The Times - UK (2022-05-27)

the times | Friday May 27 2022 19

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

four 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 13 words, average;

18, good; 23, very good; 28, excellent

  

 



 

  


 

 


  


  


  

  

SSF

FLOWER

YEI

TRUE

VN

REED

TS

AAC

NEVER

KIE

OS

BRUSH

Kakuro 3183

Futoshiki 4224 Lexica 6368

Cell Blocks 4481 Set Square 3186 Lexica 6367

Suko 3500

Train Tracks 1640

Sorage (c) The first year of a

hawk’s life (Collins)

Gowpen (b) The hollow of two

hands held together (Chambers)

Quale (b) A property or

attribute (OED)

Word watch

After 1 ... Nxd4+! 2 exd4 (2 Kf1

Qd3+ will also give perpetual

check) 2 ... Qe4+ White cannot

escape the checks 3 Kd2 (3 Kf1

here, or in the future, is met by

3 ... Qh1+ 4 Ke2 Qe4+ repeating

the position) 3 ... Qxd4+ 4 Kc2

Qc4+. Black can give check

endlessly along the fourth rank

so the result is a draw by

perpetual check

Chess — Winning Move

1 Decay

2 Centre

3 Millet

4 Microbe

5 Nannyish

Quintagram

1 Blackpool 2 Hair transplant 3 Stratford-upon-Avon

4 Walsh 5 Windermere 6 Jenny Agutter 7 The Singing

Butler 8 Arm or upper arm 9 Wolf 10 Willem-

Alexander of the Netherlands 11 Bucatini 12 Sheila

13 Charlie George 14 Synchronised swimming. She

has won seven Olympic golds 15 Donald Campbell

Quiz

Easy 68; Medium 373; Harder 6,402

Brain Trainer

Yesterday’s answers

anomic, anosmic, cami, casino, ciao,

cisco, coca, coin, coma, comic, conic,

cosmic, icon, manic, manioc, mascon,

mica, moccasin, monic, mosaic, osmic,

scam, scan, scion, soca, sonic

times2 Crossword No 8915 Brain Trainer

ANSWER

EASY 9

ANSWER

MEDIUM 15

ANSWER

HARDER 197 x 4

+ 11

+ 268

• 9

SQUARE

IT

x 3

x 3

+ 766

x 2

x 7

• 55

50% + 14

OF IT

/ 3

OF IT

2

+ 99

/ 16

OF IT

13

x 2

+ 87 /^2

OF IT

/ 2 1

OF IT

+^1

/ 3

OF IT

2

• 8


• 57 /^3
  OF IT

2

/ 4

OF IT

+^1 70%

OF IT

• 344

Across

1 Unit of land area (4)

3 Kind of government (8)

9 Dig; research deeply (5)

10 A very long time (7)

11 Examiner, verifier (7)

12 Long piece of wood (4)

14 Entry permit (6)

16 Church book (6)

18 City; large tub (4)

19 Book reissue (7)

22 Force through a die (7)

23 Tidy and clean (feathers) (5)

24 Being worthy of (8)

25 Small drink of spirits (4)

Down

1 Reckless daring (8)

2 Fairground attraction (6-7)

4 University city (6)

5 Waste away (7)

6 Designer of bridges, etc

(5,8)

7 Unit of length (4)

8 Light kiss (4)

13 Precious metal (8)

15 Tire out completely (7)

17 Encourage (4,2)

20 Tube for fluids (4)

21 500 sheets of paper (4)

Solution to Crossword 8914

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9 10

11 12

13

14 15 16

17

18 19 20

21

22 23

24 25

O GLIMPSED

SCAMPI O I R

T O F FRESCO

CORBETT O A W

B I S SELLS

WELLCHOSEN Y

R I O U D F

V SEPARATION

OLDEN V O R

O R D REVENGE

DIESEL Y N I

O G A ENDIVE

OBSERVED E

Cell BlocksNo 4482

© PUZZLER MEDIA

Polygon Set SquareNo 3187

Please note, BODMAS does not apply

KillerModerate No 8322 Solutions

KillerDeadly No 8323

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).

Similar ... but different (36)

When an opponent’s intervention

prevents you from making your

planned rebid, you should pass.

N-S did the right thing not to

bid over West’s 2♥ — no higher

contract would make. Defeating

We st ’s 2♥ was far from trivial, but

they defended brilliantly.

Trick one went ♠6, ♠3, ♠10,

♠A, at trick two declarer leading

♦4 towards ♦K. North hopped up

with ♦A and switched to ♣K.

Declarer won ♣A and immediately

led back ♣8. Winning ♣Q, North

had no better switch than a trump.

Winning ♥A, South realised

why North had not led her second

spade (she didn’t have one) and led

a low (note) spade, North ruffing.

North exited with her remaining

trump and, after drawing trumps,

declarer (unable to reach dummy’s

minor-suit winners) had to lose

two spades to South’s ♠KJ. One

down.

West leads ♥K v 3NT, and

declarer correctly plays ♥ 5

(although winning ♥A is fine this

time, as East has no second heart).

Realising declarer is ducking from

♥AJx (the “Bath Coup”), West

correctly switches to ♠2.

Declarer beats East’s ♠Q with

♠K and leads and passes ♦10.

East wins ♦K and leads ♠9 (usu-

ally, you lead back low from three

remaining cards but, needing three

quick spade tricks, East has to

hope West’s spades at that point

are ♠A108 or better). West beats

declarer’s ♠10 with ♠A but

declarer now has a plethora of

winners. Game made plus one.

[email protected]

N

W E

S

♠Q953

♥ 7

♦K986

♣J1094

♠ 6

♥ 964

♦AQJ532

♣AKQ

♠KJ104

♥AJ5

♦10 7

♣ 7652

♠A872

♥KQ10832

♦ 4

W E N^ ♣^83

S

♠Q953

♥ 7

♦K986

♣J1094

♠ 6

♥ 964

♦AQJ532

♣KQ3

♠KJ104

♥AJ5

♦10 7

♣ 7652

♠A872

♥KQ10832

♦ 4

♣A8

1 ♦ Pass

1 ♠ 2 ♥ Pass(1) Pass

Pass(2)

(1) Unable to make her planned 2♦ rebid,

North makes a disciplined pass. Partner is

still there.

(2) An extra high-card point and South may

chance 2NT.

S W N E

Deal One

Dealer N

Deal Two

Dealer N

1 ♦ Pass

1 ♠ 2 ♥ 3 ♦(1) Pass

3NT(2)

(1) North had planned to rebid 3♦ if West had

passed, so goes ahead with her planned rebid,

effectively a jump over partner’s 1♠ bid.

(2) Partner’s 3♦ bid shows 16 or more

points (just like 1♦-P-1♠-P-3♦), so

South has the values for 3NT — and crucially

one-and-a-half heart stoppers.

S W N E

Bridge Andrew Robson

QUA I L PICCOLO

U R A E O V U

OPT IMAL WREST

D Y P L R B

FOREFATHER

R C O T D E E

AROUND IMPALA

V N E D I R K

ENTERPRISE

N E A S A B

OAS I S GA I NSAY

U S E O O T R

SPARTAN NA I VE

Sudoku 13,234

Killer 8320

Sudoku 13,235

Killer 8321

Sudoku 13,236

Quick Cryptic 2143

KenKen 5590

Codeword 4598

3 x 20 11 x 8 3 + 20 10 x 16

2x452+457x328+11

42 + 2 86 x 2 32 + 7^124 +2

124 x216+102+862x42

23 160

90 47 224 19

60 88

39 126

248 26 88 84

44 172

Tetonor 260