The Times - UK (2022-04-30)

545 saturday review Saturday April 30 2022 | the times

MindGames The Times Crossword, Latin Crossword, Saturday Quiz and

Suko are in the back of the main paper

Codeword No 4576

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
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 8892

Across

1 Nervously excited or

agitated (7)

5 Move, stir (5)

8 Self-evidently true

statement (5)

9 Portending evil (7)

10 Picture to be reassembled

(6,6)

12 Alpine house (6)

14 Moral excellence (6)

17 Interrogation point (8,4)

21 Bravery in battle (7)

22 Jewish scholar (5)

23 Darkish in colour (5)

24 Online topic identifier (7)

Down

1 Biscuit of oats and syrup (8)

2 Contending (5)

3 Rush about wildly (7)

4 Hanging limply (6)

5 Intensive attack (5)

6 Small drip (7)

7 Compass point (4)

11 Feeble creature (8)

13 Containing water (7)

15 Entrails (7)

16 Trashy art or fashion (6)

18 Sordid, squalid (5)

19 Religious head (5)

20 Potato (4)

Solution to Crossword 8891

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9

10

11

12 13 14 15

16

17 18 19

20

21 22

23 24

D N S G P V

MERE AIRFARES

X P R E S S

STEADILY SITE

R L A O

GODIVA RENEGE

S N E L

PERSIA ATONAL

I R P D

CHUM COSMETIC

O E H T N O

SEMOLINA EELS

S N C B R I

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

The final of the Bermuda Bowl

between Switzerland and the

Netherlands was of the highest

quality. Barely an unforced

error was made over 96 boards

— after players had been com-

peting hard for almost two

weeks to-boot. I could give you

any one of dozens of pieces of

fine bidding, play and defence

(and have done and will do in

separate columns). Instead, I’ll

give you this.

You have 13 top tricks

(assuming clubs are not 4-0).

You’d expect two of the finest

pairs in the world to cruise

into 7NT. How would you and

your favourite partner bid it?

How about this? North

opens 1♠ and South jumps to

3 ♣ — it’s rare to jump in a new

suit as responder but if ever

there was such a hand, this is it:

a slammy single-suiter. North

rebids 3♦ and South bids 4♣ to

say, “Clubs are trumps; are you

interested in slam? If so, please

make a control bid.”

With three aces, North is

most certainly interested in a

slam. North makes a control

bid either of 4♥ — the unbid

suit, or 4♦ — the cheapest ace,

with the slight ambiguity it

could be natural 5-5 (it proba-

bly should be a control because

a jump shift and repeat sets the

trump suit). South now bids

4NT asking for aces and North

shows three. Assuming North

has a third heart, South can

now count 13 tricks: eight clubs,

three hearts and the aces of

spades and diamonds. He can

choose between 7NT and 7♣.

The latter loses two imps to

7NT but there is a small possi-

bility he can establish a length

winner somewhere in 7♣ (by

ruffing) should partner have

the dreaded ♥Ax (meaning

there’s no third heart trick).

Both North-South pairs in

the Bermuda Bowl final play a

complicated relay structure,

whereby 1♠-1NT (for the

Dutch North-South) and 1♠-

2 ♣ (for the Swiss North-

South) shows any game-forc-

ing hand, initiating a codified

system of replies.

There are some hands where

such a relay method works

beautifully. This is particularly

so when declarer is the respon-

der, about whose hand the

defenders know nothing (chan-

nel the wonderful Andrew Sachs

as Manuel in Fawlty Towers).

On this occasion, both

Souths knew at the Three-level

that their partner held a mini-

mum opening hand with a 5♠-

3 ♥-4♦-1♣ shape. They both

guessed ... 3NT. And (of course)

they could easily have been

right (give partner, say

♠KQxxx, ♥Axx, ♦Q10xx, ♣x).

The board was flat in 3NT

plus four.

[email protected]

♠ J 9 5 3

♥ J 10 8 3

♦ 10 8 5

♣ 4 3

♠ 10

♥ K Q

♦ J 9

♣ A K Q 10 7 6 5 2

♠ A 8 7 6 4

♥ A 6 4

♦ A 7 6 2

♣ 8

♠ K Q 2

♥ 9 7 5 2

♦ K Q 4 3

♣ J 9

S

E

N

W

Dealer North Both Vul

Mindset by 700 Literary Quiz

MINDSET by 700 The Times Literary Desk

1. The following words can be divided into five sets of size 1, 2, 3, 4
   and 5. Each set is associated with a word of that length, and these
   words grow incrementally (eg A-AN-PAN-PAIN-PAINT).
   What are the sets?
   ARTY ATTRACTION CHAMPION COPENHAGEN
   LEGWEAR MOUTH NIJINSKY PIPE PLY
   REIN SILVER TRIGGER TUBE WALL WASH


2. The Queen of Nootropia rolls two regular 6-sided dice in
   secret. The King asks whether one of them is a 6, and she
   replies “yes”. What is the probability that they both show a 6?


3. Identify the two linked themes:
   GENERAL, PIN, POP, PRIEST, SERGEANT, TSAR

Answers on page 53

Novel Descriptions

Decode these ineptly

translated novel titles and

name their British author:

1 The Reverend Mother

of Team

2 The Motorist’s Rump

3 Skulking with Purpose

4 The Young Ladies of Thin

Wherewithal

Answers on page 53

The Listener Crossword No 4709 For a Song by Elfman

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

4709 , 63 Green Lane, St

Albans, Hertfordshire AL3

6HE, to arrive by May 12.

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

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

Postcode .............................................................................. Phone/email ..........................................................................................................................

Substituting a song’s name in the puzzle’s title describes how four answers (clued normally) must be

treated before entry in the grid. Four other answers must be entered in a different thematic way; their

clues consist of wordplay for the answer, and a word (inserted anywhere) that defines one of the

treated entries from the first set. Definitions of the second set’s answers appear elsewhere. The

songwriters’ surnames can be found in a thematic shape, with one having undergone the first

treatment; solvers must restore it (creating two new words) and highlight both names. Numbers in

brackets are the lengths of grid entries. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary reference.

Across

1 Present time being short, part of space

explorer is withdrawn (6)

5 Type of irritant gas enveloping eyes

affected pregnancies (5)

11 Was sporting league allowed to run out

rounds? (6)

13 Actor’s return to musical a great deal (5)

14 Removes earlier rating-related winners of

election (6)

15 Prize bird (4)

16 Governor being obsessive and esoteric (4)

17 Shade in Cairo messed with heads of Pretty

Things (7)

18 Film director accepting Oscar for acting in

Judge’s Title (6, two words)

20 Scotland’s aim is clear, saving its capital (5)

22 Discover daughter leaving red meat (6)

25 Marbled bank dropping Spain, following

Malta and Italy (5)

26 Reader lost book in one end of store (5)

28 Protection for face as I laze about after

noon (6)

29 Change of partners in long, long time (5)

31 Hard form of water in island ring with no

river (6)

35 A bright star’s endless sky I see (7)

36 Denunciation, not concerning to such an

extent (4)

37 One plus 12 minus zero at another time

(4)

38 Little woman with energy escaping

opposite of cocky fellow (6)

39 Take off cycling in courtyard (5)

40 Temporarily transfer black solids in equal

quantities (6, two words)

41 Street urchin coming back for Scottish foster-

children (5)

42 Ice cream treat including recipe and a

transparent cover (6)

Down

1 Cape rogue makes is faulty, having length

rather than area (5)

2 Hoard attribute subordinate to success (5)

3 Woman in service oddly admired losing

Republican (4)

4 Rabble doesn’t have to fall over conflict (5)

6 Card player on mobile, poor, discarding

ace (5)

7 Register into unorthodox academy to

comprehend infotech (7)

8 Choose a smoothed cinnabar after processing

(8, two words)

9 Special fish for a walk (6)

10 Actor Dan of Wicked (7)

12 Briefly stop working on mast for aerial (6)

19 Squashed acorn in meadow a possible source

of manna (8)

21 Chaps somehow taking a year to purchase

without credit? (7, two words)

23 Raver on a lark swallows a sedative (7)

24 Pre-noon activity to set up baptisms (6)

27 Hit on the head, poison with ingested drug —

dead (6)

30 Crazy liberal found ballerina in bed (5, two

words)

32 Queensland WWII soldier sweet, not

deceased (5)

33 Sandy tract of earth beneath Shakespeare’s

forgotten glade (5)

34 Origins of rotten meat around US hostel (5)

36 Mythical being’s pen exuding gold (4)

Prize options and more at

listenercrossword.com

More information about

Chambers books can be

found at chambers.co.uk

Listener 4706 solution on

page 52