14 1GT Wednesday September 16 2020 | the times
MindGames
Fill the grid
using the
numbers 1 to 9
only. The
numbers in each
horizontal or
vertical run of
white squares
add up to the
total in the
triangle to its left
or above it. The
same number
may occur more
than once in a
row or column,
but not within
the same run of
white squares.© PUZZLER MEDIAKakuro No 2742
© 2010 KENKEN PUZZLE & TM NEXTOY. DIST. BY UFS, INC. WWW.KENKEN.COMFill the blank squares so that every row and column contains
each of the numbers 1 to 5 once only. The symbols between
the squares indicate whether a number is larger (>) or smaller
(<) than the number next to it.All the digits 1 to 6 must appear in every row and column. In
each thick-line “block”, the target number in the top left-hand
corner is calculated from the digits in all the cells in the block,
using the operation indicated by the symbol.
KenKenMedium No 5061 Futoshiki No 3783
Outs
Poker is a game of imperfect
information so it is often the case
that it is not really clear who
holds the better hand. However,
there are common situations where
it is obvious that one player does
have the better hand while the
other has chances to improve and
overtake them. The cards that
enable the currently weaker hand
to achieve this are known as
“outs”. The more outs you have
then, obviously, the better your
chances to win the hand.
Here is a simple example. An
early player opens with a raise,
play is folded round to you in the
big blind and you call with 6k-4k.
The flop is Ak-10j-5k. You check
and Villain bets. Villain opened
from early position so their range
will be heavy with A-x holdings
and high pairs. A-x is well ahead
with top pair, while high-pair hands
such as K-K and Q-Q are also,
currently, comfortably beating you.
Pairing the 6k or the 4k on
subsequent streets will not help as
this will simply create a weaker
one-pair hand. However, you have
a flush draw as any further spade
will generate a flush, which will
almost certainly win the hand. So,
the spades are your outs.
This enables you to calculate
the chance of winning the hand.
There are 47 cards remaining
(counting Villain’s unknown two)
including nine spades. This means
you have approximately a 35 per
cent chance to win, assuming thehand is played out to the river.
Unless you are a maths whizz this
is not something you could easily
work out at the table but there
are numerous online charts that
identify the correct percentages
for different numbers of outs.
This is not an exact science as
you can’t be sure there are nine
spades remaining. For example,
Villain may have a hand such as
Ah-Kk, blocking one of your
outs. However, players know from
experience that 35 per cent is a
reasonable working figure. Once
you have as many as 14 outs, this
hits the 50 per cent mark and you
are no longer an underdog.
Knowing the odds enables you
to play the hand in the most prof-
itable way. However, care is needed
in assessing outs as not all outs
are equal. Some outs may also
help Villain or may even turn out
to be of no use to you. For exam-
ple, the flop is Aj-Jh-7h and you
have Qk-Jj. You want to know
how many outs you have if Villain
has an A-x hand (their pair of
aces is ahead of your pair of
jacks). At first sight it appears to
be five (three queens and two
jacks). However, Villain might
have A-Q, in which case a queen
won’t help you. Even worse they
might hold A-A or A-J, in which
case nothing will help you. Some
of your outs could easily be
tainted and an experienced player
will know that assuming five outs
is far too simplistic and a more
realistic assessment is to down-
grade the total to about three.© PUZZLER MEDIASlide the letters either horizontally or vertically back into the grid to produce a
completed crossword. Letters are allowed to slide over other lettersEvery letter in this crossword-style grid has been substituted for a number from 1
to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears in the grid at least once. Use the letters
already provided to work out the identity of further letters. Enter letters in the main
grid and the smaller reference grid until all 26 letters of the alphabet have been
accounted for. Proper nouns are excluded. Yesterday’s solution, rightCluelines Stuck on Codeword? To receive 4 random clues call 0901 293 6262 or
text TIMECODE to 84901. 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).Winners will receive a Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus
Solve the puzzle and text in the numbers in the three
shaded boxes. Text TIMES followed by a space, then
your three numbers, eg, TIMES 123, plus your name,
address and postcode to 84901 (UK only), by midnight.
Or enter by phone. Call 09012 925274 (ROI 1516 303 501)
by midnight. Leave your three answer numbers (in any
order) and your contact details.Calls cost £1 (ROI €1.50) plus your telephone company’s
network access charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard
network charge. Winners will be picked at random from
all correct answers received. One draw per week. Lines
close at midnight tonight. If you call or text after this
time you will not be entered but will still be charged.
SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).Fill the grid so
that every
column, every
row and every
3x2 box contains
the digits 1 to 6What are your favourite puzzles in MindGames?
Email: [email protected]Lay tracks to enable the train to travel from village A to village
B. The numbers indicate how many sections of rail go in each
row and column. There are only straight rails and curved rails.
The track cannot cross itself.Win a Dictionary & Thesaurus
Train Tracks No 1123
Lexica No 5485 No 5486
TTAPATGLXHEMNYNTEACAHCFROBEOTZTYSAFTOJEANRCodeword No 4069
Winning Move
Poker Byron Jacobs
áWDWDWDWD]
àDWDWDWDW]
ßWDWDPiPD]
ÞDWDWDPDW]
Ýp0pDWDWD]
Ü)WDpDWDW]
ÛW)WDWDWD]
ÚDWIWDWDW]
WÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈW
White to play.
This position is from Firouzja-
Naroditsky, Katara International
(bullet), lichess.org 2020.Although pawn endgames, by
definition, do not feature any
pieces, they can still be tactically
complex. If White can keep the
Black army on the queenside
under control then his own pawns
will win the game. However, he
needs one very precise move to
achieve this. In the game Firouzja
got it wrong. What must he play?For more puzzles, including an extra
Codeword, Train Tracks and Futoshiki
go to page 10