1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6.   g g g
  g   g   g   g   g   g 7. g 8.
9.          g 10.     
  g   g   g   g   g   g   g  
11.       g 12.        
  g g g   g g g   g g g   g  
13.  14.     g 15.   16.     
g g   g   g 17. g   g   g   g g
18.         g 19.     20.
  g   g g g   g g g   g g g  
21.    22.     g 23.   24.   
  g   g   g   g 25. g   g   g  
26.      g 27.         
  g   g   g   g   g   g   g  
g g g 28.            

ACROSS

1,28. Hint 1051: As pikers forsaking in crisis (4,4,4,1,7,4)

9. Wonder gamble (9)

10. 15-Across battle in Guatemala monastery (5)

11. Strangely dies in, not out (6)

12. +99 : Ted hooked (8)

13. Understood lost character, struggled for air (6)

15. In returning almanac, I remain a patriot (8)

18. Stick with no heads? I must be confused! (8)

19. Flow of fluid master (6)

21. Tangled lace girl likely to react badly (8)

23. Palest? Only roughly! (6)

26. Such crazed rogues, having lost their ugly head (5)

27. Returning stone mice.
   PS: No to samples! (9)

DOWN

1. Eternal city swindle ... (7)

2. ... maintains strongholds (what the deadly serious play for) (5)

3. Arranged under son's circularity (9)

4. Named as Hall (4)

5. Liberties recast from seed (8)

6. Ring Man One - the Arab (5)

7. Odd chap ties bundle of images together (8)

8. Famous Michael, 23, in River? (6)

14. Sh! (Carols spoilt for academics!) (8)

16. Tracking? King left about tracking! (9)

17. Swiss family steal in child (8)

18. Hit single Victorian airport (6)

20. Drink, so popular leader seen as wuss (7)

22. Breaks between notes (5)

24. "X" has change of direction in middle dentition (5)

25. This part of the supermarket sounds like an Asian city! (4)