Enigmatic Variations No. 1589 RQAKHNNE WZFADE by Piccadilly

Three asterisked clues need encoding by a Playfair square before entry and three unclued need to be entered likewise. Needless to say the Playfair needs to be derived.

Some very straight forward clues allowed the concentration to be on the end game.

SW encodes to WI meaning SW and I are in the same row or column sequentially (SWI)

IM encodes to LV

LY encodes to NV combined with previous implies I and L in same column/ row as are M and V

RE encodes to LR meaning RE and L are in the same row or column sequentially reversed (ERL)

SWI

ERL

–M

–V

MO encodes to OP meaning MO and P are in the same row or column sequentially MOP – as they are close in the alphabet likely they are in the same row and not in the keyword.

SWI–

ERL–

–MOP

–V–

TH encodes to SO modifying to

SWIT-

ERL–

H-MOP

–V–

Adding in LY to NV gives

SWIT-

ERL-N

—–

H-MOP

–V-Y

A simple leap of faith gives the keyword as SWITZERLAND aided by some subliminal pointers (Geneva) and William (Tell)

S	W	I	T	Z
E	R	L	A	N
D	B	C	F	G
H	K	M	O	P
Q	U	V	X	Y

Reverse encoding the title gives EUROPEAN STATES

Column 3 is PORTUGAL encoded on entry to HPAWYBNA

Column 7 is MONTENEGRO encoded on entry to OPAZRENDAK

Column 11 is BULGARIA encoded on entry to KWNCNLTL

Great fun Piccadilly – a lovely implementation of PLAYFAIR. Many thanks and also for the easyish clues, which gave solvers the opportunity to try something a little outside of their comfort zone and I would hope complete their grids.

 

Key * anagram; Rev. Reversed; DD double definition; Underline definition

Across
1 Horrified Turkish commander given sister’s heart (6)
agha (Turkish commander) + st (sister’s heart) = AGHAST

4 Condemn as corrupt honour lecturer is last to receive (7)
obe (honour) + l (lecturer) + is + e (last to receive) = OBELISE

9 Bard’s to bawl seeing grand primate (4)
g (grand) + ape (promate) = GAPE

10 Parasites destroyed power mast (9)
(powermast)* = TAPEWORMS

12 Australian football ground regularly not viable (4)
nOt ViAbLe = OVAL

13 Chap in charge, ludicrously busy (5)
man (chap) + ic (in charge) = MANIC

14 Posts report of recent event about the Spanish (6)
news (report of recent events) about el (the Spanish) = NEWELS

15 German, more depressed, makes threatening stare (6)
g (german) + lower (more depressed) = GLOWER

16 Weep at empty priest’s underground chapel (5)
cry (weep) + pt (empty priest) = CRYPT

19 Courageous, removing black side piece of wagon (4)
brave (courageous) – b (black) = RAVE

20 Joint, pork, given apple sauce finally (4)
porK giveN applE saucE = KNEE

22 Flying school ejecting over bodies of water (5)
(school – o)* = LOCHS

23 Avenge stricken city (6)
(avenge)* = GENEVA

25 Person born in summer keeping a set of books in outhouse (6)
leo (person born in the summer) around a + nt (set of books) = LEAN-TO

28 Boy enters Georgia to find space in woodland (5)
lad (boy) in Ge (Georgia) = GLADE

29 Applaud colt on circuit of racetrack (4)
c(colt) + lap (circuit) = CLAP

30 Club members star on air broadcast (9)
(star on air)* = ROTARIANS

31 First note of scale is din in stage production (4)
ut(first note) + is = UTIS

32 Bird from south Kentucky left Arkansas (7)
s(south) + ky (Kentucky) + l(left) + ark(arkansas) = SKYLARK

33 Old Swiss hero of Verdi opera (6)
O(old) + Tell + o(of) = OTELLO

Down
1 Old rival loses standard struggle (4)
Paragon (old rival) – par = AGON

2 Aloe-like plant with top missing began to soften (4)
agave(aloe-like plant) – a (top) = GAVE

3 Wading bird, first of two probing fine sediment (5)
t(first of two) in silt(fine sediment) = STILT

5 Striped woven cotton I confiscated from dodgy Belgian (6)
(belgian – i)* = BENGAL

6 Look to company providing railway engine (4)
lo (look) + co(company) = LOCO

7 Barrie’s pirate caught initially having smoke in Cornwall (6)
Smee(Barrie’s pirate + c (caught) + h (initially having) = SMEECH

8 Doctor surest to identify sexual impulse among Americans (6)
(surest)* = ESTRUS

11* Crawl perhaps on a bearing of 225 degrees over island, Malta (4)
sw (bearing of 225 degrees) + i (island) + M (Malta) = SWIM = WILV

16 101 pike-like fish: you can smoke them (6)
ci (101) + gars (pike-like fish) = CIGARS

17 Smell covers skin of Basotho antelope (6)
reek(smell) around Bo (skin of Basotho) = REEBOK

18 Negotiate a raise breathing this at Bournemouth (6, two words)
(a raise)* = SEA AIR

21* Instrument used in early recordings (4)
Hidden earLY REcordings = LYRE = NVLR

22 Smallest meadow on outskirts of Stockport (5)
lea (meadow) on st (outskirts of Stockport) = LEAST

24 Royal heading off is equal to Shakespeare (4)
regal(royal) – r = EGAL
26 Japanese sea bream has large caudal fin (4)
tai(Japanese sea bream) + l(large) = TAIL

27* Flier starts to move over the horizon (4)
Move Over The Horizon = MOTH = OPSO