14 Wednesday January 26 2022 | 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 3097
© 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 5487 Futoshiki No 4138
If...What is it that makes elite com-
petitors (in any activity) better
than those who are merely very
good? It isn’t usually anything
deep or complex. The answer is
almost always that they do the
basic things better. Tennis players
are unlikely to become the very
best by hitting amazing unex-
pected shots. More likely is that
they simply hit targets with their
ground strokes and volleys more
consistently than their rivals.
So, what are the “basic things”
in poker at which the best players
excel? Opinions may differ but I
would put clarity of thought at
the table at number one. Poker is
a deeply psychological game. It
can mess with your emotions and
disturb your thinking like no other.
Thinking clearly in the heat of
battle is easier said than done.
When an unhelpful card arrives it
is easy to become distracted by
thoughts such as: “Oh no. That’s
horrible. Nothing is going right
today.” If you bet and get raised
by an aggressive player, you can
lapse into the mindset of: “He’s
always raising. I have a great hand
— no way am I backing down.”
Similar thoughts afflict every
player and they are not conducive
to good decision making. More
helpful is to have a checklist of
useful questions. Trying to answer
them as best you can will improve
your decision-making process and
help prevent you getting stuck
down mental dead ends.The two most basic questions
are: “What is Villain’s range of
hands for this play?” and “How
do I fare against that range?” You
can never answer either with cer-
tainty but considering these ques-
tions creates a framework, which
can be used to further analyse the
hand in terms of pot odds and
what can happen on future streets.
In a previous article (March 24,
2021) I wrote about a hand played
between those two big poker
beasts Doug Polk and Phil Hell-
muth. When the flop came down
it looked as if Hellmuth held a
winning lottery ticket. He had the
nuts (best possible hand) and Polk
the second nuts. It is very hard to
get away cheaply from the second
nuts as the nuts is so rare. When
Hellmuth put in a big raise, the
pundits (unrestrained at the best
of times but now commentating
as if their trousers were on fire)
screeched incoherently about how
Polk was destined to get stacked.
Polk didn’t see it that way.
Rather than being plagued by
thoughts such as: “He can’t have
the nuts? Surely?! I have to call.”, he
simply asked himself what Hell-
muth’s range was and concluded
it featured the nuts very heavily.
Far too heavily for him to have a
profitable call. To general amaze-
ment he therefore folded, saving
himself a great deal of pain and
an even greater amount of cash.
By doing so he provided an ex-
cellent example of how the very
best players can keep their heads
when all around are losing theirs.© 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 64343. 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 1539
Lexica No 6195 No 6196
RAUIDAISEEALGPPRESIOENWEBASPFFGYAWISTAYNUGCodeword No 4495
Winning Move
Poker Byron Jacobs
ÂÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÂ
4ÛÂÛÂg/ÛÆ
?02ÛÂ02,2Æ
@ÂÛ10È-2ÛÆ
IÛÂpÂÛÂÛÂÆ
HÂÛQÛQÛÂÛÆ
=ÛÂGÂÛ$ÛQÆ
GQ4Â)H4QÛÆ
FDÂÛRÛIBÂÆ
ÂDCB:;A<EÂ
White to play.
This position is from Chekhov-
Razuvaev, Moscow 1982.The structure seen in this
position, identified by the white
pawns on c4 and e4, is known as
the Maroczy Bind. This generally
gives White a space advantage
and something of a clamp (hence
“bind”) on the position as it is
hard for Black to play the freeing
... d6-d5. Here Black is trying to
get active with his queen but this
backfires. Can you see why?For more puzzles, including an extra
Codeword, Train Tracks and Futoshiki
go to page 10