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I'm glad you got there, 0pt0. End-games certainly can be frustrating.

SH, yes, there is an adjustment to the fourth word. Take the end off a synonym for words 2,3&4 and put it on the front.

The title is an allusion to where the crossword is on the page.

If you know the theme, put it on the end of the second wordplay-only answer. As for the third, it's the first name of someone whose surname is the theme word. I think they were simply pointers to the theme and that there is no deeper significance.

Thanks Mack. Yes, figured out 41 shortly after posting. Was thinking back to front meant reverse rather than last to first.

Should have figured out the second thematic word.

My 16D and 20D do not seem to give me an extra letter (though I know what the letters should be, and what the clue answers are.
What am I missing, please?

Oh---I missed a closing bracket. That doesn't bode well.

16D does not have an extra letter, I think. 11 and 18 do.
20D: the extra letter comes from a synonym for 'wordplay'.

Thanks Mack.
16D: I'd forgotten about `bar one' in the preamble (and misread my own handwriting with the extra letters; oh dear).
20D: I had an alternative interpretation of the clue which worked rather well, although it was a bit avant garde---but the synonym version works much more convincingly.
Now I've only got to find the highlighted row and rectangles---easy peasy, no doubt.

I have been stuck on the final few clues and the endgame for so long! No idea about the theme, so that was of no help with completion

Finally there - and I knew enough to recognise the rectangles, and am happy with the response too

Only thing left is the row/column. But I haven’t been able to make any sense of the message. Wikipedia has not given me any info as to how the first two words may relate to the theme

What am I missing? Thanks!

Adeano, the message (7,6,4,4) should suggest a thematic method of considering each row and column. Once that method is followed, the selection should be clear. Others may well be able to improve on this nudge.

Thanks for the reply barnacle, but I’m afraid I don’t see how you’ve given me any new information :)

I have the message, but no clue what the first two words mean in this situation. I can come up with two ways the second word may be used thematically (one to do with opening potential, one as a shorthand for final result), but neither of those seem to readily translate to a sequence of 13 letters