545 saturday review Saturday May 28 2022 | the times
MindGames The Times Crossword, Latin Crossword, Saturday Quiz and
Suko are in the back of the main paper
Codeword No 4600
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 8916
Across
1 Veracious (8)
5 Grind (flour) (4)
9 Braided hair (5)
10 Down payment (7)
11 Slide (especially on the
belly) (7)
12 Significantly overweight (5)
13 Easily remembered (9)
18 Coherent light beam (5)20 Of questionable reliability (7)
22 Windpipe (7)
23 Oxford college (5)
24 Large piece, lump (4)
25 Avoidable (8)Down
1 Keyboard operator (6)
2 Radioactive metal (7)
3 Devise (a plan) (5)
4 University student (13)
6 Children; put out (5)
7 Rubbish; palanquin (6)
8 Self-confidence (6)
14 Boggy, swampy (6)
15 Arousing intense feeling (7)
16 Group (of eggs) (6)
17 Sacred songs (6)
19 Eggs of fish or frogs (5)
21 Offspring; meditate (5)Solution to Crossword 89151 2 3 4 5 6 789 1011 1213 14 1516 1718 19 20 2122 2324 25ACRE MONARCHY
U O P X T I A
DELVE FOREVER
A L C O O I D
CHECKER POLE
I R D H E P
TICKET HYMNAL
Y O X U G A
BATH REPRINT
R S A G I N I
EXTRUDE PREEN
A E S O E E U
MERITING DRAMNeed 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 double of an opposing
slam asks partner to find an
unusual lead, typically based
on a void. If partner has pre-
empted, the meaning of the
double changes just a tad. It
says, “Lead your own suit —
that’s my void”.
Let’s travel to the motorway
junction in Warwickshire
where the prestigious 2022
Schapiro Spring Fours was
being staged earlier this month.
The question for West on
this first deal of round two
was, “Do I double 6♣?” Even if
West ruffs a spade at trick one,
he does not have a second
defensive trick. And there’s
another danger in West dou-
bling 6♣ — as he found out ...Perhaps West should have
led a super-passive club.
However, he fished out a dia-
mond — and declarer had a
second diamond trick and a
chance of making 12 tricks.
Could he make a third heart
trick? That was the question.
After winning the queen of
diamonds (East inserting the
ten in case declarer held ace-
queen-jack), declarer crossed
to dummy in clubs (observing
East discard — a spade) and
led a heart to his king (East
playing the nine).
Declarer led a heart back to
dummy and went into the
tank. If East had his actual
hand, now with the bare ace,
declarer needed to duck. East’s
bare ace would win and
dummy’s queen-jack would be
promoted and the slam made.
Fortunately, declarer played
dummy’s queen (I say fortu-
nately becaue my teammates
were sitting East-West). East
won the bare ace, switched to
the king of spades, and declarer
had no twelfth trick. One down.
Passing 6♣ would have been
a calmer way for West to win
points. East leads the king of
spades, West ruffing away
South’s ace. West switches to a
heart, East winning the ace,
cashing the queen of spades
and leading a third spade for
West to ruff again. The
defence win the first four
tricks. Still, where’s the drama
in that?[email protected]♠ -
♥ 10 7 5 3
♦ J 9 7 6 5
♣ 10 9 7 3
♠ A J 3
♥ K 8 6
♦ A Q 8 3
♣ 8 4 2♠ 9 6 4
♥ Q J 4 2
♦ -
♣ A K Q J 6 5
♠ K Q 10 8 7 5 2
♥ A 9
♦ K 10 4 2
♣ -SEN
WDealer West Neither VulS W N E
Pass 1♣ 4 ♠
Dbl(1) Pass 5♣ Pass
6 ♣(2) Dbl(3) Pass Pass
6NT(4) end
(1) This double has to cover a multi-
tude of hands — all except the pure
penalty ♠KJ10x “and out” (with
which you have to pass and await the
hoped-for reopening take-out double
from partner, which you can convert).
(2) Marginal.
(3) Lead your pre-empt suit.
(4) Wisely retreating — and no longer
worried about having only one spade
stopper — West has no spade to lead.Mindset by 700 Literary Quiz
- The following words can be divided into five sets of size 5, 4, 3, 2 The Times Literary Desk
and 1. What are the sets? (Hint: the size of each set provides an
oblique clue to its theme.)
CMXXI COLEMAN FIFTY-ONE FONDA HAYDEN
HEAD OF ONE PARTON SEVENTY-ONE
THE THIRTEEN TIMES TOMLIN TOP - The King of Nootropia threw some dice. The Queen saw that
some of them formed the age of the Royal Tortoise, and that if
the remaining two dice were included then all of them could
form the square of its age. How old is the Royal Tortoise? - Disposez en ordre différent:
ANGER AVON COLE DEE EIGER OUT ROLE
Answers on page 53All You Need is Love
The following people had
affairs with writers. Name the
object of their affection
1 Fanny Brawne
2 Nelly Ternan
3 Rebecca West, Dorothy
Richardson, Violet Hunt and
Elizabeth von Arnim
4 Kenneth HalliwellAnswers on page 53The Listener Crossword No 4713 Telstar by The Don
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
4713 , 63 Green Lane, St
Albans, Hertfordshire AL3
6HE, to arrive by June 9.Name ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Postcode .............................................................................. Phone/email ..........................................................................................................................
Half of the answers clash with a crossing answer in the grid. For each clash one of the letters must
be chosen so that both entries are real words; the discarded letters can form a thematic name
(two initials and a surname). In clues to the non-clashing entries, the wordplay leads to the
answer with an extra letter that is not entered in the grid; in clue order, the extra letters give a
hint towards seven appropriately presented words associated with a thematic word. Solvers must
highlight these words, whose lengths are 3 to 7 letters (three of 6 letters, the other lengths all
different). The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary reference; 21dn is in the Oxford
Dictionary of English.
Across
1 Cuts short Macron, perhaps, about his
article (6)
6 Skin covering over a ball (6)
11 I perused mixed remnants (7)
12 Beware line that’s used to cast a lot in
Loch Lomond (5)
13 Given fluctuating colour or lacking it at
the start of day (6)
15 In ancient doctrine, one layer armoured (8)
16 Joints deficient in potassium ache, finally
showing sign of irritation (5)
17 Slovens composed lost piece of music (6)
18 Next Minerva ignores Albus’s lead,
twice (4)
20 Appearing in mythical list, Odysseus’s
nymph (8)
22 Altered form of extremely cutting
wound (8)
23 Regularly look at in detail to strengthen (4)
24 From Milton, obtain the quintessence
again (6)
25 A paean kept in bishop’s almanac (5)
29 Surfaced with dressed stone, hard wood
gave a harsh sound (8)
32 Mock general aspect of Burnsian dish (6)
33 Arabian native on the radio antenna (5)
34 Ely perhaps introducing a new island
gastropod (7, two words)
35 Some geese, say, nestling around young
birds earlier (6)36 Loathe these bats disrupting outskirts of
Delft (6)
Down
1 Creep left after quiet argument (5)
2 Person with erythropenia ill, no point wild
fault-finding (12)
3 League avoiding surplus practice (5)
4 Commands from Prince? (5)
5 Sweaty girl in sun needing a bit of lotion (7)
6 Placed behind a public toilet (4)
7 Market town in French department (7)
8 Unprofessional chemical company formerly
supporting the French (4)
9 Abstainers somehow tolerate Lent Sabbath
(12)
10 Government abandons poor regional
assignor (7)
14 With a stick, thrash unruly beast (5)
18 Ben, Hazel etc reportedly dealing with
betrayal (7)
19 Affected with desire, cut to a point that’s
not fine (5)
20 Pair changing up to race small boat (7)
21 American aimed to do deep research back
beyond Leviticus (7)
26 Soldier trapped in the capsized boat (5)
27 Water plants possibly cut out of new
catalogue (5)
28 My Sean, for one, remains on stage (5)
30 The worst part? For Ed it was to lose (4)
31 To be excited, a little fervour is expected (4)Prize options and more at
listenercrossword.comMore information about
Chambers books can be
found at chambers.co.ukListener 4710 solution on
page 52