Gridman opens across clues with CLOSING (DATE) and closes them with OPENING (MOVE). Just like Microsoft, which hides its 'Shut Down' button under the 'Start' menu. Some pairings observed in this crossword: Unchain/Strap (displaying the same contrariness), Stay Apart/Move About. In addition, we have the Inamorata/Courtroom/Stay Apart trilogy of events and the African quad of Sudan, Serengeti, Botswana and Tripoli. On the whole, in sum, Entertaining.
ACROSS
1 After which competition entries are barred (7,4) CLOSING DATE (CD)
9 Let loose international series of letters (7) UNCHAIN (UN CHAIN)
When one is unchained, he can sing THIS 10 Racket around a sacred chant is offensive (7) NOISOME (NOISE around OM)
11 Trunk is approximately on tabletop (5) TORSO (T OR SO)
12 What an eavesdropper does (7,2) LISTENS IN (CD)
And here I had thought Prism was a light manipulator. Maybe it does something in the Optical Fibre Cables, hence Prism.
Probably that was the whole idea of shifting to OFCs. Talk of locitus interruptus ... 13 Work long time on musical composition (5) OPERA (OP ERA)
15 A Tatar spy managed to live separately (4,5) STAY APART (A TATAR SPY)*
18 Go from place to place to get U-boat? (4,5) MOVE ABOUT (Reverse anagram of U-BOAT, which is ABOUT*)
21 Small, feverish throng (5) SWARM (S WARM)
22 Plain green site traversed (9) SERENGETI (GREEN SITE)
Those African plains are never ending, occasionally interrupted by a Thorn tree here and a Thorn tree there,
and you can spot wildlife from quite a distance
24 As used to bind together recoiling bits (5) STRAP (PARTS<)
26 Indicates node affected by setback (7) DENOTES (NODE* SET<)
27 If i get caught in core-transformation, there's opening (7) ORIFICE (CORE* around IF I)
I like my water neat; or if ice is available, on the rocks... of Vagator
28 Eve moping on botched-up start to a chess game (7,4) OPENING MOVE (EVE MOPING ON)*
Reminded me of e4, the title of the first paragraph in Mukul Sharma's Mindsport.
Correspondingly, the last para was titled 'End Game". Missing that column like the hell after being
a regular there for nearly two decades ! Read more about Mindsport here. I am very nostalgic about the very last puzzle there which I had solved with my son (the whole exercise taking about 2 gruelling hours) and was gratified to hear that only 11 persons had solved it. Here's a sample from 2008 (in which your's truly's response was published). The site was hacked and lost quite a bit of data and was never repaired fully.
DOWN
1 Where people have a trying time (9) COURTROOM (CD)
2 Happen to have a small measure in our midst (5) OCCUR (CubicCentimeter in OUR)
3 Animator's drawn to a mistress (9) INAMORATA (ANIMATOR* A)
4 Man gets the French
falcons that are trained (7)
GENTLES (GENT LES)
5 As a result of which a name is confused (7) AMNESIA (A NAME IS)* &LIT
I have forgotten what I wanted to say here
6
Cut short the priest the journalist backed (5)
ELIDE (ELI ED<)
Contrast Elision with the Prothesis glide, addition of a sound in the beginning eg: i-school in Hindi
7 Country to which baton was switched (8) BOTSWANA (BATON WAS)*
8 Sensitive enough to express grief over the dead (4) KEEN DD
14 One is surrounded by them (8) ENVIRONS (E, NON CRYPTIC)
16 Helping one cheat to follow the fool (9) ASSISTING (1 STING after ASS)
17 A bit of horological instrument (9) TIMEPIECE (CD)
One way to multiply your stock of timepieces is to run it over with a vehicle and end up with more timepieces
19 Supervise deliveries to the bishop's domain (7) OVERSEE (OVER SEE)
20 Journey ol' one put together for Mediterranean capital (7) TRIPOLI (TRIP OL 1)
22 African country's article thrown away: "Bubbles" (4) SUDS (SUDan'S)
23 Explosive overturns our empty container (5) NITRO (OuR TIN)<
25 Animal horn I chopped up (5) RHINO (HORN I)*
In the Horn of Africa ?
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