Enigmatic Variations 1621 Playing the Game by Kcit

The 10×10 grid is to be viewed as 25 2×2 blocks and numbers derived by adding the numerical value of the letter in each block. In each double set of clues there is a word to remove that has a length and this generates a two digit number. These two digit numbers need to be marked off in the grid allowing one of three names of the game to be highlighted (that which has been checked off)

The final grid yields three options:

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

 

Matching the numbers ‘called out’ by the clues gives:

39	B43	IN40	GO41	26
50	LO67	29	25	45
49	47	TT75	36	H31
55	38	51	O70	OU57
19	52	73	42	SE33

So HOUSE is to be highlighted and not BINGO or LOTTO

Thanks Kcit – a very pleasing puzzle with multiple facets that made it very interesting.

Season’s greetings and hope 2024 brings peace and prosperity to all – well a man can hope but highly unlikely to see it happen.

 

Key – * anagram; rev reversed; bold definition

Clues
• A place to write, not entirely merry hell for poet (4)
5 A place to write, not entirely hell for poet (4)
a + desk (place to write) – k (not entirely) = ADES
• Nothing wrong in A&E? That’s feeble-minded (5)
5 Nothing in A&E? That’s feeble-minded (5)
nil (nothing) in A&E = ANILE

55

• Standard oil works avoiding carbon soon (4)
3 Standard works avoiding carbon soon (4)
canon (standard works) – c (carbon) = ANON
• Bowman to strike forcefully in rare old tussling? (9)
3 Bowman to strike forcefully in rare tussling? (9)
(rare)* around blast (strike forcefully) = ARBLASTER

33

• A leg part found outside dumpy black waste container (6)
5 A leg part found outside black waste container (6)
a + shin (leg part) around b (black) = ASHBIN
• Upright like anchor cutting a tense disturbed sea (5)
7 Upright like anchor a tense disturbed sea (5)
a + t (tense) + rip (disturbed sea) = ATRIP

57

• Bad dog seizing a rare seabird (5)
3 Dog seizing a rare seabird (5)
chow(dog) around a = CAHOW
• Drunken sot leaving Central American state fruit tree unharmed (6)
8 Drunken sot leaving Central American state fruit tree  (6)
costa rica(Central American state) – (sot)* = CARICA

38

• Stick around river for yellow wading bird (5)
6 Stick around river for wading bird (5)
cane (stick) around r (river) = CRANE
• Chromium, loose, molten – boiling oily liquid (7)
7 Chromium, loose, molten – oily liquid (7)
Cr (chromium) + (loose)* = CREOSOL

67

• Opening of note making Pretoria’s point (5)
2 Opening note making Pretoria’s point (5)
door (opening) + n (note) = DOORN
• Productive copper kettle kept in ward (6)
6 Productive copper kept in ward (6)
cu(copper) in fund (ward) = FECUND

26

• Mushroom, fairly distributed around, retaining silver cap (9, two words)
3 Mushroom, fairly distributed around, retaining silver (9, two words)
(fairly)* + c (around) retaining ag (silver) = FLY AGARIC
• Leave a curiously fine collection of waste coal (4)
9 Leave a fine collection of waste coal (4)
go (leave) + a + f(fine) = GOAF

39

• Soft texture enshrining God on old altar decoration (7)
4 Texture enshrining God on old altar decoration (7)
grain (texture) around d (god) + o (old) = GRADINO
• Written text on record cited charge between rugby posts (9)
5 Written text on record charge between rugby posts (9)
o (on) = log (record) + rap(charge) in HH (rugby posts) = HOLOGRAPH

45

• Legislature beginning to head home over exploitation (5)
4  Legislature beginning to head over exploitation (5)
h(beginning to head) + o (over) + use (exploitation) = HOUSE
• Young devil holding pop concert recalled do arranged without planning (9)
8 Young devil holding concert recalled do arranged without planning (9)
imp (young devil) around prom (pop concert) + Rev. ut (do) = IMPROMPTU

43

• To sleep late in it is not appropriate (5)
4 To sleep in it is not appropriate (5)
nap(to sleep) in it = INAPT
• Art-song was seriously heartless (4)
9 Art-song was heartless (4)
lived(was) – v (heartless) = LIED

49

• Something in Socrates, not initially awfully funny, runs on (7)
7 Something in Socrates, not initially funny, runs on (7)
comic(funny) – f (not initially) + r (runs) + on = OMICRON
• Musical symbols not decided in advance? Not entirely (5)
3 Musical symbols decided in advance? Not entirely (5)
preset(decided in advance) – t = PRESE
73

• Mum curtailed woodland deity worship (5)
7 Mum curtailed woodland deity (5)
silence (mum) – ce = SILEN
• A White Rose contrived end of Red Rose (6)
5 A Rose contrived end of Red Rose (6)
(a rose)* + d (end of Red) = SOARED
75

• Wet, frequently warm in Seychelles (5)
4 Wet, frequently in Seychelles (5)
oft (frequently) in Sy (Seychelles) = SOFTY
• Leant forward – raced around circuit as well (7)
7 Leant forward – raced around as well (7)
sped (raced) around too (as well) = STOOPED

47

• Man noted speed: London police picked up Petty Officer (5)
3 Noted speed: London police picked up Petty Officer (5)
Rev met (london police) + Po (petty officer) = TEMPO
• Great number enthralled by custom I announced (5)
1 Great number enthralled by custom announced (5)
Hidden cusTOM ANnounced = TOMAN

31