Crossword Genius

Hard nut picked for games master we hear (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

conker

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'hard nut' is the definition.
(nut of the horse chestnut tree)

'master we hear' is the wordplay.
'master' becomes 'conquer' (I've seen this before).
'we hear' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'conquer' is a homophone of 'CONKER'.

'picked for games' is the link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for conker that I've seen before include "hard nut" , "Chestnut on a string" , "Nut of the horse chestnut tree" , "Chestnut fruit" , "Seed of horse chestnut" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sunday Times.
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