The Times - UK (2022-05-17)

the times | Tuesday May 17 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 16 words, average;

22, good; 26, very good; 31, excellent

21 589 68

5382147 89

59136 97

79 429137

(^989821)
97 13 51
586379 13
64 18692
97 3698745
89 125 31
S C A B
L A
B O R R O W
S L I
D E T E C T
Y H
A C T M
H V I A
U D
N A V E L
K O Y
Y E W
1 Service in a country’s armed forces 2 Greenwich
3 Richard III 4 Psalms and Proverbs 5 Charlie Brown
6 Queen Victoria 7 Sri Lanka 8 The Supremes
9 The Wimbledon Trilogy. The other novels are The
Wimbledon Poisoner (1990) and East of Wimbledon
(1993) 10 Casca 11 David Devant — born David
Wighton 12 No One Can Change Your Life Except for You
13 Gloster Gladiator 14 Bench press 15 Iain Stirling
1 ... Re1! is a lovely deflecting
move. 2 Qxe1 Qxf3+ 3 Rg2 Qxg2
and 2 Rxe1 Qg2 are both mate.
White played 2 Bxf7+ Kh8 but
this made no difference
Jettatura (c) The power to
harm others by look
(Chambers)
Newel (a) The central pillar of
a spiral staircase (Collins)
Beurré (a) A mellow variety of
pear (OED)
Kakuro 3175
Futoshiki 4216 Lexica 6352
Cell Blocks 4472 Set Square 3178 Lexica 6351
Suko 3491
Train Tracks 1631
Chess — Winning Move Word watch
1 Lawn
2 Tennis
3 Squash
4 Rackets
5 Badminton
Quintagram
Quiz
Easy 43; Medium 587; Harder 8,610
Brain Trainer
Yesterday’s answers
aid, auld, dais, dal, dial, dis, dual, dulia,
lad, laud, lauds, lid, lud, quad, quid, sad,
said, sild, squad, squalid, squid, udal
times2 CrosswordNo 8906 Brain Trainer
Just follow the instructions from left to right, starting with the number given to reach an answer at the end.
ANSWER
EASY 45
ANSWER
MEDIUM^91
ANSWER
HARDER 298 + 194 x 3

• 12 50%
  OF IT

+ 775

+ 63 + 88

x 5

• 8

x 3

x 2 x 2

70%

OF IT

/ 8

OF IT

5

+ 993

+ 9

+ 39 – 78

+ 9

+/ 2

OF IT

1

+/ 2

OF IT

1

/ 8

OF IT

(^7) / 2
OF IT
1
x 2
+/ 4
OF IT
(^1) 30%
OF IT
+/ 4
OF IT
1
Across
1 Eight-armed creature (7)
5 Climb up (5)
8 Consumed (5)
9 Loss of memory (7)
10 North Italian region (8)
11 Waterbird (4)
13 Floating crossing (7,6)
16 (Of wood) cut (4)
17 Food fibre (8)
20 Green gemstone (7)
21 Slang (5)
22 Worker in stone (5)
23 Went to bed (7)
Down
1 Partly coincide in time (7)
2 Venerated object (5)
3 Five-sided figure (8)
4 Instruction to bank (8,5)
5 List of dishes (4)
6 In poor condition (7)
7 Rough path (5)
12 Sweet smelling (8)
14 Fresh quality (7)
15 Built (7)
16 Hot water vapour (5)
18 Roman official; portend (5)
19 Gain by labour (4)
Solution to Crossword 8905
T2 CROSSWORD No 8906
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9
10 11
12
13 14 15
16 17 18
19
20 21
22 23
RADICALCHIC
A E H O A A
BLASE CARIBOU
B L R K E B N
INTRUDER MAGI
T B T C G V
PUBL IC COHERE
U R C C C R
NAAN DARKAGES
C Z T N A N A
HEIGHHO TROLL
E U E O M L
REDISCOVERY
Cell BlocksNo 4473
© PUZZLER MEDIA
Polygon Set SquareNo 3179
Please note, BODMAS does not apply
KillerModerate No 8305 Solutions
KillerTough No 8306
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).
This year’s Lady Milne trophy
(home nations for women) was
won in a nail-biting finish by
Scotland, just pipping perennial
favourites England into second
place, both well clear of the host
nation Wales in third.
The English declarer will be
kicking herself a little after failing
to make this 6NT from England v
Wales. All other N-Ss had stopped
safely in 3NT.
Declarer won West’s wise pas-
sive low club lead in dummy and
led a spade to the ten, following
with the nine, both ducked (good
defence). Declarer then crossed to
the king of hearts and led the king
of spades. East won the ace and
cleverly led the ten of hearts.
Forced to guess whether to play
for a squeeze-ending or a simple
heart finesse, declarer reasonably
tried the jack. One down.
After the ten-nine of spades are
both ducked, I think declarer
should have preserved the heart
position and crossed to the king of
diamonds to lead a third spade.
East wins the ace and leads (say)
the jack of clubs.
Declarer wins both of dummy’s
top clubs, crosses to the ace of dia-
monds, back to the king of hearts,
and leads out the two winning
spades. East has to reduce to one
heart to keep the master diamond.
Declarer throws her last diamond
to keep ♥AJ. And now West also
has to reduce to one heart to keep
the master club. In a classic double-
squeeze ending, at trick 12 declarer
leads to her ace of hearts and will
succeed even if her jack of hearts
was low. Easier with hindsight.
Victorious Scottish sextet: Sam
Punch-Anne Symons, Abi Milne-
Sheila Adamson, Liz McGowan-
Fiona McQuaker.
[email protected]
Contract: 6NT, Opening Lead: ♣ 3
Dealer: North, Vulnerability: Both
N
W E
S
1 ♠(1) Pass
2 ♦ Pass 3♣(2) Pass
3NT(3) Pass 4♦(4) Pass
4 ♥(5) Pass 4NT(6) Pass
5 ♥(7) Pass 6NT End
(1) I like it. The other alternative would be a
skewed 2NT but you’ll surely be able to develop
the auction better by starting with a quiet
1 ♠ (assuming the auction develops at all).
(2) Is there a case for rebidding 2NT (forc-
ing-to-game in the modern style)? This
“right-sides” Notrumps (protecting ♥Kx)
while a club fit will not be missed, for part-
ner can bid 3♣ with 5♦-4♣.
(3) Well-stopped in the unbid hearts.
(4) Wants to know how partner will react to
hearing of the diamond feature. However,
might not North be 5♠ 1 ♥ 3 ♦ 4 ♣? I might
have preferred to raise to 4NT (but South
would have passed, and the opportunity to
bid and make slam would have gone).
(5) Control bid, co-operating in the slam
venture.
(6) Roman Key Card Blackwood for diamonds.
(7) Two of “five aces” (incl ♦K); no ♦Q.
S W N E
♠A82
♥ 1054
♦J1042
♣J86
Teams ♠KQJ54
♥K6
♦K6
♣AKQ2
♠ 109
♥AJ93
♦A8753
♣ 74
♠ 763
♥Q872
♦Q9
♣ 10953
Bridge Andrew Robson
T H O R O U G H B R E D
H U R R O L E
A T T I C U N A R M E D
N R H M R I
E M U E X P E D I E N T
N S Y I N O
D O N U T N A D I R
E E R G G O
M A R R A K E C H W H Y
O T M O M O
T E R M I N I U P E N D
E I O N S N E
C O I N C I D E N T A L
Sudoku 13,209
Killer 8303
Sudoku 13,210
Killer 8304
Sudoku 13,211
Quick Cryptic 2135
KenKen 5581
Codeword 4589