The Times - UK (2022-04-04)

the times | Monday April 4 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

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 9 words, average;

12, good; 16, very good; 20, excellent

69827 98

28619 9748

794 38 97

931 21 47

71234 35

51 32158

17 21 379

12 21 123

3421 64798

31 72984

1 Brain 2 Croissant 3 Joanna Lumley 4 Lech Walesa

5 Mercedes-Benz 6 Private [Frank] Pike 7 Drake

8 George II, who was then George Augustus,

prince-elector of Hanover 9 Helium — atomic No 2

10 Second lieutenant 11 Colombia 12 Renate Reinsve

13 Daniel Hechter 14 Hockey 15 Nathan Drake

Trunch (c) Short and

chunky (OED)

Vendue (a) A public sale

(Collins)

Volet (a) One of the wings

of a triptych painting

(Chambers)

Kakuro 3144

Sudoku 13,112

Killer 8236

Futoshiki 4185

Cell Blocks 4435 Set Square 3147

Suko 3454

Train Tracks 1596

Word watch

Quiz

Saturday’s answers

affirm, agma, airman, amir, anima, arum,

farm, farman, farming, firm, firman,

framing, fuming, gamin, gram, grim,

maar, mafia, main, mana, manga, mania,

margin, marina, miff, muff, muffin,

ragamuffin, ragman, ramin, rimu

times2 CrosswordNo 8869 Brain Trainer
Just follow the instructions from left to right, starting with the number given to reach an answer at the end.

ANSWER

EASY^22

ANSWER

MEDIUM^127

ANSWER

HARDER 273 + 772

+ 8

70%

OF IT

÷ 2 – 12

60%

OF IT

÷ 2 + 777

x 3 + 7

x 3 + 44

x 4 /^6

OF IT

5

+ 72 50% + 11

OF IT

x 4 /^4

OF IT

+^1

• 14^5

/

OF IT

1

/ 3

OF IT

+^2

+ 67 x 3

• 486 x 2 ÷ 2

Across

1 Leaves (of grass) (6)

5 Spanish rice dish (6)

8 Influence (4)

9 Projecting part (8)

10 Happening by degrees (7)

11 Anxiety, dread (5)

13 Swiss hero (7,4)

16 Russian villa (5)

18 Frequent shedder of tears (7)

21 Solemnity of manner (8)

22 Clarified pig fat (4)

23 Claim without proof (6)

24 On all occasions (6)

Down

2 Not intellectual (7)

3 Wood nymph (5)

4 European country (8)

5 Verse composition (4)

6 Improve the quality of (7)

7 Goes ashore (5)

12 Food of the gods (8)

14 Port in Normandy (2,5)

15 Freedom (7)

17 Relating to hearing (5)

19 Beneath (5)

20 Eyelid swelling (4)

Solution to Crossword 8868

T2 CROSSWORD No 8869

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9

10 11

12

13 14 15

16 17 18 19

20

21 22

23 24

ARCHIMEDES

H S O N G X

EQUAL SCOOTER

I N L I R U

SAD INDIGNANT

E E S E R H

NORDIC CORPSE

B O W T R R

EXPANSIVE ELF

R O L S V O

GALLOWS QUEER

K A O U N D

FAHRENHEIT

Cell BlocksNo 4436

© PUZZLER MEDIA

Polygon Set SquareNo 3148

Please note, BODMAS does not apply

KillerGentle No 8237 Solutions

KillerTricky No 8238

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).

When is the last time you went to

the dentist? I’m not referring to

those nice folk who look after your

teeth; we are (of course) at the

bridge table. Periodically, you have

to execute a Dentist’s Coup when

declaring: extracting an oppo-

nent’s safe exits — as a real dentist

would extract a tooth.

On today’s deal from rubber

bridge, South bemoaned his luck

when the combination of a 3-0

heart split and a 5-2 spade split

caused him to go down in 6♥.

Declarer had won the club lead in

hand and cashed the ace of hearts,

observing the 3-0 split (at least it

had been East who held the ♥Q109

— finesseable). Declarer cashed the

ace-king of spades and ruffed a

spade to reach dummy. However,

East overruffed and had to score

the ace of diamonds. One down.

After South’s moanings, West

muttered, “You’re complaining

when you pick up such a brilliant

hand. You wanna have my hand?”

And East, a shy soul, whispered, “I

think you could have made it.” The

shy East is right. Can you spot how?

After winning the club lead and

cashing the ace of hearts, you cash

the ace-king of spades. You then

cash the other top club. At trick six,

you lead the queen of diamonds.

East wins the ace of diamonds

but because you have removed

East’s spades, he cannot lead a

spade; and because you have

cashed the other top club, he can-

not put you back in hand with a

second club. If he leads a third club,

you can ruff in dummy and take

the marked heart finesse. If he

leads a diamond, you win dummy’s

king and take the heart finesse.

The cashing of the two top

spades extracts East’s spades — the

Dentist’s Coup. But without also

cashing your remaining top club,

you’d again be sunk. You need to

avoid East putting you back in your

hand — where you are stuck.

Say West had overcalled 2♠

over your 2♣ (which he would not

do with his actual hand, but may

do with a six-card suit). You would

now cash only one top spade

(extracting East’s) — and the sec-

ond top club —– before leading

the queen of diamonds.

Finally, note that an opening

diamond lead to East’s ace, fol-

lowed by a black-suit return,

would have left you unable to suc-

ceed. [email protected]

Contract: 6♥, Opening Lead: ♣J

Dealer: South, Vulnerability: Neither

N

W E

S

2 ♣(1) Pass 2♦(2) Pass

2 ♥(3) Pass 4♥(4) Pass

6 ♥ End

(1) Showing 23 or more points (or an

upgrade), unrelated to clubs.

(2) Negative or waiting.

(3) Forcing to game with five or more hearts.

(4) Weaker than 3♥.

S W N E

♠ 105

♥Q109

♦AJ97

♣ 7632

Rubber ♠ 62

♥ 6432

♦K6543

♣Q8

♠AKQ8

♥AKJ875

♦Q

♣AK

♠J9743

♥-

♦ 1082

♣J10954

Bridge Andrew Robson

FORGE

R E

ALLR

NUU

GRAP

DESKT

B

ELECT

T O

TEAPOT

E YU

RAM B

1 Oral

2 Modern

3 Credit

4 Social

5 Prehistory

Easy 11; Medium 951; Harder 2,296

1 ... Qb5! is a clever way to

deflect the white queen. After

2 Qxb5 (White is helpless:

neither 2 c4 Qxc4! nor 2 Qe2

Ng3+ help) 2 ... Nd2+ 3 Kg1

Re1+ 4 Qf1 Rxf1 is mate

S P H O T S T U F F

L A D I D A O U U

B E F O R T R E S S

B O A R T E K E

T C A C E

R E S E R V E D Y E A R

U E O L

D R A W N O R M A N D Y

H O E F E

P E R J F I R E

R E N E G A D E A M

S Z T S P I R A L

C O H E R E N T R N

Lexica 6290

Lexica 6289

Chess — Winning Move

Quintagram

Brain Trainer

Quick Cryptic 2104

KenKen 5544

Codeword 4552

Square Routes

159

Tredoku 1727

N G T N R

I R O A O

S A N E D

S R I T A

C E V I L