The Times - UK (2022-01-13)

the times | Thursday January 13 2022 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 14 words, average;

19, good; 23, very good; 28, excellent

  

  


 



 

  



 



 



  



 

  


 
 

SU I T J

NO

SCENT

UO

RO

REFUND

MC

JOBO

UF

FLUFFY

DE

KEEN

Black played 1 ... Kg6 as 2 Nxc7

Rd1+ mates. However, he

overlooked 2 Rh6+! Kxh6 3

Qxf6+ Kh5 4 Qg5 mate.

Instead 1 ... Kf7! 2 Nxd8+ (there

is nothing better) 2 ... Rxd8

wins easily for Black. Note that

1 ... Kg8 is less effective as after

2 Nxd8 Qxd8 3 Qf3 the black

rook is hemmed in and White

retains chances to fight

Harmattan (c) A dry Saharan

wind (Collins)

Burrata (b) An Italian cheese

(Chambers)

Hygeen (c) A dromedary

trained for riding (OED)

Kakuro 3087

Futoshiki 4128 Lexica 6176

Cell Blocks 4366 Set Square 3090 Lexica 6175

Suko 3385

Train Tracks 1528

Chess — Winning Move Word watch

1 Dallas

2 Flasks

3 Alaska

4 Galahad

5 Alfalfa

Quintagram

1 The Chronicles of Narnia 2 Royal Mint 3 Blood or

“sanguine” 4 Claude Monet 5 Wilhelm II 6 Banco

Santander 7 Donnie Brasco 8 Book publishers

9 Chloroform 10 Limitless 11 Mukbang 12 William

Rowan Hamilton 13 Half-Life 14 Hockey

15 Meitnerium — it is Lise Meitner

Quiz

Easy 64; Medium 357; Harder 6,665

Brain Trainer

Yesterday’s answers

cumin, custom, inmost, mint, minus,

miscount, miso, mist, moist, monic,

monist, most, mount, mucin, muon,

muonic, music, muso, must, muti, omit,

osmic, ostium, scum, sitcom, smut,

stum, sumo

times2 CrosswordNo 8800 Brain Trainer

ANSWER

EASY^19

ANSWER

MEDIUM^11

ANSWER

HARDER 201

+ 11 + 8

x 3 40% + 99

OF IT

x 6 x 7

+ 56

75%

OF IT

+ 14

/ 3

OF IT

+^1

50%

OF IT

/ (^3) + 55
OF IT
2
x 2
SQUARE
IT

• 764 – 345
  x 3 OF IT/^4
  (^3) 70%
  OF IT


• 8


• 87 /^2
  OF IT
  +^1
  80%
  OF IT

• 765 /^4
  OF IT

+^1

Across

1 Formal headwear (3,3)

4 Mars (6)

9 Adopted character (7)

10 North African country (5)

11 Rude aggressive youth (5)

13 Surreptitious action (7)

14 Honey producer (3)

15 (Of cow) give birth (5)

16 Trouble, afflict (3)

17 Common garden plant (7)

19 Turning machine (5)

21 Plant; instrument (5)

22 Offensive, disgusting (7)

24 Make more profound (6)

25 Religious house (6)

Down

1 Slightly drunk (5)

2 Story with a moral (7)

3 Fuss (3)

5 Bit by bit (9)

6 Blissful situation (5)

7 School bag (7)

8 Central American capital

(3,8)

12 Move to and fro (9)

14 Adored (7)

16 Style of 1920s and 1930s

(3,4)

18 Chap (5)

20 Mournful poem (5)

23 Polite form of address (3)

Solution to Crossword 8799

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

GEISHA LIVE

L I D T E E

LION UPRISING

T E L I O U

HIAWATHA TEEM

S E N H

STUPOR GROGGY

O A U R

HELL TELEGRAM

A E I A A N

PRECINCT WIDE

L A G E K E

CYST DRYDEN

Cell Blocks No 4367

© PUZZLER MEDIA

Polygon Set Square No 3091

Please note, BODMAS does not apply

Killer Gentle No 8111 Solutions

Killer Tough No 8112

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).

Declarer played this slam deal

from a supervised practice session

at ARBC with much guile and

finesse — by not taking a finesse.

Plan the play in 6♦ on a spade

lead.

Declarer won dummy’s ace of

spades and started on diamonds.

She cashed the king and led low

towards her hand. The best odds to

avoid a loser were to finesse the

jack. However, declarer looked

deeper.

It appeared East held five good

spades (for the lead directing dou-

ble), yet she had failed to make a

non-vulnerable 1♠ overcall. She

probably had precious little out-

side. Declarer rose with the ace.

Declarer was not really expect-

ing the queen to fall (it didn’t), but

she was better placed than if she

had taken a losing finesse. She

crossed to the nine of clubs and

ruffed a second spade; she crossed

to the jack of clubs and ruffed the

third spade. She then cashed the

ace of clubs and, in the ending

below, continued with the queen.

If West ruffed with the master

diamond, she would be endplayed

(a spade would give a ruff-and-dis-

card, declarer ruffing in dummy

and shedding a heart from hand;

while a heart would run to the

jack). West could not afford to dis-

card a heart (her queen would now

fall — if declarer read the position).

West let go her queen of spades.

No good. Declarer now exited

with a diamond to West who had

to lead a heart round to the jack.

Slam made.

“I could have made it via a back-

wards finesse too,” said declarer (or

was it a supervisor?). True —

although anti-percentage. You lead

the jack of hearts out of hand and,

after it’s covered by queen and ace,

finesse the nine on the way back.

[email protected]

Contract: 6♦, Opening Lead: ♠ 6

Dealer: South, Vulnerability: Neither

N

W E

S

1 ♦ Pass 1♥ Pass

2 ♣ Pass 2♠(1) Dbl(2)

4 ♥(3) Pass 6♦(4) End

(1) Fourth Suit Forcing — “We’re going to

game, more information please.”

(2) For the lead.

(3) Jumping in hearts to show extra values

— and also to pinpoint the 1♠ 3 ♥ 5 ♦ 4 ♣

shape (3♥ could be preference bid with

2 ♠ 2 ♥ 5 ♦ 4 ♣).

(4) Loving partner having a singleton spade

— among other pieces of good news opposite.

S W N E

♠KJ952

♥ 1032

♦ 64

♣ 763

Rubber ♠A43

♥A764

♦K32

♣KJ9

♠ 10

♥KJ9

♦AJ975

♣A Q 10 4

♠Q876

♥Q85

♦Q108

♣ 852

Advanced

N

W E

S

♠KJ

♥ 1032

♦-

♣-

♠-

♥A764

♦ 3

♣-

♠-

♥KJ9

♦J

♣Q (led)

♠Q

♥Q85

♦Q

♣-

Bridge Andrew Robson

CEL I BATE LEAF

A A A H L A

LOCAT ION VEIN

F E T R C C C

PLEASANTRY

D A E X N I M

EXPOSE ANGORA

A O H P O N N

DISCIPLINE

B T P I B R B

ELAN CAVAL IER

A S N L G A

TOYS STALWART

Sudoku 12,927

Killer 8109

Sudoku 12,928

Killer 8110

Sudoku 12,929

Quick Cryptic 2047

KenKen 5475

Codeword 4483