Russian Roulette by Rasputin

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters from wordplay spelt out “title of part two of Eliot’s The Waste Land”, referring to A Game of Chess, which is formed by the letters discarded from clashes. The clash letters entered in the grid show the chesspieces in a position from Alexander Alekhine’s win against Aaron Nimzowitsch in 1930. The position shows “Alekhine’s gun”, a powerful arrangement of rooks and queen that Alekhine devised. Distinguishing the black and white pieces wasn’t required in the solution.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 PRESCISSIONS (INCISORS + PLIERS + S) * − (d)RIL(l) *
11 ROSEAL OR < + SEA + L
12 TALBOT TOT around LAB *
13 INVAR INV + AR[T]
14 SELLS L in SE[I]LS
15 NEPER NE[T] + PER
17 DICER CRI(pp)[L]ED *
19 OPEN UP (PEOPL[E] * − L(eniency)) around NU
21 OPIUM O[O]M around PIÙ
22 EMU [F]UME <
23 LOPE L + [P]OPE
28 POPS PO + [A]SP <
30 OBA O[R]B + A(fricans)
31 SHELF F(armer) after SHEL[T](y)
32 TENPIN TEN[T] + PIN(t)
34 RIDER RR around [W]IDE
36 YAKUT UT after [O]KAY <
37 MAQUI MAR[O]QUIN − R − N
39 ADAGE [F]AD + AGE
40 AMATOL AM + A + TOL(l)
41 STELAR ALERTS *
42 MIDSUMMER-MEN (M + M + M + M + UREDINES) *
Down
1 PRINTER’S REAM PRAM around REINSERT *
2 RONEO (ONE OR) *
3 SEA EEL SEAL around (E + E + [E])
4 CASE EUC[L]ASE − EU
5 ILK SILK[I]LY − SLY
6 STEN ST[O]NE *
7 ILLIAD LI[T] < + DAIL <
8 OBS [S]OB + S(tating)
9 NOSE UP NOUP around SE(t)
10 STORM LANTERN STERN around (NORMAL * + T)
16 QUAG QUA[T] + G
17 DOP D + [H]OP
18 CIPPI PI[E] after CIP
20 CUBED CUB + [W]E’D
24 POEM POE + [A]M
25 DHIMMI (MIDRASHIM − RAS) *
26 PLEATS PLEA[S] + T(hi)S
27 ARM AR[T] + M
29 SHADER HEAD[E]RS *
33 NUGAE GAE after NU
35 CULM M(owing) after CUL[L]
36 YATE AY < + TE[A]
37 MAD MA[N]DELA − E-LA
38 ISM IS + M[D]
Back to 2015 menu