The Times - UK (2022-01-01)

505 saturday review Saturday January 1 2022 | the times

MindGames The Times Crossword, Latin Crossword, Saturday Quiz and

Suko are in the back of the main paper

Codeword No 4474

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 48

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 8790

Across

1 Hindered, impeded (8)

6 Purpose, intention (3)

8 Gymnastics equipment (8,4)

9 Skin; race (4)

10 National Park in

California (8)

12 Feeling of sickness (6)

14 Very probably (6)

16 Reserves for fighting (3,5)

18 Yin counterpart (4)

20 Expert in early

development (12)

22 Some (3)

23 Turncoat (8)

Down

2 Fruit (5)

3 Iron mineral (7)

4 Group event (5,4)

5 Expected; proper (3)

6 Book for photos (5)

7 Relating to marriage (7)

11 Variety of maize (9)

13 Red cell deficiency (7)

15 Arranging of hair (7)

17 Support the weight of (5)

19 Well known (5)

21 Rowing blade (3)

Solution to Crossword 8789

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9 10 11

12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19

20 21

22 23

FACADE INFO

L A I S N L

RANT SKELETAL

R C C L R S

TECHNO FETCH

U N P I

OPERATIONALLY

E I R E

OFTEN TUCKIN

W R U R A S

INCAMERA NOUN

E C D I T R

GRIT STOOGE

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).

Bridge Andrew Robson

Better players bid more slams.

This is not only because they

have superior artificial tools

and bidding judgement. It is

entirely sensible — because

they are more likely to make

the resulting slam. Why bid a

theoretically good slam, if you

lack the experience or skill to

make it?

West led the king of spades,

declarer winning the ace and

at trick two looking no further

than a heart to the queen.

West happily won her bare

king and could now cash the

queen-jack of spades. East dis-

carded her two clubs, where-

upon West switched to a club.

East ruffed, and had to score a

further trump trick with her

remaining ♥J10. Two down.

Instead of saying, “Hard

luck, partner”, North said,

“Did you know that a small

slam can be made on about

one in ten deals?” It was an

apparently unrelated point but

actually it was a rather cruel

one ...

Declarer won West’s king of

spades lead with the ace and

knew she couldn’t afford to

lose the lead to West (who had

two spade winners to cash —

East was known to be out of

spades). Declarer’s main hope

was East having the king of

hearts in a 3-2 split. However,

there was an extra chance —

namely West having the bare

king of hearts.

At trick two, declarer led a

heart to her ace. If nothing

interesting happened, she

would cross back to dummy

and lead up a second heart.

Here, the ace felled West’s king.

At trick three, declarer led a

low heart to dummy’s nine.

East won the ten and switched

to a diamond but declarer won

dummy’s king, led a heart to

the eight, cashed the queen

felling East’s jack, and ran the

clubs, dumping her two losing

spades. Slam made.

Note, the declarer in 4♥ at

Table One should have played

the same way. A heart to the ace

is a cost-nothing safety play.

[email protected]

♠ K Q J 6 3 2

♥ K

♦ J 8 5

♣ 6 5 2

♠ 9 8 5

♥ A Q 8 4 3

♦ A Q

♣ K J 8

♠ A 7 4

♥ 9 5 2

♦ K 9

♣ A Q 10 7 3

♠ 10

♥ J 10 7 6

♦ 10 7 6 4 3 2

♣ 9 4

S

E

N

W

Dealer West Both Vul

Table Two

Table One

S W N E

2 ♠(1) 3♣(2) Pass

3 ♥(3) Pass 4♥ end

(1) Weak Two, showing a good six-

card suit and 5-10 points.

(2) Marginal but passing is so supine.

(3) Forcing with five or more cards.

S W N E

2 ♠ 3 ♣ Pass

3 ♥ Pass 4♥ Pass

5 ♥(1) Pass 5♠(2) Pass

6 ♥ end

(1) Trying for slam, implying two

losers in the opposing spades.

(2) Showing the ace, in case partner

has grand slam aspirations.

Mindset by 700 Literary Quiz

1 A straightorward cod to bgin wih. Spot the tpgaphical mistaes. The Times Literary Desk

What is the actua hdde messae?

2 Harshad numbers are divisible by the sum of their digits.

The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6 and 7 all form the start of a run of

four Harshad numbers. More interestingly, so do 510 and 1014.

Find a larger number (below 3000) that begins a run of four

Harshad numbers.

3 Identify the three linked themes:

BAT, BOMB, CARAMBA, FRIDAY, GROUND, MALE, PIG,

WARTS, YES

Answers on page 49

Happy Public Domain Day!

January 1 is the day each year

when certain books come out

of copyright in the US. The

following 1926 titles are now

in the public domain but who

wrote them?

1 Winnie-the-Pooh

2 The Sun Also Rises

3 These Old Shades

4 The Murder of Roger

Ackroyd

Answers on page 49

The Listener Crossword No 4692 Whodunnit? by Kruger

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 4692,

63 Green Lane, St Albans,

Hertfordshire AL3 6HE, to

arrive by January 13.

Name ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Postcode .............................................................................. Phone number ....................................................................................................................

Clues are given in alphabetical order of their answers, which must be entered where they will fit.

Four thematic answers are clued by wordplay only. Nineteen other clues contain a misprint of one

letter in the definition; in normal order of grid entries, the correct letters describe changes that

must be made to complete the puzzle correctly. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary

reference but doesn’t have the answer to the asterisked clue.

Clues

American regularly diddled president’s

assistant (4)

Not quite ready to accept second piece of

advice: “Watch fish with this” (5)

Picked up table to shift (5)

Liqueur for two persons to be contrarily too

much? (8)

Before taking food, surgeon boarding plane (7)

Baronet secures rare unorthodox biretta (6)

Stuffs flying creatures (working inside) (6)

Papers held by brother, nearly all nuptial (6)

Band leader’s bridge (4)

Terrorist groups are mostly eliminated from

vaults (5)

About to eat the best part of tough roach (5)

Two-thirds of collection for old society of

booksellers (6)

Cramp beginning to compound sprain (5)

Perhaps feels daughter’s joining phoney seance

shortly (6)

* Adapted cars ready: they may look after old

people (9, two words)

Irish PC about to ignore one mail-coach (4)

Drab encampment area in Durham (4)

Historical letters in dilapidated shed (4)

Anger against end of tax-free ROI (4)

Brick no longer used in Green’s redevelopment

— that’s not right (6)

Australian in Edinburgh festival almost

succeeding (6)

When Ford is not used, unlikely to run (4)

Informal hairstyle on attention seeker? (5)

Heathen doesn’t have India in mind (6)

Well-known resident of Perth recollected in

English ditty (8)

Prince of Wales’ degree in Gaelic possibly

curtailed (5)

Reportedly evil champion (6)

Hidden talent evolved (6)

A bit of originality in crazy meal (6)

Endlessly saw moat reaching the ankles? (4)

Report son is in difficulty (4)

Piece removed from silk with special oils (5)

It peals within spire, rapidly rising (5)

Admirable corps meeting another (4)

On Central Time now (6)

Charging agent before heartless granting of

tenancy (9)

Trick Oxford University to initially recommend

austerity (6)

Maybe horse galloped around most common

part of Goodwood (4)

Sitting in judgment, we hear (4)

Spades to pack round sulphur mines (6)

Compelled to pursue revolutionary shooter

(7)

One’s meant to shun sailor carrying suitcase on

vacation (5)

Bind preposterously feeble husband with it (6)

Something to maintain temperature of sick

Mother Superior at the outset (7)

Circulation of it is to finally discredit supporter

of former dictator (7)

Pewter head from Theban trinket missing half

of nape (7)

Source of main rubber tree spanning Cape

river (5)

Some of your inexcusable waste (5)

Brat in question is to make a mistake (6)

Precipice blocking river rising in Wales (8)

Means to secure university (4)

Prize options and more at

listenercrossword.com

More information about

Chambers books can be

found at chambers.co.uk

Listener 4689 solution on

page 48