The Times - UK (2022-05-02)

the times | Monday May 2 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 15 words, average;

21, good; 27, very good; 33, excellent

249 5123

124 324158

3179 31 39

289 31

(^521643521)
986 217968
13 698
13 24 1426
249318 749
7129 618
1 Cleopatra [VII] 2 Bridge 3 Gluten free 4 Pablo Escobar
5 Nashville 6 A swan 7 Casablanca 8 Wipe Out 9 Sword
of Honour trilogy 10 The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe
11 HMS Beagle 12 Donna Karan 13 Benoit Mandelbrot
14 Australia and Pakistan 15 David Harewood
Adobo (a) The national
dish of the Philippines
(Collins)
Fugleman (b) An
exemplary soldier
(Chambers)
Pilgarlic (c) A bald head
(OED)
Kakuro 3164
Sudoku 13,176
Killer 8280
Futoshiki 4205
Cell Blocks 4459 Set Square 3167
Suko 3478
Word watch
Quiz
Saturday’s answers
ability, açai, alibi, apical, atypical, bail,
bait, balti, bialy, blip, capability, capital,
city, clip, ictal, iliac, ital, italic, laic, laicity,
laity, licit, lipa, lytic, pail, pial, pica, pita,
pity, plait, plica, tabi, tail, tibia, tibial,
tilapia, tipi, typical
times2 CrosswordNo 8893 Brain Trainer
Just follow the instructions from left to right, starting with the number given to reach an answer at the end.
ANSWER
EASY 10
ANSWER
MEDIUM^72
ANSWER
HARDER 66

• 7

x 5

80%

OF IT

x 9

+ 85

+ 824

SQUARE – 14

IT

80%

OF IT

+ 21 + 8

75%

OF IT

+ 984 + 886

/ 3

OF IT

2

x 2

• 66 + 18

75%

OF IT

/ 8

OF IT

(^5) / 3
OF IT
2
/ 5
OF IT
+^1
x 2 – 44

• 771 /^4
  OF IT
  +^1 x 2
  Across
  1 Error; false move (7)
  5 Undue speed (5)
  8 Illuminated (3,2)
  9 Bring a charge against (7)
  10 Vital juice in plants (3)
  11 Apiarist (9)
  12 Forgive (an offence) (6)
  14 Hit very hard (6)
  17 Oversee (9)
  18 Mine (3)
  19 Comprehensive, thorough
  (2-5)
  20 Dried plum (5)
  21 Roadside pull-in (3-2)
  22 Ceramic ware (7)
  Down
  1 Ineffectual man or boy (7)
  2 Build, construct (3,2)
  3 Flow controller (3)
  4 Distressed (6)
  5 Separate by a short dash (9)
  6 Surgeon's knife (7)
  7 Clear upper air; solvent (5)
  11 Account of a life (9)
  13 Very quickly (7)
  15 Rot (7)
  16 Senior cleric (6)
  17 Eddy, whirl (5)
  18 Stop temporarily (5)
  20 Domestic animal (3)
  Solution to Crossword 8892
  T2 CROSSWORD No 8893
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  8 9
  10 11
  12 13 14 15
  16
  17 18
  19 20
  21 22
  FEVERED BUDGE
  L Y A R L R A
  AXIOM OMINOUS
  P N P O T P T
  JIGSAWPUZZLE
  A G Y E W
  CHALET VIRTUE
  K Q K N A
  QUESTIONMARK
  S E E T A B L
  PROWESS RABBI
  U U D C D O N
  DUSKY HASHTAG
  Cell BlocksNo 4460
  © PUZZLER MEDIA
  Polygon Set SquareNo 3168
  Please note, BODMAS does not apply
  KillerGentle No 8281 Solutions
  KillerTricky No 8282
  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).
  The England women’s team sailed
  into the Venice Cup semi-final at
  the recent World Team
  Championships in Salsomaggiore.
  There they met Turkey — a good
  squad but England will have been
  pleased to have avoided Sweden
  and Poland, who slugged it out in
  the other semi-final (Sweden win-
  ning by a miniscule two imps).
  However, Turkey played very
  well. Take this deal from the first
  set, featuring brilliant declarer-
  play by Hatice Ozgur.
  The English West, with a night-
  mare opening lead, selected the
  seven of clubs (as indeed did her
  Polish counterpart). The (clever)
  thinking behind a club rather than
  the longer hearts is that even if she
  gives up a cheap trick, she will
  probably win her king later.
  Perhaps weirdly, I quite like a dia-
  mond lead from her hand — prob-
  ably the ace — hoping to win my
  three kings later.
  Declarer won the queen of clubs
  in dummy and led a spade to the
  jack. West won the king and exited
  with a second spade. Declarer beat
  East’s queen with the ace, drew
  East’s last trump (West discarding
  a heart) and then led a sneaky
  queen of diamonds.
  West ducked this, hoping East
  could win the king. This duck
  proved fatal. Declarer continued
  with the king of diamonds and this
  time West won the ace and exited
  with her third diamond — her
  only safe exit card. However,
  declarer now cashed the ace of
  clubs and led a third club, leaving
  West with only hearts. Declarer
  rose with dummy’s queen on
  West’s low heart exit (remember-
  ing West’s take-out double) and
  was soon claiming ten tricks.
  Play started identically at the
  other table but, at trick five, the
  English declarer led the king of dia-
  monds (not the queen). It was easier
  for the Turkish West to win the ace
  and exit with a second diamond.
  Declarer won and played ace and
  another club to West but West still
  had a safe diamond exit card.
  Declarer had to lead hearts herself
  and lose to West’s king. One down.
  The Turks took the lead and
  never relinquished it, winning the
  match 236-193. However, they lost
  the final relatively comfortably to
  Sweden 253-170.
  Bronze medal-winning English
  Women’s team: Sally Brock - Fiona
  Brown, Heather Dhondy - Nevena
  Senior, Catherine Draper - Gillian
  Fawcett. NPC: David Burn.
  [email protected]
  Contract: 4♠, Opening Lead: ♣ 7
  Dealer: South, Vulnerability: Neither
  N
  W E
  S
  1 ♠ Dbl 2♠(1) Pass
  4 ♠ End
  (1) Good to be bold with a fit after a take-out
  double (N-S were playing Five-card Majors).
  S(Ozgur) W N E
  ♠Q86
  ♥J7
  ♦J96542
  ♣ 83
  Teams ♠ 542
  ♥Q983
  ♦ 107
  ♣QJ96
  ♠AJ1097
  ♥A10
  ♦KQ
  ♣A542
  ♠K3
  ♥K6542
  ♦A83
  ♣K107
  Bridge Andrew Robson
  C A B
  O P T O
  A H I M
  F L E A B
  I U
  T I T L E
  W B E E F
  I U
  T A S K
  H I
  E N E T
  R I N D
  1 Pole
  2 Queen
  3 As well
  4 Blossom
  5 Mayonnaise
  Easy 84; Medium 532; Harder 5,733
  1 ... Qa3! forces the win as
  after 2 bxa3 bxa3+ mates
  P A N I C K I N G
  M A L T A E O R O
  A E R E S U R G E N T
  R A G G A T O O
  R A G H O S T T O W N
  I L O R V E
  A L I E N S C A P E R S
  G S N C R C
  E X T R A V E R T U A
  A S V R I S E R
  B A C K S T A G E E D
  L R E D S I D E S
  E G Y P T I A N S
  Lexica 6330
  Lexica 6329
  Chess — Winning Move
  Quintagram
  Brain Trainer
  Quick Cryptic 2124
  KenKen 5568
  Codeword 4576
  Square Routes
  163
  Tredoku 1731
  N S A M U
  O M L T S
  T T O O I
  R E B M C
  A T S I L