Times cryptic chess clue

Discuss anything you like about chess related matters in this forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by JustinHorton » Thu Nov 19, 2020 9:42 am

It also seems to be essentially a rehash of something in Good Housekeeping
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

User avatar
John Saunders
Posts: 1710
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:10 pm
Location: Kingston-upon-Thames
Contact:

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by John Saunders » Sat Nov 28, 2020 4:39 pm

This, in today’s Telegraph cryptic crossword:

“Raul Sanguineti beaten all ends up for nothing.” (3)

A fairly easy clue but I was surprised to see an obscure Argentinian chess GM referenced. I wonder who the setter was.
Personal Twitter @johnchess
Britbase https://www.britbase.info
(I prefer email to PM - contact me via this link - https://www.saund.org.uk/email.html)

Roland Kensdale
Posts: 179
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 1:15 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Roland Kensdale » Sat Nov 28, 2020 5:15 pm

Cryptic crossword (at a glance the clues are far easier than the examples here), in the free sample of Chess magazine for December at:

https://chess.co.uk/collections/chess-m ... ember-2020

The solution is given on the following page in the download. You may want to leave scrolling until you've had a go at it.

Crossword set by Avid Old Swan. David ??????

User avatar
John Clarke
Posts: 707
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 1:07 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by John Clarke » Sun Nov 29, 2020 1:07 am

"Avid Old Swan" is an anagram of "David Lawson", a name with strong chess connections (and itself, apparently, a pseudonym). But the bearer of it I'm referring to passed on decades ago.
"The chess-board is the world ..... the player on the other side is hidden from us ..... he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance."
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)

Paul Habershon
Posts: 550
Joined: Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:51 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Paul Habershon » Sun Nov 29, 2020 12:08 pm

John Saunders wrote:
Sat Nov 28, 2020 4:39 pm
This, in today’s Telegraph cryptic crossword:

“Raul Sanguineti beaten all ends up for nothing.” (3)

A fairly easy clue but I was surprised to see an obscure Argentinian chess GM referenced. I wonder who the setter was.
As no one has volunteered an answer yet I'll say NIL. I guess it must be a down clue - take the last three letters of the first three words and read them upwards.

I have enquired on the 'Crossword Help Forum' as to the setter. Setters' real names are rarely disclosed, but many contributors to that forum seem to be in the know.

In The Times yesterday I thought another chess clue had appeared but it wasn't one really:

Queen's request for permission to embrace king (4, 1).

Answer MARY I. Definition is queen, king is R (rex) with may I (the request) around the R.

I mention it mainly because I have never seen a Roman numeral count as a word in a crossword. I suppose technically it is the letter I, so perhaps fair enough. I regard The Times crossword as the gold standard anyway.

Simon Brown
Posts: 798
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 8:38 pm
Location: Sevenoaks, Kent, if not in Costa Calida, Spain

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Simon Brown » Sun Nov 29, 2020 1:14 pm

Yesterday’s Times Jumbo had “Drink with knight in damaged chair, perhaps (11)” which needs N for knight to be solved.

Geoff Chandler
Posts: 3484
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Under Cover
Contact:

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Geoff Chandler » Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:05 pm

The latest CHESS, December 2020 has a cryptic 15 x 15 crossword complied by 'Avid Old Sawn'.
The answers are published inside but I'll not peek.

Some examples: (the easy ones to lure you in.)

12A: Ray is enthusiastic - or so I hear. (5)

26a: Fell Lone Pine to create pawnless file (4,4)

Also a good pawn graphic which I will nick, paint green and use it on the Greenpawn blog.

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5803
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:27 pm

"The latest CHESS, December 2020 has a cryptic 15 x 15 crossword complied by 'Avid Old Sawn'."

You seem to be anagramming the compiler a bit!

Reg Clucas
Posts: 598
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 3:45 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Reg Clucas » Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:58 pm

Paul Habershon wrote:
Sun Nov 29, 2020 12:08 pm
John Saunders wrote:
Sat Nov 28, 2020 4:39 pm
This, in today’s Telegraph cryptic crossword:

“Raul Sanguineti beaten all ends up for nothing.” (3)

A fairly easy clue but I was surprised to see an obscure Argentinian chess GM referenced. I wonder who the setter was.
As no one has volunteered an answer yet I'll say NIL.
This is a good example of 'reverse engineering' in solving a clue. The solution here is easily seen from just the final word, and the number of letters. It's then a case of working out how this fits with the rest of the clue.

Geoff Chandler
Posts: 3484
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Under Cover
Contact:

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Geoff Chandler » Wed Dec 02, 2020 7:52 am

Hi Kevin,

'You seem to be anagramming the compiler a bit!'

That is how CHESS magazine named the compiler which I thought was rather good.
This one had a few anagrams in it and of course a lot are chess related.

Having decided I'll nick the gif I might as well nick the whole crossword idea for my silly Christmas Quiz.

Instead of: 12A: Ray is enthusiastic - or so I hear. (5)

How about:

The Penguin is One Dark Enemy (7,5)

Nah, I'll just use Reti, Giri, Fine and Euwe like I always do.

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5803
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Dec 02, 2020 9:08 am

"That is how CHESS magazine named the compiler which I thought was rather good."

I meant "sawn" for "swan"!

The "Chess" crossword was entertaining enough. Anyone looking for a nice anagram for Hikaru Nakamura might struggle...

User avatar
IM Jack Rudd
Posts: 4815
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:13 am
Location: Bideford
Contact:

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Wed Dec 02, 2020 4:04 pm

It's probably an easier name to anagram than Jack Rudd, or John Emms, or any number of short English names like that.

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5803
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:01 pm

Jarred duck loses engineers about West Country chess star (4,4)

Doubtless there are improvements...

Harry Duff
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 2:48 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Harry Duff » Wed Dec 02, 2020 6:53 pm

Card UK DJ dealt to play like a chess master ..... (4,4)
Last edited by Harry Duff on Wed Dec 02, 2020 7:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Harry Duff
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 2:48 pm

Re: Times cryptic chess clue

Post by Harry Duff » Wed Dec 02, 2020 7:09 pm

HMS men somehow after Jo to play like a grandmaster ...... (4,4)

I'll get my coat.

Post Reply