18 Friday April 8 2022 | the times
MindGames
Fill the grid
using the
numbers 1 to 9
only. The
numbers in each
horizontal or
vertical run of
white squares
add up to the
total in the
triangle to its left
or above it. The
same number
may occur more
than once in a
row or column,
but not within
the same run of
white squares.© PUZZLER MEDIAKakuro No 3149
© 2010 KENKEN PUZZLE & TM NEXTOY. DIST. BY UFS, INC. WWW.KENKEN.COMFill the blank squares so that every row and column contains
each of the numbers 1 to 5 once only. The symbols between
the squares indicate whether a number is larger (>) or smaller
(<) than the number next to it.All the digits 1 to 6 must appear in every row and column. In
each thick-line “block”, the target number in the top left-hand
corner is calculated from the digits in all the cells in the block,
using the operation indicated by the symbol.
KenKenDifficult No 5549 Futoshiki No 4190
Doubles and doubling
Sometime in the early 1600s the
game that had been known for hun-
dreds of years as tables morphed in-
to backgammon. Nobody knows
the origin of the name, but it ap-
peared in print around the middle of
the same century. More important-
ly the number of dice used to play
the game changed from three to
two but, in compensation, if a dou-
ble was rolled, the player was en-
titled to four moves instead of two.
We have no idea why this change
happened, but we will be forever
grateful to its inventor. It made
bear-offs much more exciting
because of the chance of rolling a
game-winning double.
Fast-forward 400 years to the
roaring 1920s, and backgammon,
while popular, was deemed too
slow for an era when players
wanted swift games and were keen
to wager large sums of money. Lo
and behold, somewhere on the
playboy circuit of France some-
body came up with the idea of dou-
bling the stakes during the game.
Doubling was initially introduced
for fun and to satisfy the gamblers.
I am sure its inventor(s) never real-
ised the level of complexity that
they were introducing into the
game. That is something we still
struggle with 100 years later.
The serendipitous mixture of
doubles and doubling creates
much of the excitement in the
modern game. Perhaps never more
so than in the final match of the
2003 World Championship in
Monte Carlo. Moshe Tissona
(White) had just thrown three sets
of double fives to take the lead in
the race and he now redoubled his
opponent, Jon Royset, to four. Roy-
set took a full ten minutes over his
decision. I know; I was in the audi-
ence. There were no clocks in those
days.
In the end Royset accepted the
cube, although technically this
position is a tiny pass. Tissona
rolled double twos but pandemoni-
um broke out when Royset rolled
double sixes. Four rolls later he
rolled double fives and won the
game with a redouble. Tissona was
a broken man and didn’t score
another point in the match.
The two inventions had com-
bined to create a fantastic finish to
a great final which those who were
there will long remember.© PUZZLER MEDIASlide the letters either horizontally or vertically back into the grid to produce a
completed crossword. Letters are allowed to slide over other lettersEvery letter in this crossword-style grid has been substituted for a number from 1
to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears in the grid at least once. Use the letters
already provided to work out the identity of further letters. Enter letters in the main
grid and the smaller reference grid until all 26 letters of the alphabet have been
accounted for. Proper nouns are excluded. Yesterday’s solution, rightCluelines Stuck on Codeword? To receive 4 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).Winners will receive a Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus
Solve the puzzle and text in the numbers in the three
shaded boxes. Text TIMES followed by a space, then
your three numbers, eg, TIMES 123, plus your name,
address and postcode to 84901 (UK only), by midnight.
Or enter by phone. Call 09012 925274 (ROI 1516 303 501)
by midnight. Leave your three answer numbers (in any
order) and your contact details.
Calls cost £1 (ROI €1.50) plus your telephone company’s
network access charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard
network charge. Winners will be picked at random from
all correct answers received. One draw per week. Lines
close at midnight tonight. If you call or text after this
time you will not be entered but will still be charged.
SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).Fill the grid so
that every
column, every
row and every
3x2 box contains
the digits 1 to 6What are your favourite puzzles in MindGames?
Email: [email protected]Lay tracks to enable the train to travel from village A to village
B. The numbers indicate how many sections of rail go in each
row and column. There are only straight rails and curved rails.
The track cannot cross itself.Win a Dictionary & Thesaurus
Train Tracks No 1601
Lexica No 6299 No 6300
ODIELAIDOTYELSPPTAROLETSLMMEUOSITNESREQLNAEYCodewordNo 4557
Winning Move
BackgammonChris Bray
#((((((((#
> Â#Â#Â#Â'
?Â#ÂÈÂ2.#'
@2Â#Â#Â2Â'
IÂ#ß#Þ#Â#'
H#i#i#Â#i'
=ÂÈÂ#Â#ÂÈ'
GÈÂ#Â#]ÈÂ'
FÂ#Â#ÂÇÅ#'
DCB:;A<EBlack to play.
This position is from Fedoseev-
Sarana, World Rapid
Championship, chess.com 2022.The situation appears desperate
for Black. Although he is
material ahead, the white
d-pawn is about to promote and
it seems certain this will cost
Black his rook (eg 1 ... Rd5 2 d8Q
Rxd8 3 Qxd8), after which he
will be a piece down. However,
Black has an ingenious way to
force a draw. Can you see how?