Times cryptic chess clue

[Simon Brown]

Here's one from today's Times, which is particularly tricky (for me anyway). This clue is especially difficult for chess players!

"Lady, one potentially a queen, we're told (3)"

[Paul Habershon]

Here's one from today's Times, which is particularly tricky (for me anyway). This clue is especially difficult for chess players!

"Lady, one potentially a queen, we're told (3)"

I am suggesting BEA (=lady, short for Beatrice) which sounds like 'bee' (as in queen bee). 'We're told' is a typical cryptic convention pointing to how a word sounds.

A 'quick' crossword might have, in a sense, the much harder clue: Girl's name (3)

[Phil Makepeace]

Two in today's puzzle:

6d - From opening that's inconclusive, white finally in superior position (5)

22d - Section of launch, essentially, in which master gets mates on board (5)

[MJMcCready]

Haven't the foggiest.

[Paul Habershon]

Two in today's puzzle:

6d - From opening that's inconclusive, white finally in superior position (5)

22d - Section of launch, essentially, in which master gets mates on board (5)

Perhaps The Times is celebrating the British Chess Championships. Apart from the above, on the previous day we had:
12ac Talks about daughter and son's rapid search for mates (5, 5) SPEED CHESS

Brief note on account book showing addition to staff (6, 4) LEDGER LINE, which I didn't know was a music notation term (cf staff).

In Phil's examples above I needed help with parsing 6d (the solution actually is ABOVE) as I didn't know the phrase ab ovo, 'from the egg'/'from the beginning'.

22d is simply CHESS, hidden in the clue. An elementary device but often easy to miss.

[Geoff Chandler]

Metro 17th August 2023.

10 Across: Things moved next to the king in a chess game. (7)

Rather easy. Things is an anagram of nights move the 'K' from 'king' in front of it.

[Gordon Morse]

From today's Telegraph crossword:

Participants in chess game in central London area (13)

This was a 'down' clue which I didn't solve until I got the first letter from one of the 'across' clues.

As ever, solvers are expected to have a knowledge of London wherever they live (I happen to live in London)

[IM Jack Rudd]

KNIGHTSBRIDGE, I take it.

[David Williams]

From today's Times (and requiring a slightly more intimate knowledge of the game than some)

With stone foundation, Greek castles compete to be most up-to-date (9).

[John Clarke]

I'm not sure the answer is itself the most up-to-date term for that condition.

[Paul Habershon]

From today's Times (and requiring a slightly more intimate knowledge of the game than some)

With stone foundation, Greek castles compete to be most up-to-date (9).

Yes, knowledge of 0-0 notation for castling is probably even more specialist than 'passed pawn', which is what impelled me to write the first post in this thread. At least 'passed pawn' is defined in Chambers dictionary.

I also thought, along with John Clarke above, that you have to be a certain age to remember 'groovy' as meaning 'with it' and 'cool'. However, I do feel, as I walk to the newsagent every day, that newspapers nowadays are bought mainly by the old.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"However, I do feel, as I walk to the newsagent every day, that newspapers nowadays are bought mainly by the old."

Maybe - I used to get the Telegraph at the station every morning to read the chess column, and start to do the crossword on the way to work (and occasionally finish it before I arrived). Now, I rely on the internet, and sometimes buy the "i", to read in a few minutes and pull out the puzzle pages to store in the car, for when I'm waiting for the dog and her staff to arrive.

Thanks for the explanation of the clue - I've now got it I think. Gr= Greek, OO = castles, vie = compete and st = stone. I mainly think in kilogrammes now, but I did edit/update a British Standard for measurements in Imperial and metric form, so vaguely remembered the abbreviation for stone...

[Joey Stewart]

"However, I do feel, as I walk to the newsagent every day, that newspapers nowadays are bought mainly by the old."

I see newspapers as kind of a charitable donation to society - I'll find one sitting on the seat of a bus or train, skim the headlines and then leave it for someone else to have a read later - it's like a worldwide public book club.

[Geoff Chandler]

The same here Joey. I cannot recall the last time I bought a newspaper. During the week I'm on buses nearly everyday going all over the place and pick up a Metro just for the cryptic crossword.

I recently picked up, 10p each, a pile of 'The Spectator' and am going through Luke's column. The cryptic crossword in those are just out of reach though I've solved a handful. I have never solved even one clue from the Private Eye crossword. I've given up even looking at it.

[Stewart Reuben]

I live in a retirement village. The Times, Telegraph are put out every week day. I read sections practically every day - free. Currently I am on a Mediterranean cruise and thus do not have access to these newspapers. I enter the Saturday Times and Sunday Times chess puzzles, online, so there is no cost. I also seek too read Luke McShane's column in a local store and send the solution to his puzzle again by email.
Very occasionally I win. This means there must be a healthy number of entries.