545 saturday review Saturday April 9 2022 | the times
MindGames The Times Crossword, Latin Crossword, Saturday Quiz and
Suko are in the back of the main paper
Codeword No 4558
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 52
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
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charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).
times2 Crossword No 8874
Across
1 Exhibiting, displaying (10)
7 Acted as substitute (5,2)
8 Not as high (5)
10 Changed (7)
11 Impressive stylishness (5)
12 Reverberations (6)
15 Worthless person (3,3)
17 Fruit (5)
18 One making charges (7)21 Impertinence (5)
22 Escaping fluid (7)
23 Fail to appreciate (10)Down
1 Of small length (5)
2 Command (5)
3 Large country (6)
4 Caribbean island country
(2,5)
5 1970s rock music style (3,4)
6 Vehicles for passengers and
goods (6,4)
9 Formally planted area (4,6)
13 Audrey —, actress (7)
14 Interpreter of scripture (7)
16 Russian researcher of
conditioned reflexes (6)
19 Go on hands and knees (5)
20 Free area (5)Solution to Crossword 88731 2 3 4 567 8 910 1112 13 14 151617 18 19 2021 2223L M Q P I O M
EPICURE NAVVY
S C A T T E R
SLANDERER RUT
E R E A H L
RABBI LINKAGE
I P S U
CONTAIN INLET
O D R E G H
RAW THEREFORE
R E I D N A B
AVERT LUCERNE
L D E E E S SNeed 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
How do you play the double of
an opening bid of 4♠? In the
olden days, it used to be pure
business — “Partner, I’ve got
(the equivalent of) ♠KJ109
and a couple of aces. Don’t you
dare even think of bidding.”
That’s plainly not sensible.
When an opponent has adver-
tised ♠KQJ10xxxx and little
else (or similar), you simply
won’t have a pure penalty dou-
ble. You are more likely to be
1 ♠-444 — like the double of 1♠.
However, the reality is you
are often stuck for choice.
Sometimes you will have a
“double” (upward intonation
on last syllable) ie, “Partner,
I’m hoping you’ll bid here.”
And sometimes you’ll have, “I
double” (folding your cards as
if to say, “Is it my lead?”).
[Naturally this drawing-room
coffee-housing is strictly ver-
boten — but you get the point.]
Today’s deal comes from a
drawing-room rubber but one
with laudable ethical stan-
dards — naturellement.North would have preferred
his partner to pass the double —
although 4♠ doubled goes only
one down. However, the double
of a 4♠ opener is on the spec-
trum of “optional’ (whatever
that means) to take-out: it’s not
penalty. Can you as South
make 5♥ doubled on the queen
of spades lead won in dummy?
Say declarer leads a wooden
heart at trick two. East wins,
cashes the ace of clubs receiv-
ing a come-on signal of the
eight, puts partner in with the
king of clubs, and scores a
spade ruff. Two down.
Let us replay. You seek to
drop clubs on dummy’s dia-
monds, at trick two crossing to
your queen, then returning to
the ace-king, thrilled to see West
discard (as opposed to ruff) on
the third. You cash the jack of
diamonds, discarding a second
club, and lead the fifth diamond.
East ruffs low and you ...
Resist the temptation to
overruff for if you do, East will
soon win the ace of hearts,
underlead the ace of clubs and
promptly score a spade ruff.
You must discard your last club
(key play). This “Scissors Coup”
prevents East from reaching
West for the spade ruff, and
you lose only the ace of hearts
from here. Eleven tricks and
doubled game made.
[email protected]Dealer West Neither VulS W N E
4 ♠(1) Dbl(2) Pass
5 ♥(3) Pass Pass Dbl(4)
end
(1) Weak hand with eight decent spades.
(2) Take-outish — but double has to
cover a multitude of decent hands for
the lack of alternative.
(3) Pass is the winning decision in
theory but if partner has the classic
1 ♠444 shape, both 4♠ and 5♥
could make — a double game swing.
(4) Unambigously for penalty.♠ Q J 10 9 7 6 4 3
♥ -
♦ 10 7
♣ K 8 3
♠ 8 5
♥ Q J 10 9 8 7
♦ Q 6
♣ J 7 5♠ A K
♥ K 6 3 2
♦ A K J 3 2
♣ 9 4
♠ 2
♥ A 5 4
♦ 9 8 5 4
♣ A Q 10 6 2SEN
WMindset by 700 Literary Quiz
1 Four fabulous hit singles by four different artists: four words The Times Literary Desk
from each title are below. What two words are missing?
ALL COME DON’T EASY GOT IT JUST LIKE MY
ON OVER STAND STARTING TOGETHER WE YOU2 The Nootropian Supreme Court has a senior bench of five judges
and a junior bench of seven. All are in the Tradition Party (who
have red cushions), the Reform Party (blue) or Greens (green).
There are more Tradition judges than Reform, more Reform judges
than Greens, and an even number of Tradition judges. The court
clerks carefully go through all 700 possible cushion arrangements.
How is the Court comprised?3 Search for the answer: Blue, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green,?Answers on page 53Jobbing characters
In which novels do these
characters appear?
1 Tertius Lydgate, a doctor
2 Guy Montag, a fireman
3 Miss Kenton, a housekeeper
4 Arthur Seaton, a bicycle
factory lathe operatorAnswers on page 53The Listener Crossword No 4706 Pedestrian Destination
by eXternal
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 4706, 63 Green
Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire
AL3 6HE, to arrive by April 21.Name ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Postcode .............................................................................. Phone/email ..........................................................................................................................
In each column one answer must have a letter omitted wherever it occurs before entry, with the
letter dropped into the cell below the column. Numbers in brackets are the lengths of grid entries.
After filling the grid, solvers must change one letter in each row and column so that the new letters
spell out (from bottom to top) a way to reach a location that shares a setting with the one given by
the dropped letters. This second location must be entered in the grid, replacing an existing entry.
The final grid contains all real words and phrases. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary
reference.
Across
2 Tropical zone cold — vocal warning by good
person (11, two words)
9 Helpful lodger about to raise voice (6, two
words)
10 That’s amusing reflection of work function
(5)
12 Hands over missing lead containers (4)
13 Standard carrot changing hands (4)
14 Pass water diviner, ignoring splendid
fellow (4)
15 Bathe once, see red marks healed (7)
19 Head for Ecuador by iron train (7)
21 Mostly kick around circular object for
sport (6)
22 Spots appear to cover sons, but not on
back (6)
23 Very much at home with German
succeeding (6)
25 Southern edge of mountain, small piece of
Ben Nevis (6)
27 Outgoing European person, six-footer (7)
32 One might turn red and possibly scream
blue murder, losing scrambled broadcast (7)
33 Prince William irritated hosts (4)
34 Beam, seeing something drawn backwards
(4)
35 Church music rector recalled (4)
36 Thorn from evergreen plant on sierra (5)
37 Terminates one US doctor from the east (6)
38 German philosopher’s hesitance about
housing unknown national (11)Down
1 Gave warm drink to California dude line
dancing (6)
2 Restored ancient city base captured in
recording (5)
3 Sanctuaries having limits to alpacas brought
in dozens, regularly (5)
4 Way upwards employs rock cavities
containing crystals (6)
5 Travel on vacation covered in holiday
form (4)
6 Plant group over meadow (4)
7 Decoys heading off lecherous types (6)
8 Pilot surveys set up for such sport (4)
11 Obscene video finally leaves, to be replaced
by adult shop (5)
16 Shrew lifted chest in necessity (6)
17 Time to withdraw from reserved holiday
destination? (6)
18 Meeting before going south in excursion (4)
20 Picked up olive, for example (4)
23 Cheeses end up in rich meal (5)
24 In flyer, alien medium for communication (6)
25 Relating to molecular composition of stone,
fine to follow (6)
26 Predict years of upset (6)
28 Wish pox on one hiding rogues (5)
29 Paunch spread to engulf this writer (5)
30 Greek character supposedly heaving roughly
from seafood dish (4)
31 Australian gulps once you cry in public (4)
32 Acting queen among Flower People (4)Prize options and more at
listenercrossword.comMore information about
Chambers books can be found
at chambers.co.ukLISTENER STATISTICS, plus personal record, for last year are available to senders of an SAE (over-
seas stamp exempt) to JE Green at the above address. Envelopes measuring approximately 230×160mm
may carry a normal stamp; larger envelopes will require a “Large” stamp or two normal ones.Listener 4703 solution on
page 52