Prince somewhat open with an awful player needing lift (8)
I believe the answer is:
maharaja
'prince' is the definition.
(maharaja is a kind of prince)
'somewhat open with an awful player needing lift' is the wordplay.
'somewhat open' becomes 'ajar' (I've seen this in another clue).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'an' becomes 'a'.
'awful player' becomes 'ham' (ham is a kind of player. I am not sure about the 'awful' bit.).
'needing lift' is a reversal indicator (in a down clue, letters go up).
'ajar'+'a'+'ham'='ajaraham'
'ajaraham' reversed gives 'MAHARAJA'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for maharaja that I've seen before include "foreign ruler" , "Hindu prince" , "Indian prince or king" , "Indian ruler" , "Great Indian prince" .)