The Times - UK (2021-12-06)

the times | Monday December 6 2021 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

three 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 17 words, average;

23, good; 27, very good; 32, excellent

 



 
 

 
 

  

 


 


  

  

 
 



 

Introrse (a) Turned

inwards (Chambers)

Gambo (c) A simple farm

cart (Collins)

Wardour Street English

(a) The affected use of

archaic words (Brewer’s)

Kakuro 3059

Sudoku 12,840

Killer 8049

Futoshiki 4100

Cell Blocks 4333

Suko 3352

Train Tracks 1497

Word watch

1 China 2 Rice 3 Henry V 4 Dominic Cummings

5 The Killing 6 Black or White 7 Cohorts 8 Urban

Dictionary 9 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to

the Forum 10 Jeanne Calment. It is the greatest fully

authenticated age to which a human has lived 11 Koko,

who was originally named Hanabiko 12 Frances Moore

Lappé 13 Francis Picabia 14 Snooker 15 Yinka Shonibare

Correction In Thursday’s Daily Quiz, we said Isaac

Newton was the last scientist to appear on a UK £1 note.

In fact, Alexander Graham Bell appeared more recently,

on a commemorative run of Scottish £1 notes issued in

1997. We apologise for the error.

Quiz

Saturday’s answers

abed, abet, absent, absentee, band, bane,

base, basement, bast, baste, bate, bated,

bats, bead, beam, bean, beast, beat,

bedmate, beet, bema, bend, bent, beset,

best, beta, debase, debasement, debate,

debt, embed, seabed, stab, tabes

times2 CrosswordNo 8767 Brain Trainer

ANSWER

EASY 14

ANSWER

MEDIUM^21

ANSWER

HARDER 97

75% + 6

OF IT

x 6

+ 688

/ 7

OF IT

4

x 4 + 957

30%

OF IT

+ 6

x 2 – 363

x 2

x 6 + 99

50%

OF IT

/ 3

OF IT

2

/ 2

OF IT

+^1

SQUARE

IT

+ x 2 – 42 / 3

OF IT

2

/ 3

OF IT

(^2) / 6
OF IT
(^5) 80%
OF IT
/ 6
OF IT
5
/ 3
OF IT
+^2 – 875
Across
1 Recommended but not
compulsory (8)
5 Counterpart in another
organisation (4)
9 Inspiring support (13)
10 Failure (4)
11 Canadian province (7)
13 State emphatically (6)
15 Cardboard container (6)
18 Large grassland area (7)
20 Pastry dishes (4)
23 Way of rewarding
employees (6-7)
24 Location (4)
25 Upside down (8)
Down
1 Assert (4)
2 Relating to the voice (5)
3 Thwart (7)
4 Cause, justification (6)
6 Sad-faced clown (7)
7 Friendly, confident (8)
8 Cease work; remainder (4)
12 Wind instrument (3,5)
14 At full speed (4,3)
16 Pacify, placate (7)
17 British admiral (6)
19 Precipitation (4)
21 Official order (5)
22 Very old (4)
Solution to Crossword 8766
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8
9
10 11
12
13 14 15 16
17
18 19 20 21
22
23
24 25
MIKADO REWARD
A N V M D R
DEEP ALIENATE
A A R R M A
MODIFYING M
E I I M EMPTY
N RIPEN O
ARGUE E C U S
G BELLYFLOP
H S R I T I
ALPHABET LIAR
S U N H C I
TIRADE EXPECT
Cell Blocks No 4334
© PUZZLER MEDIA
Polygon Set Square No 3063
Please note, BODMAS does not apply
Killer Gentle No 8050 Solutions
Killer Tricky No 8051
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).
The Lords took a 25-21 lead in
their annual fixture v the
Commons, sponsored by Lord
Kalms. The Lords, probably the
stronger team on paper, won this
year’s fixture by 67 IMPs, a size-
able margin, although the
Commons were slightly ahead at
half-time.
Board 11 (of 24) was an interest-
ing 4♠. West leads the jack of
partner’s hearts, declarer winning
dummy’s ace and leading a spade
to the jack.
West wins the queen of spades
and, knowing declarer is heartless
(given East’s 2♥ bid), brightly
switches to a club. Declarer plays
low from dummy, East winning
the king and declarer following
low from hand.
If East now leads the king of
hearts, declarer ruffs, draws
trumps and cashes the ace-king of
diamonds, felling West’s queen. He
can now overtake the queen of
clubs with the king to lead a third
diamond towards the ten, restrict-
ing East to the jack. Ten tricks.
East does best to lead back a sec-
ond club. This removes dummy’s
club entry before the ace-king of
diamonds have been cashed, and it
may now appear declarer cannot
succeed. The fall of the bare eight
of spades, however, comes to
declarer’s rescue. He wins the
queen of clubs (not overtaking),
and can cross to dummy’s precious
seven of spades to cash the ace of
clubs and drop a diamond. Ten
tricks made.
What if the six and seven of
spades are swapped, preventing
declarer from being able to reach
dummy’s second spade? There is a
way to succeed even after West
finds the club switch to East’s king.
Can you spot it?
You must unblock the queen of
clubs under the king (key play).
East cannot afford to lead a second
club now — or dummy’s ace-ten
will win two tricks. He’ll probably
try a top heart but you can ruff,
draw trumps, cash the ace-king of
diamonds (felling the queen), cross
to the ace of clubs, and lead
towards the ten of diamonds.
Game made.
Victorious Lords team:
Baroness Henig (capt) - Earl of
Caithness, Lord Kalms - Lord
Hamilton, Baroness Blackstone -
James Cooper, Lord Oaksey - Lord
Mendoza.
[email protected]
Contract: 4♠, Opening Lead: ♥J
Dealer: North, Vulnerability: Neither
N
W E
S
Pass Pass
1 ♠ Pass 1NT 2♥
4 ♠(1) End
(1) Practical leap given the self-supporting
suit.
S W N E
♠ 8
♥KQ854
♦J953
♣KJ9
Teams ♠ 73
♥A62
♦ 842
♣A10653
♠AKJ1095
♥ 3
♦AK107
♣Q2
♠Q642
♥J1097
♦Q6
♣ 874
Bridge Andrew Robson
ASS I ST
HE
DEFEAT
LR
BLEACH
H
BREATH
AR
GLEN
OU
STOCK
KE
1 Help
2 Mural
3 Marital
4 Sensory
5 Extra time
1 Qxe5+! (curiously, the bishop
on b2 proves to be more
valuable than the queen) 1 ...
Bxe5 2 Rxe5 and the threat of
3 Rxe8 mate is overwhelming.
The only way for Black to avoid
mate is to jettision material with
2 ... Rf6 3 Rxe8+ Bxe8 4 Bxf6+
Qg7 5 Bxg7+ Kxg7 but then
White is a clear piece ahead
SCARRED DEAN
T R E Y O M
EAT PANFRIED
P I A A R A
LUCKY MANK I ND
A M O O C O
DAPPER STPAUL
D A N D A E
ENT I TLE STARS
R E N H U C
FLESHIER DUE
L A S E I N
MARS ENDMOST
Lexica 6120
Lexica 6119
Chess — Winning Move
Quintagram
Quick Cryptic 2019
Easy 56; Medium 502; Harder 2,431
Set Square 3062
Brain Trainer
KenKen 5442
Codeword 4450
Square Routes
143
Tredoku 1711
S D V E S
E R A L O
G T W I P
I S E L S
O N A C E