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Which means I don't have to buy The Times. It's a mixed blessing.

Fairly straightforward as long as you don't make a mistake - but the mistake was particularly relevant to the end game!

....... and fairly reflects the feelings of a few on here who sit these out!

I strongly recommend having a go at this one.

It's not that tough, and even has something, at the end, for those who dislike numericals.

I'll sit this one out on the sandbank, with a break to watch the Welsh Rugby. Hope those of a more numerate species enjoy it.

Thank you Piccadilly. All completed.
Don’t agree with your opening gambit but you are correct with the second part. Elegantly constructed.

I see that The Listener published a 'short monograph' on solving numericals - 20 pages.
Used to think I had a 'maths brain' but perhaps it has dimmed with time. I envy those of you who can tackle these. Waiting for next week.....

I am a mathematician and so I suppose I do have a 'maths brain' but I find numerical puzzles unappealing.

This one is about assigning values to variables so the obvious thing to do is design a spreadsheet to calculate the values of the expressions. That in itself is an incredibly tedious exercise and I will need to check and recheck to ensure I have not made any slips.

Then it seems to be a matter of looking at magnitudes.

The only way I can see into the puzzle is 29. Then there seems nowhere obvious to go. I may well sit this one out and let those who can code have a good time.

I agree with the earlier post from simplesimon, it’s quite an approachable numerical crossword. No spreadsheets or coding required - pencil, paper, and a calculator are all that are needed to reach the end.

This is my first post in this forum. As a relative beginner on the Listener it’s really helpful to read the comments here to learn from the masters how it’s done. Thank you!

How true the denouement is!! However I do need to say that, as with most numerical puzzles, this is an exercise in logic rather than mathematics. The mathematical aspect requires nothing more than add/subtract/multiply and divide. The key is figuring out where to start, and that requires logic, rather than maths. As a consequence quite a few of the letter solutions quickly reduce to a choice of 1,2 or 3 numbers.