Compete with a backward girl for a place (6)
I believe the answer is:
vienna
'a place' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both locations as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see a link between them that I can't see?
'compete with a backward girl' is the wordplay.
'compete with' becomes 'vie' (to vie with someone is to compete with them).
'a backward' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'girl' becomes 'ann' (woman's name).
'ann' backwards is 'nna'.
'vie'+'nna'='VIENNA'
'for' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for vienna that I've seen before include "Wien" , "Capital on the Danube Canal" , "European city for New Year's Day concert" , "Austria's capital city" , "Capital city on the Danube" .)