SUPER CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 It’s clear after going over the performances (8)

5 Model painter lacking the right shades (6) 10 It’s popularly drunk (7,8)

11 Northern dwellers find one is trapped between banker and doctors (7)

12 As delivered by the singing postman? (3,4)

13 Had a cry when Des turned out to have been followed (8)

15 Put off a strong-hearted creature (5) 18 Switchblade (5)

20 Cutting wrongly-cued band out (8)

23 By reason of her heartless, hard exterior (7)

25 Outbursts of fury on the motorway arenít what they seem (7)

26 Going to provide a setting for hit Don Ward directed from a fine script (4,11) 27 Consuming passion of an English giant (6)

28 Plans to take one to the top rifleshooting areas (8)

DOWN

1 Curbed or restrained star running out (6) 2 For a joke, fired Annie Oakley, for one (5,4)

3 Given order when decorated (7) 4 Punishment strokes (5)

6 Trapped in mud and mire, unfortunately (7)

7 Try giving Maud half a cheese (5) 8 They’re learned so Charles, revising, can drop English (8)

9 Required a masculine figure indeed! (8) 14 Throw over favoured head-girl’s place (8)

16 If it’s over, nag Heather for cheating (9) 17 Greet Poe’s mysterious girl-pupil (8) 19 Make rugged gun hero dance (7) 21 Oscar, in charge, runs the island (7) 22 Practices of superior men of wisdom (6) 24 Right to ring East German in bed (5) 25 One cutting down Western leader in Rome revolution (5)

BE NOT AFRAID

I never know what Cy the Cynic is going to say next.

“Have you ever had a fly land on your computer screen,” Cy asked me in the club lounge, “and you tried to scare it off with the cursor?”

I had to say that I didn’t recall, but I know Cy is scared of nothing. As today’s North, he boomed into seven spades when South freely bid four clubs over East’s three hearts. West led a low heart, and South carefully threw a club on dummy’s ace and ruffed a heart. He drew trumps, took the A-K of diamonds, ruffed dummy’s last heart and ruffed his last diamond.

Distribution

South then had a hypothetical count of the distribution. He knew East had started with one trump, two diamonds and at most seven hearts, hence at least three clubs. So declarer cashed dummy’s king of clubs and next let the nine ride. Making seven.

Cy made a winning bid, but East’s bid of three hearts was a loser. It accomplished nothing except to confirm his presence at the table and help South play the slam.

Daily Question You hold:

A Q 10 8 4 None 8 7 5 A J 10 8 6. Your partner opens one diamond, and the next player bids two hearts (preemptive). You bid two spades, and partner rebids three diamonds. What do you say?

Slam is possible. Six diamonds will be a heavy favorite if partner has 3, J 8 7, A K J 9 4 2, K 7 5. Cue-bid three hearts, planning to show your diamond support next. An even better call that some players might choose is a “splinter” jump to four hearts.

Answer: South dealer Both sides vulnerable