzzle? Call 0905 757 0143 to check the
  answers. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company’s
  network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).
  Cluelines Stuck on Sudoku, Killer or KenKen? Call 0901 293
  6263 before midnight to receive four clues for any of today’s
  puzzles. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company’s network
  access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).
  TThheeNNeexxttLLeeevvvvvvvvvveeeeeell
  3333 ..TTrriicckkkkkkkkyyyyLLeeaaddss
  ((iiiiii))LLeeaaddiinnggppaarrttnneerr’’’sssbbiiddssuuiitt
  There are two issues here.
  (A) Should you lead partner’s suit?
  (B) If you do, which card should
  ( y
  you choose?
  (A). Sometimes, partner has
  stuck out his neck to attract the lead
  eg ( 1 ♠)-P-(2♣)- 2 ♦... After the two-
  over-one response, partner will
  have suspected he won’t win the
  bidding. The reason why he’s bid is
  simple — he wants the lead. If you
  don’t lead a diamond here, there can
  be only two explanations — you
  forgot he bid (oops), or you’re void.
  yy
  Conversely, say partner has
  merely responded to your opening
  bid. eg 1♦-(P)- 1 ♥-(1♠)... He may
  have four measly hearts and is not
  bidding for the lead at all. Lead
  ♥K from ♥Kx at your peril.
  In order of keenness to lead, an
  overcall comes first (five good
  cards, often bid primarily for the
  lead). An opening bid comes next.
  y
  A response to an opener (which
  could easily be four small cards)
  comes last.
  However, it could be wrong to
  lead even partner’s overcall. Take
  the auction (1♦)- 1 ♠-(3NT). My
  experience is the 3NT bidder
  (especially a quick and confident
  one) is happy to see a spade lead;
  y
  you may do better to try the
  “sneak attack” of a heart (or club).
  yy y
  (B). If you do lead partner’s suit,
  you should generally “lead the nor-
  mal card”. Don’t lead eg ♦Q from
  ♦Q73 or ♦K from ♦K93; lead a
  low-for-like ♦ 3 in each case, just as
  you would if you were leading the
  suit with partner not having bid it.
  Always leading top of partner’s
  suit may be clear and simple but it
  costs too many tricks (you may
  y
  need ♦Q/♦K later). However, if
  yyy
  you’re leading from a holding that
  includes the ace, you must lead the
  ace (except in notrumps, where
  y
  there’s no risk you’ll lose it).
  If West had led ♠K (“I always
  lead top of partner’s suit”), declarer
  y
  would have racked up an overtrick,
  as ♠Q would have been promoted.
  Instead, West led ♠4, low-for-like.
  East won trick one with ♠A and
  returned ♠J. Declarer, placing West
  with ♠K for his low-for-like ♠ 4
  lead, played low (best) and ♠J held.
  Now came an important moment.
  It did not matter within the suit
  itself which third spade East led, so
  the card became a suit preference
  signal. East led♠ 10 (as opposed to
  ♠ 2 ) for the higher-ranking hearts
  over clubs. West beat ♠Q with
  ♠K and now knew to lead ♥ 4
  (not♣J which would have given
  away the game). East beat ♥Q
  with♥A and cashed♠ 52 — two
  down. [email protected]
  N
  W E
  S
  1 ♦ 1 ♠
  1NT 2♠ 3NT( 1 ) End
  (1) Six running diamonds — only three more
  tricks for 3NT.
  S W N E
  ♠AJ10 52
  ♥A 53
  ♦ 96
  ♣ 542
  ♠ 73
  ♥KQ
  ♦AKQJ4 2
  ♣K 3
  ♠Q 98
  ♥ 1097
  ♦ 1087
  ♣AQ 86
  ♠K 64
  ♥J 864
  ♦ 53
  ♣J 1097
  Dealer: North
  Vul: Neither
  Bridge Andrew Robson
  $02817 :( , 5'
  $ 3 2 $ 1 ,
  $3(5, 7 , ) '
  / , ( , &
  %(5 '$5.$(


• 2 7 6
  5$7$ +$:.(
  7 ) , 2
  &+$03 ,21 5,$
  ( , 6 5
  5$ ,1 +2*6+($'
  5 & 7 2 , )
  675(66 '(387(
  Sudoku 11,
  Killer 7348
  Sudoku 11,
  Killer 7349
  Sudoku 11,
  Quick Cryptic 1701
  KenKen 5060
  Codeword 4068
  3 x 30 7 + 27 10 + 11 10 x 17
  7x278+248x137+
  10+177x203+308+
  10x114+208x244x
  27
  21
  33 21
  110
  189
  24 80 192
  170
  140
  90
  32 104 27
  34
  Tetonor 83