the times | Monday May 2 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 15 words, average;
21, good; 27, very good; 33, excellent
249 5123
124 324158
3179 31 39
289 31
(^521643521)
986 217968
13 698
13 24 1426
249318 749
7129 618
1 Cleopatra [VII] 2 Bridge 3 Gluten free 4 Pablo Escobar
5 Nashville 6 A swan 7 Casablanca 8 Wipe Out 9 Sword
of Honour trilogy 10 The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe
11 HMS Beagle 12 Donna Karan 13 Benoit Mandelbrot
14 Australia and Pakistan 15 David Harewood
Adobo (a) The national
dish of the Philippines
(Collins)
Fugleman (b) An
exemplary soldier
(Chambers)
Pilgarlic (c) A bald head
(OED)
Kakuro 3164
Sudoku 13,176
Killer 8280
Futoshiki 4205
Cell Blocks 4459 Set Square 3167
Suko 3478
Word watch
Quiz
Saturday’s answers
ability, açai, alibi, apical, atypical, bail,
bait, balti, bialy, blip, capability, capital,
city, clip, ictal, iliac, ital, italic, laic, laicity,
laity, licit, lipa, lytic, pail, pial, pica, pita,
pity, plait, plica, tabi, tail, tibia, tibial,
tilapia, tipi, typical
times2 CrosswordNo 8893 Brain Trainer
Just follow the instructions from left to right, starting with the number given to reach an answer at the end.
ANSWER
EASY 10
ANSWER
MEDIUM^72
ANSWER
HARDER 66
- 7
x 5
80%
OF IT
x 9
+ 85
+ 824
SQUARE – 14
IT
80%
OF IT
+ 21 + 8
75%
OF IT
+ 984 + 886
/ 3
OF IT
2
x 2
- 66 + 18
75%
OF IT
/ 8
OF IT
(^5) / 3
OF IT
2
/ 5
OF IT
+^1
x 2 – 44
- 771 /^4
OF IT
+^1 x 2
Across
1 Error; false move (7)
5 Undue speed (5)
8 Illuminated (3,2)
9 Bring a charge against (7)
10 Vital juice in plants (3)
11 Apiarist (9)
12 Forgive (an offence) (6)
14 Hit very hard (6)
17 Oversee (9)
18 Mine (3)
19 Comprehensive, thorough
(2-5)
20 Dried plum (5)
21 Roadside pull-in (3-2)
22 Ceramic ware (7)
Down
1 Ineffectual man or boy (7)
2 Build, construct (3,2)
3 Flow controller (3)
4 Distressed (6)
5 Separate by a short dash (9)
6 Surgeon's knife (7)
7 Clear upper air; solvent (5)
11 Account of a life (9)
13 Very quickly (7)
15 Rot (7)
16 Senior cleric (6)
17 Eddy, whirl (5)
18 Stop temporarily (5)
20 Domestic animal (3)
Solution to Crossword 8892
T2 CROSSWORD No 8893
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9
10 11
12 13 14 15
16
17 18
19 20
21 22
FEVERED BUDGE
L Y A R L R A
AXIOM OMINOUS
P N P O T P T
JIGSAWPUZZLE
A G Y E W
CHALET VIRTUE
K Q K N A
QUESTIONMARK
S E E T A B L
PROWESS RABBI
U U D C D O N
DUSKY HASHTAG
Cell BlocksNo 4460
© PUZZLER MEDIA
Polygon Set SquareNo 3168
Please note, BODMAS does not apply
KillerGentle No 8281 Solutions
KillerTricky No 8282
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).
The England women’s team sailed
into the Venice Cup semi-final at
the recent World Team
Championships in Salsomaggiore.
There they met Turkey — a good
squad but England will have been
pleased to have avoided Sweden
and Poland, who slugged it out in
the other semi-final (Sweden win-
ning by a miniscule two imps).
However, Turkey played very
well. Take this deal from the first
set, featuring brilliant declarer-
play by Hatice Ozgur.
The English West, with a night-
mare opening lead, selected the
seven of clubs (as indeed did her
Polish counterpart). The (clever)
thinking behind a club rather than
the longer hearts is that even if she
gives up a cheap trick, she will
probably win her king later.
Perhaps weirdly, I quite like a dia-
mond lead from her hand — prob-
ably the ace — hoping to win my
three kings later.
Declarer won the queen of clubs
in dummy and led a spade to the
jack. West won the king and exited
with a second spade. Declarer beat
East’s queen with the ace, drew
East’s last trump (West discarding
a heart) and then led a sneaky
queen of diamonds.
West ducked this, hoping East
could win the king. This duck
proved fatal. Declarer continued
with the king of diamonds and this
time West won the ace and exited
with her third diamond — her
only safe exit card. However,
declarer now cashed the ace of
clubs and led a third club, leaving
West with only hearts. Declarer
rose with dummy’s queen on
West’s low heart exit (remember-
ing West’s take-out double) and
was soon claiming ten tricks.
Play started identically at the
other table but, at trick five, the
English declarer led the king of dia-
monds (not the queen). It was easier
for the Turkish West to win the ace
and exit with a second diamond.
Declarer won and played ace and
another club to West but West still
had a safe diamond exit card.
Declarer had to lead hearts herself
and lose to West’s king. One down.
The Turks took the lead and
never relinquished it, winning the
match 236-193. However, they lost
the final relatively comfortably to
Sweden 253-170.
Bronze medal-winning English
Women’s team: Sally Brock - Fiona
Brown, Heather Dhondy - Nevena
Senior, Catherine Draper - Gillian
Fawcett. NPC: David Burn.
[email protected]
Contract: 4♠, Opening Lead: ♣ 7
Dealer: South, Vulnerability: Neither
N
W E
S
1 ♠ Dbl 2♠(1) Pass
4 ♠ End
(1) Good to be bold with a fit after a take-out
double (N-S were playing Five-card Majors).
S(Ozgur) W N E
♠Q86
♥J7
♦J96542
♣ 83
Teams ♠ 542
♥Q983
♦ 107
♣QJ96
♠AJ1097
♥A10
♦KQ
♣A542
♠K3
♥K6542
♦A83
♣K107
Bridge Andrew Robson
C A B
O P T O
A H I M
F L E A B
I U
T I T L E
W B E E F
I U
T A S K
H I
E N E T
R I N D
1 Pole
2 Queen
3 As well
4 Blossom
5 Mayonnaise
Easy 84; Medium 532; Harder 5,733
1 ... Qa3! forces the win as
after 2 bxa3 bxa3+ mates
P A N I C K I N G
M A L T A E O R O
A E R E S U R G E N T
R A G G A T O O
R A G H O S T T O W N
I L O R V E
A L I E N S C A P E R S
G S N C R C
E X T R A V E R T U A
A S V R I S E R
B A C K S T A G E E D
L R E D S I D E S
E G Y P T I A N S
Lexica 6330
Lexica 6329
Chess — Winning Move
Quintagram
Brain Trainer
Quick Cryptic 2124
KenKen 5568
Codeword 4576
Square Routes
163
Tredoku 1731
N S A M U
O M L T S
T T O O I
R E B M C
A T S I L