Sadly, man retakes pieces, having a tendency to be unkind (4,6)

I believe the answer is:

mean streak

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'pieces having a tendency to be unkind' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'sadly man retakes' is the wordplay.
'sadly' indicates anagramming the letters.
'man'+'retakes'='manretakes'
'manretakes' with letters rearranged gives 'MEAN STREAK'.

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I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

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