545 saturday review Saturday December 4 2021 | the times
MindGames The Times Crossword, Latin Crossword, Saturday Quiz and
Suko are in the back of the main paper
Codeword No 4450
Every letter in this crossword-style grid has been substituted for a number from
1 to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears at least once. Use the letters already
provided to work out further letters. Enter letters in the main grid and the
smaller reference grid. Proper nouns are excluded. Yesterday’s solution on page 52
Stuck on Codeword? To receive four random clues call 0901 293 6262 or text
TIMECODE to 64343. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company’s network access
charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. For the full solution call
0905 757 0142. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company’s network access
charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).
times2 Crossword No 8766
Across
1 Japanese emperor (6)
4 Payment for, eg,
information (6)
8 Profound (4)
9 Cause to feel isolated (8)
10 Altering (9)
13 Vacant (5)
15 (Of fruit) mature (5)
16 Quarrel (5)18 Type of dive into water
(5,4)
21 Set of letters (8)
22 Fibber (4)
23 Angry harangue (6)
24 Await; assume (6)Down
1 French woman's title (6)
2 Working (dough) (8)
3 Reproductive organ (5)
5 Sudden serious danger (9)
6 First man (4)
7 Unreal; very pleasant (6)
11 Revolutionary (9)
12 Drive forward (5)
14 Application to inflamed
areas (8)
16 Horrified (6)
17 Courage, determination (6)
19 Supple, limber (5)
20 Incentive (4)Solution to Crossword 87651 2 3 4 5 6 78 910 11 1213 141516 1718 192021 2223 24NEBRASKA LEAF
O U R N R E
DORIC INTERIM
D N H G A A U
ITS INHERITOR
N P T T I
GRAVEL TALCUM
N L H R A
DUNGAREES TAX
E E G R A E W
COXCOMB USAGE
O E A C S L
RUDE BLUEBELLNeed 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).
Bridge Andrew Robson
I think you’ll find the winning
line on today’s Six Hearts from
rubber bridge very satisfying.
West leads a passive ten of
hearts.At the table, declarer drew
trumps ending in dummy and
ran the jack of clubs. No good
— West won the king, exited
passively with the ten of clubs,
and declarer had to lose a
spade at the end. One down.
“Hard luck,” said North.
“My finesses always fail,”
said South ruefully.
Confucius say, “He whose
finesses always fail is not good
bridge player.”
Declarer neglected the
potential for a long diamond.
Win the opening heart in hand
and immediately cross to the
ace of diamonds and ruff a dia-
mond. Now cross to the queen
of hearts and ruff a third dia-
mond, revealing the 4-3 split.
Two more dummy entries
and you can enjoy the fifth
diamond. But where are they?
See if you can spot the clever
— and 100 per cent certain —
way to succeed. Here is the
position with the lead in your
hand.Lead the queen of clubs (key
play). This puts the defender
with the king (here, West) in a
lose-lose dilemma. If West
ducks, you can cash the ace,
ruff a club, and merely con-
cede a spade at the end.
Say West beats the queen of
clubs with the king and leads a
second club (nothing better).
You win dummy’s jack (now a
beautiful entry) and ruff a
fourth diamond. You now ...
drumroll ... ruff your ace of clubs
and cash the fifth diamond, dis-
carding the ten of spades.
Twelve tricks and slam made.
There was no defence —
although if West kicks off with
a spade, you must guess to
play low from dummy, not the
queen.[email protected]♠ J 8 7
♥ 10 9
♦ Q 10 4
♣ K 10 9 7 3
♠ A 10
♥ A K J 8 6 5 4
♦ 8
♣ A Q 5♠ Q 4 3
♥ Q 3 2
♦ A 7 5 3 2
♣ J 2
♠ K 9 6 5 2
♥ 7
♦ K J 9 6
♣ 8 6 4SEN
WDealer South N-S VulS W N E
1 ♥ Pass 2♥(1) Pass
4 ♦(2) Pass 5♦(3) Pass
6 ♥ end
(1) Fairly close between 2♦ and 2♥
but, “If in doubt, support.”
(2) Splinter bid, showing slammy val-
ues (even facing a weak raise) and
diamond shortage.
(3) Maximum with no wasted dia-
mond pictures, North makes a con-
trol-showing bid beyond game.♠ J 8 7
♥ -
♦ Q
♣ K 10 9 7 3
♠ A 10
♥ A 8 6 5
♦ -
♣ A Q 5♠ Q 4 3
♥ 3
♦ 7 5 3
♣ J 2
♠ K 9 6 5
♥ -
♦ K J
♣ 8 6 4SEN
WMindset by 700 Literary Quiz
1 Divide into four sets of four. What links the sets? The Times Literary Desk
BLACKBURN BLAST CRIME HAWK LIVE
MOP NAME ONE PHONE RAM RANGE
ROME SOPRANO STARK THEME VOID2 In a poll of Mindset solvers, exactly two-sevenths said they liked
question one best; an exact number of fifths (more than none) said
that they liked question two best; 700 said they liked question three
best. How many were polled?3 Replace the dashes with the same four letters in the same order
to reveal an author:
- / - - - - / W E L L
Answers on page 53Numerical Novels
Fill in the numbers a to f
(the author is in brackets).
The total should give you the
number for g.a Station --- (Mandel)
b Daisy Jones & the --- (Reid)
c The --- Husbands of Evelyn
Hugo (Reid)
d Slaughterhouse --- (Vonnegut)
e --- Day (Nicholls)
f The --- Tailors (Sayers)
g The --- Steps (Buchan)
Answers on page 53The Listener Crossword No 4688 Harry East by Lath
Senders of the first three
correct entries drawn will
receive Brewer’s Dictionary of
Phrase and Fable or may
choose from a selection of
other books (see below). Send
your entry with contact
details completed to: Listener
Crossword 4688, 63 Green
Lane, St Albans,
Hertfordshire AL3 6HE, to
arrive by December 16.Name ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Postcode .............................................................................. Phone number ....................................................................................................................
In 13 clues a letter is missing (not in the definition) and must be restored before solving; these spell a
question. Definitions in 25 other clues have a misprint of one letter; the corrections give an
instruction. The remaining seven clues each contain two consecutive letters, to be removed before
solving; the pairs, suffixed by the number of letters in the clue’s first word, form a thematic sequence.
Two colours in the grid hint at the notation to be added in the 16 blank cells at the bottom and right.
Solvers must carry out the instruction, then follow the sequence (filling the barred-off cell), to spell
out the question’s answer. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary reference; 16 is in the OED;
17 is in Collins English Dictionary; one answer is a foreign word.
Across
1 Soprano and bass ignored by Italian
conductor when you see Domingo fellow?
(6)
5 Loop on coat canvas enabled catching local
newt (6)
10 Mini fumes petrol supplier garages need to
restrain (9, two words)
12 Nigerian ready with $100 in singing round,
like legendary Skyfall character? (7)
15 Bond projections are seen in antique fête (4)
16 Filled with dire scorn, clot measures records
on paper (9)
17 Dropping books, rebuff one who’s fitter? (4)
20 Gas making oik again into beer’s content (6)
21 Scar on lower back initially explains the
injury to horse’s knee (7)
22 Rotator attached to blade destroyed tree (5)
24 Shaw drama succeeding to flout (7)
26 Very advanced hour for God’s name (5)
28 Ironic song incorporated in Indian theme
(6)
31 Feature with bands in France redesigning
sleeve mostly (5)
33 Ian’s brains sharpen when tipsy (5)
34 Pious Sikhs start to sing pean by empty
temples (5)
36 Banes of marine colonies: orca swimming all
around (7)
37 Rock around part of Leon (4)
38 Maybe furnishing with silly house rings
untrue (7)
39 Pure WBC smash drug (5)
40 Write “tbc” after Long Parliament (4)
41 Old French gin measure chilled with
twist (6)Down
1 Somalia takes Ethiopian cash for Italian
“meat” man? (6)
2 Book bout after date with English
astronomer born in Germany (5)
3 Before food take energy measurement Trish
once set at 7840 units (4)
4 Dinar being accepted, at last, Faroq has
rooms in Topkapi perhaps (4)
5 Window foam freelance trader supplies (6)
6 Previous low temperature raveller raised (5)
7 Special area for Cheltenham bash? (3)
8 Related Scottish corps nearly lifts shooter (6)
9 Wars to split terms with interjection of
keynote in front of Times Square (6)
11 Dance around expert, short of bashing (7)
13 Con crossing American streets in New York
State that is relatively close (10)
14 As a thole pin and ball, both missing top (5,
two words)
18 Do a rewarding job on her spare change (8)
19 Endlessly eat Mississippi pork fats (5)
22 Indian griddle set up in haven, fat free of
base (5)
23 Chinese learner failing, not having
succeeded in arts that refute (7)
24 Cottage having lost gate, Q factor had
altered (6)
25 Grass near spa in Largs street in year of
Queen’s reign (5)
27 Chose row of bushes hard on border (5)
29 Aged kindred spirit finally line dancing (5)
30 Mouth US language of second era (5)
32 Losing nothing, most working with right to
mow a certain way (5)
35 Assorted sea food barbecued on skewers (4)Prize options and more at
listenercrossword.comMore information about
Chambers books can be found
at chambers.co.ukListener 4685 solution on
page 52